Zayn Malik has responded to claims that he angrily swore at fans while attempting to leave his hotel.
The soloist and former One Direction member played two UK headline shows last weekend, taking place at London’s O2 (Saturday May 23) and Manchester’s AO Arena (Sunday May 24).
Following the latter date, TMZ shared a video of Malik struggling to get into a private car in Manchester as numerous fans gathered around and seemingly blocked his exit.
“Get the fuck out of my way,” the pop star is heard saying when he forces open the car door. A member of his team had warned earlier: “You guys, we can’t get in the car. Please can you watch out? […] Can you move please so we can get in the car?”
Some fans are also heard calling Malik’s name and shouting “Love you!”, while a security guard tries to keep the car door open until everyone gets inside.
Malik has since responded to the report in the comments section of TMZ‘s video on Instagram, where the outlet called the incident a “fan frenzy” and quoted the singer’s expletive.
“Let’s get the facts straight – the fans were and always are respectful and amazing,” he began, clarifying the situation.
“The problem was the various adult men who stood blocking the hotel doors and the car for 10 minutes, not letting us or the security guards leave.”
He went on: “They are not fans, they are stalkers that show up wherever someone they want to meet is and do the same thing to everyone to try to get content. It is not safe and not okay and they ruin it for the real fans.”
Malik’s recent gigs in London and Manchester formed part of his 2026 ‘Konnakol’ world tour, in support of his fifth solo album of the same name. Earlier this month, the singer cancelled the scheduled US leg of the trek and scrapped several planned UK concerts after he was hospitalised with an unspecified illness.
He explained: “I want to make sure I still get out and see as many of you as I possibly can. I’m really looking forward to playing these shows for you, and I hope to see the rest of you around the world very soon.”
Malik assured fans that he was “doing well and will be better and stronger than ever before”. He had previously revealed that he was “unexpectedly recovering” in hospital on the release day of ‘Konnakol’ last month.
“Heartbroken that I can’t see you all this week, I wouldn’t be in the place I am today without you guys and am so thankful for your understanding,” he told fans at the time.
“Thank you to all the incredible hospital staff of Drs, nurses, cardiologist, management, admin and everyone who had helped along the way and continue to. You are all legends!”
The singer’s 2026 tour is due to resume next month with three shows in Mexico, ahead of four additional dates in South America this October.
In other news, it was reported last month that a documentary about Malik and his former 1D bandmate Louis Tomlinson had been axed following an alleged physical altercation between the two.
It emerged last autumn that Netflix would be producing a three-part doc series about the pair going on a “spontaneous adventure” together across the US. Fans were set to get a “rare look” at their lives as they reconnected as friends.
At the start of this year, Malik appeared to take a swipe at former bandmate Harry Styles in relation to ticket prices for his current ‘Together, Together’ tour – which kicked off in Amsterdam earlier this month.