Ever since One Direction went on a hiatus in December of 2015, there’s not a day that’s gone by that fans don’t miss seeing them together, TBH. And since then, there’s been one major question on everyone’s mind. And that is — are Niall Horan, Liam Payne, Louis Tomlinson, Harry Styles and Zayn Malik still friends?

As fans know, the boys have all been pretty busy doing their own things since they decided to take a break. Niall released two solo albums called Flicker and Heartbreak Weather. Harry starred in the movie Dunkirk, dropped two of his own LPs and embarked on a world tour. Louis welcomed a son, Freddie, and released his debut album, Walls, in January 2020. Liam also became a father and has been hard at work on his solo music, and Zayn dropped two epic albums over the years!

Well guys, J-14 went ahead and did some investigating, and despite being super busy working on their solo careers, the boys have hung out and spoke about each other a lot since their split. In November 2020, Liam got real about missing his former bandmates. During a Halloween show, he said he “found it hard to sing the songs without the boys,” according to The List. Liam added, “It is a struggle, but it brings back so many memories. You’ve got to love it.”

Harry reflected on his experience in the band while chatting with Variety for their Hitmaker of the Year issue in December 2020, and said he “learned so much.”

“When we were in the band, I used to try and write with as many different people as I could. I wanted to practice — and I wrote a lot of bad s–t,” he recalled. “When you look at the history of people coming out of bands and starting solo careers, they feel this need to apologize for being in the band. ‘Don’t worry, everyone, that wasn’t me! Now I get to do what I really want to do.’ But we loved being in the band.”

While chatting with CapitalFM’s “Capital Breakfast with Roman Kemp” in December 2020, Liam tried out his impression of Harry, told Roman that he and Louis had just chatted on the phone “for a good hour” days prior and hit back at haters of Harry’s recent Vogue cover. “After the band we didn’t speak for a long time actually and then I remember seeing him, it was actually at a Jingle Bell Ball, backstage for the first time in a long time. He’s still the same guy he always was when we left each other in that dressing room as the band kind of stopped for a little bit,” Liam recalled before touching on the magazine cover. “Oh I thought it was great. I think he’s enjoying himself and he’s free to do as he wishes. And you know I just think that people don’t need to be so bothered about stuff … There’s been a lot more stuff going on this year than whether or not he’s wearing the right clothes in someone else’s mind.”

During an Instagram Live from January 2021, Liam also said Louis has been there for him during the tough times amid the ongoing coronavirus pandemic. “I was actually just on the phone to Louis, who I haven’t spoken to in a minute, which was quite nice …  I’ve been struggling with it a little bit. Louis has definitely been there for me over the past couple of weeks, which I’ve got to say thank you and … give him his due.”

It’s safe to say that these boys really do have a bond that will never be broken! Ever since announcing their hiatus, the One Direction members have actually talked about each other a lot and supported all their solo endeavors! Scroll through our gallery to check out all the times the One Direction guys have hung out since their hiatus, proving they’re as close as ever.

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