Louis Tomlinson, 27, didn’t appreciate this blast to the past — AKA, 2011-2015. That was the height of One Direction‘s fame, and when especially enthusiastic fans idealized a (completely fictional) romance between bandmates Louis and Harry Styles, 25. This BL conspiracy theory made the move from YouTube onto the small screen, however, when the June 30 episode of Euphoria aired an animated scene in which Harry performs oral sex on Louis. This happens all while Zendaya’s character, Rue, narrates the moment in a British accent [SEEN HERE]. Why, you may ask? Well, one of the HBO show’s characters, Kat (Barbie Ferreira), is the JK Rowling of “Larry Stylinson” smut fiction. But Louis didn’t give his thumbs-up to this pop culture humor!
“I can categorically say that I was not contacted nor did I approve it,” Louis tweeted on July 1, in response to a fan who tweeted, “just going to sit and hope that they for some reason approved it because surely they had to to get it aired 😭😭 harry seems quite friendly with the people involved but u can just TELL louis’ not gonna like it 😬.” Harry has yet to comment on the very visceral scene, but fans were quick to notice that he follows Zendaya and Euphoria consultant Jeremy O Harris on Instagram (although this does not imply anything). HollywoodLife has reached out to Harry’s rep for comment.
Fans were just as upset as Louis. “Zendaya narrating an animated ‘larry stylinson’ smut fanfiction was horrific and i genuinely hope harry styles and louis tomlinson sue HBO,” one fan tweeted, while another horrified viewer wrote, “they LITERALLY said ‘larry stylinson’ and used their names,, i’m so disgusted and upset what the fu** this is so embarrassing to harry, louis, the fandom, the boys families, i can’t believe this.”
I can categorically say that I was not contacted nor did I approve it.
— Louis Tomlinson (@Louis_Tomlinson) July 1, 2019
me when i see larry stylinson trending in the year 2019: pic.twitter.com/IfdAPXgD66
— hannah angel 🖤 (@hanisnotonline) July 1, 2019
A third fan pointed out how the “Larry Stylinson” rumors have already affected Harry and Louis’ friendship IRL: “That new Harry & Louis episode on Euphoria was distasteful. how dare they re-create a watt pad fan fiction that made both guys uncomfortable. this ‘larry’ thing has gone on for far too long. it’s basically ruined their friendship and none of y’all care.”
Louis had already voiced his distaste for the “Louis Stylinson” conspiracy theory in 2017. “It kind of happened naturally for me and Harry because a certain amount of the fans drew up this conspiracy. When it first came around I was with Eleanor [Calder], and it actually felt a little bit disrespectful to Eleanor, who is my girlfriend now,” the “Two of Us” singer told The Sun (he is still dating the model). He continued, “I’m so protective over things like that, about the people I love. So it created this atmosphere between the two of us where everyone was looking into everything we did. It took away the vibe you get off anyone. It made everything, I think on both fences, a little bit more unapproachable. I think it shows that it was never anything real, if I can use that word.”