Did a Random Stan Account Really Help Destroy Liam Payne’s Relationship?

Before this week, @payno18 was just a little Instagram stan account devoted to former One Direction star Liam Payne. It only contained three photos of the singer, all posted before November 2020, and had about 500 followers.

Yet some news outlets reported on Monday that the account managed to destroy Payne’s relationship with his fiancé, model Maya Henry.

On Monday, it posted five photos of Payne and a brunette. “Liam and Maya look so cute here 😍,” read the caption, tagging both Payne and Henry. The problem was that the woman in the photos was not Henry. The first few photos don’t show her face, but the last ones clearly didn’t look like her. And if there were any doubt, Henry confirmed it by commenting on the page.

“I love all of the fans so much but please stop sending me these pictures of my fiancé wrapped around another woman. This is not me and it’s hard enough knowing this has happened without seeing it. Enough now,” she wrote from her verified account.

According to one report, the woman in the photos, Aliana Mawla, shared them herself on Instagram at some point over the weekend, which is likely how @payno18 got them. Feverish discussion ensued in the comments: Had they actually thought Henry was the one in the photos and was this an honest mistake? Or was it all a giant troll, set up by Henry herself, or even Payne?

A flurry of headlines appeared, claiming that the pair had broken up. Some outlets attributed the split to the Instagram revelation, citing the fact that Henry had referred to Payne as her fiancé in the comment, while others reported the couple had actually split a month ago but hadn’t announced it publicly. “Maya’s comments referring to Liam as her fiance are untrue and very misleading,” a “source” told the Daily Mail.

At first, I was intrigued by the notion that a stan account could accidentally blow up a famous person’s life by trying to support them. But other people on Instagram aren’t really buying it. “You haven’t updated for two years but posting this now?! That’s fucking sus,” wrote one commenter.

I’m not above a conspiracy theory. What if Henry’s team planted this to make Payne look bad, and gain sympathy? Or Payne’s team did, as a weird way of announcing the breakup or as an attempt to grab headlines away from former bandmate Harry Styles and his new album? I have no idea. This whole situation leaves me like the Oprah “what is the truth” meme. Like with a lot of celebrity gossip, we may never know what really happened. But this time around, a little-known account also got caught up in the mess. So far, they’ve remained silent about the experience. —Stephanie McNeal

Did You Miss…?

34 New Summer Books You Won’t Be Able To Put Down

From literary fiction to science fiction and fantasy and memoir, these are the season’s must-reads.

“Harry’s House” May Be Harry Styles’ Horniest Album Yet

In his third album, he’s part daddy, sometimes lover, and definitely a caring observer.

I Can’t Wait To Watch The Inevitable Documentary About How We All Wronged Amber Heard

Why must we torture women before giving them a redemption arc?

“I’m Tired Of Being Accepted”: John Waters Is Only Getting Grosser

He turned 76, released his first work of literary fiction, Liarmouth, and continues to tour the country with his one-man show. What will we ever do without him? ●