After Liam Payne's sudden death, sources made public his toxic relationship with Simon Cowell, a music mogul who chose five boys to form One Direction in 2010.

After 1D went on hiatus in January 2016, Harry Styles, Zayn Malik and Louis Tomlinson joined forces with Sony music labels. The music label had a big influence on Simon.

However, Liam decided to get rid of his former mentor and accepted a million-dollar contract with rival Capitol Records as well as a new manager.

According to NY BreakingA source close to the late musician said: “Liam was so happy to part ways with Cowell and Sony. It was the fresh start he needed.”

Liam's friend shared: “The fact that Simon would benefit so much from having the whole band together on his show again was worrying for Liam.”

The reports suggested that Simon didn't care about the band members' “mental health” and only cared about making money.

For him, the One Direction members were apparently “cash cows”.

It should be noted that Liam passed away on October 16, 2024 in Argentina.