A video that appears to show One Direction members Louis Tomlinson and Zayn Malik smoking a joint leaked on Tuesday, creating a media scandal and dividing the 1D fandom.
The video was reportedly recorded on April 27, when Zayn and Louis were being driven to their concert in Lima, Peru. Zayn, 21, and Louis, 22, appear in the video, passing around the joint while traveling in the backseat of an SUV. The young pop stars are accompanied by three members of their team – most likely security guards – and none of the other members of One Direction appear to have been present when the video was recorded.
The footage appears to have been shot by Louis, and Louis is heard narrating throughout the video while the image focuses on Zayn.
“So, here we are, leaving Peru. Joint lit. Happy days,” Louis says in the video.
They proceed to light the joint and joke about their “contraband” while pointing out their police escorts, who ride motorcycles on the side of the car. At one point, Louis moves the camera to focus on a policeman outside and laughs.
“He’s having a look. He’s thinking, ‘I’m sure I can smell an illegal substance in there.’ And He’s hit the nail on the head,” Louis says.
At one point in the video, Zayn, appropriately clad in a Bob Marley tank top, blows smoke towards the camera.
“How’s that kind of culture?” Louis asks Zayn.
“It’s great. It’s going to be even greater culture when we get to Jamaica,” Zayn responds.
The two continue to smoke and chat for the duration of the video, which has been edited down to 5 minutes. You can watch the video here.
When the duo approaches the stadium where they are to perform, the topic of conversation turns to their One Direction merchandise, particularly a book they put out which Zayn deems “so girly and not cool.”
In Peru, possession of marijuana is not a crime if it is in limited quantities and for personal, immediate use. Technically, it is unclear whether or not any laws were broken.
But One Direction is most likely less concerned with any possible legal troubles than troubles in their fan base. One Direction fans immediately took to Twitter to discuss the video of ‘Zouis’, with some threatening to leave the fandom due to what they believe is irresponsible behavior.
More still defended the band, choosing to make light of the scandal by creating hashtags on Twitter such as ‘#replace1dsongwithjoint’ and ‘#zouispassmethatblunt.’
A spokesperson for One Direction released a short statement on the video, simply saying, “This matter is in the hands of our lawyers.”
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