Simon Cowell Discloses Harry Styles' Unexpected Response to Recent One Direction Diss

Harry Styles reportedly reached out to Simon Cowell after the recent controversy surrounding One Direction's band name rights.

Fans were surprised when the music mogul admitted his regret over granting the band ownership of their name, citing earnings concerns.

Cowell said, "That's the problem, could have made an animation or whatever but when you give an artist the name, it's not yours and that's my only regret."

"So if you're listening, I'll buy it back from you. But that's the only thing I do regret. If one of the band members, for whatever reason say they don't want to tour, it can stop the others touring, so if it was me who owned the name, it wouldn't be a problem."

Assembled by Nicole Scherzinger on The X Factor, One Direction gained weekly international recognition as they fiercely competed on the show. Eventually, they achieved worldwide success despite not winning that season.

Following their impressive third-place finish, the group, which included Styles, Louis Tomlinson, Liam Payne, Niall Horan, and former member Zayn Malik, soared to become a global sensation.

Their tight grip on the band's name left Cowell powerless when choosing merchandise or any ventures associated with the name.

During a recent conversation, the veteran music executive mentioned that Styles reacted swiftly to his comments on Steven Bartlett's Diary of a CEO podcast by promptly reaching out over the phone.

According to the Daily Mail, Cowell said, "It was great to hear from him."

"He said listening to the podcast reminded him of what a great a time we had together."

Cowell couldn't contain his admiration for the famous Grammy-winning singer-songwriter. He was genuinely touched that the 30-year-old tried to reach out, even as his fame continued to soar to new heights.

"I thought it said so much about him that he would bother to make that phone call."

READ ALSO: Louis Tomlinson Surprises Directioners With Graying Hair At 32

Despite the apparent lack of communication from Styles' ex-bandmates towards Cowell, it was noteworthy that both Tomlinson and Horan chose to unfollow him on social media after his recent comment on the One Direction name ownership.

The members of 1D have not collaborated since 2016, yet they are still reaping significant financial rewards, with a staggering $3.6 million residing in their shared company accounts.

There were also hints that Cowell and certain band members had some disagreements, with Cowell acknowledging the unwavering loyalty of Styles, Tomlinson and Horan towards him. On the other hand, Payne declared that he and his fellow band members had been swamped, acknowledging that he had little to no personal time during their time together.

Payne said in an interview on the Table Manners with Jessie Ware podcast via People magazine, "I just lived so long as this reclusive pop star who was afraid of people, who just stayed inside all the time."

The "Strip That Down" singer added, "I needed to stop, definitely. It would have killed me."

READ MORE: Simon Cowell Reveals What He Regrets From Working With One Direction