Zayn Malik Addresses Yolanda Hadid Drama, More on ‘Call Her Daddy’

In his first interview in six years, Zayn Malik peeled again the curtain on fatherhood, music — and even addressed his feud with Yolanda Hadid.

Malik, 30, dished on his journey within the highlight on the Wednesday, July 12, episode of the “Name Her Daddy” podcast, sitting down with host Alex Cooper at her household’s dwelling in Pennsylvania. Malik opened up about main a quiet life in the identical state, the place he’s elevating daughter Khai, 2, whom he shares with ex Gigi Hadid.

“I [was] popping out right here with my ex about and I fell in love with it. … I simply wished to take a break from the busy metropolis,” he mentioned of shifting from New York Metropolis.

Malik — greatest identified for singing with Harry Types, Niall Horan, Louis Tomlinson and Liam Payne in One Path — wished to step away from the “overwhelming” strain of the general public eye. Nonetheless, drama nonetheless discovered him within the suburbs.

In October 2021, Us Weekly confirmed Malik was charged with 4 prison offenses of harassment after an alleged dispute with Yolanda, 59, one month prior. Per courtroom docs, Malik was accused of “inflicting psychological anguish and bodily ache” to Yolanda after shoving her and shouting profanities on the Pennsylvania property. He allegedly referred to as Gigi’s mom “a f–king Dutch slut” and informed her to “avoid [my] f–king daughter.”

Malik pleaded no contest to the fees and was placed on a 90-day probation for every of his 4 counts (360 days in complete). The musician was additionally ordered to finish an anger administration class and a home violence program.

When information broke of the incident, Malik repeatedly denied Yolanda’s claims. In a prolonged Twitter assertion, he argued the state of affairs “was and nonetheless ought to be a non-public matter” as they tried to revive “a peaceable household setting” for Khai. (Us confirmed in October 2021 that Malik and Gigi, who started relationship on and off in 2015, break up amid the drama.)

A couple of yr after the alleged altercation, Malik mentioned the fallout on Wednesday’s podcast. “I consider I handled it in the easiest way, like, in an amicable [and] respectful means. And that’s all that must be mentioned,” he famous. “I really feel prefer it’s lots of negativity, you realize?”

Scroll down for extra of the most important bombshells from Malik’s uncommon interview — together with an replace on how he will get together with Gigi now:

On Leaving One Path

Malik abruptly introduced his departure from the band in 2015 — in the course of their On the Street Once more Tour. He defined on Wednesday that he felt “so overexposed within the band” earlier than selecting to go away.

“I don’t wish to go into an excessive amount of element, however there was lots of politics happening, sure individuals have been doing sure issues, sure individuals didn’t wish to signal contracts, so I knew one thing was occurring so I simply obtained forward of the curve,” he mentioned, hinting that he knew “for a minute” that it was time to go solo. “Selfishly, I wished to be the primary individual to make my very own document.”

Malik confessed that there have been “underlying points” throughout the group. “We’d been collectively on daily basis for 5 years and we obtained sick of one another, to be utterly trustworthy,” he mentioned, including that he’s capable of look again on his time with the band in a extra “fond gentle” now than when he first left. “We simply ran our course.”

On Coparenting With Gigi Hadid

Malik gave a short replace on his “good” coparenting relationship together with his ex, saying that the pair each view Khai’s happiness as “the principle significance.”

On His Feud With Yolanda Hadid

Malik made a uncommon remark about his drama with Yolanda and the way it impacted his custody association with Gigi. “I knew what the state of affairs was. I knew what occurred, and the individuals concerned knew what occurred too,” he mentioned of the 2021 incident. “And that’s all I actually cared about. … I consider you could possibly respect that I simply didn’t wish to deliver consideration to something, I simply wasn’t making an attempt to get right into a destructive backwards and forwards together with her [or] any type of narrative on-line the place my daughter was going to look again and browse that.”

Malik defined that he doesn’t “are likely to become involved when individuals say issues on-line” for the sake of his daughter. “For me, my most precious factor that I’ve in life in time. And that takes a lot time, in a poisonous setting, to elucidate your self to individuals and justify this. I simply kinda maintain to myself,” he mentioned.

He asserted that he tried to deal with the state of affairs “in the easiest way,” noting that he nonetheless shares equal custody with Gigi. “I’m tremendous full-on, hands-on with my little one each likelihood I may be,” he mentioned. “If I might get 60 % [custody], I’d have it.”

On Setting an Instance for Khai

Since welcoming Khai in September 2020, Malik has felt a shift in his priorities. “The primary factor in my thoughts is making an attempt to be a very good instance to her,” he mentioned. “That’s why I’m even doing this interview, you realize? I used to get lots of nervousness round having a dialog like this. And I need her to have the ability to take a look at me and be like, ‘My dad’s doing this.’”

Malik spoke about his desire for elevating Khai away from the general public eye. “I’m not essentially making an attempt to defend her from it … I’m simply making an attempt to provide her an possibility,” he mentioned, including that Khai has already proven some “musical intelligence.”

On His New Music

Malik teased what followers can anticipate from his upcoming album, revealing that he drew inspiration from “actual life experiences” — together with fatherhood. “My daughter’s talked about in there a pair instances,” he hinted, describing his “completely different sound.”