Zayn Malik has defended his fans after footage emerged appearing to show the singer angrily confronting people outside his Manchester hotel following a concert on his Konnakol Tour.
Zayn Malik has defended his fans after footage emerged appearing to show the singer angrily confronting people outside his Manchester hotel following a concert on his Konnakol Tour
The former One Direction singer, 33, responded after TMZ published a video claiming he told people to “get the f*** out of my way” while attempting to leave the hotel following his performance at Manchester’s AO Arena on Sunday (24.05.26) night.
In the footage, Zayn appeared visibly frustrated as crowds gathered around the entrance and blocked access to his waiting car.
The singer, whose solo career has included hits such as Pillowtalk and Dusk Till Dawn following One Direction’s global success, later insisted on social media the disruption had not been caused by genuine fans but by what he described as “stalkers”.
The incident comes during a turbulent period for Zayn’s solo comeback, which has already seen tour cancellations, illness-related postponements and security concerns surrounding recent fan events.
Responding directly underneath TMZ’s Instagram post about the incident, Zayn wrote: “Let’s get the facts straight – the fans were and always are respectful and amazing – 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 added: “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.”
Video from outside the hotel showed Zayn attempting to move through crowds while members of his team struggled to follow him into the vehicle.
A female member of staff could be heard shouting to the crowd as security attempted to clear a path.
She said: “You guys he can’t get in the car! Please can you watch out!”
She later added: “How am I supposed to get in the front seat? Can you move please so I can get in the car!”
The latest incident follows a difficult few weeks during Zayn’s Konnakol Tour.
Days earlier, the singer was nearly struck by a water bottle thrown during a fan question and answer event hosted by Banquet Records in Kingston, London.
Footage from the event circulated online after fans reacted with shock to the incident, with one social media user writing: “WTF, someone threw water at Zayn???”
The event had already generated frustration after organisers merged two separate question and answer sessions because of scheduling conflicts.
Banquet Records later posted a statement apologising to attendees.
They wrote: “Due to a last minute scheduling conflict, the 4pm and 6pm events will be merged.”
The company added: “Apologies for the obvious inconvenience here, due to circumstances beyond our control.”
Some fans criticised the changes online, with one writing: “OMG Zayn is so incredibly unprofessional please never work w/him again!!!”
Another posted: “On the day of? When people have probably built their day around the time they had booked?”
Last month, Zayn was also forced to cancel a planned One Night Only performance at Circuit in Kingston after becoming unwell. Banquet Records confirmed at the time that the event would be postponed after the singer fell “sick”.
The singer has reportedly cancelled 22 tour dates following a recent health scare that left him hospitalised.
Zayn has largely maintained a more private public profile since leaving One Direction in 2015, although his return to touring and the release of new material connected to KONNAKOL has renewed intense interest in his solo career. The singer remains one of the most commercially successful former members of the group, alongside Harry Styles, 32, Louis Tomlinson, 34, Niall Horan, 32, and the late Liam Payne, who died in 2024 aged 31.
