As he gears up for his return to the music scene, Zayn Malik is opening up about that headline-making altercation between him and the mother of his former girlfriend, Gigi Hadid.
In 2021, the former One Direction member pleaded no contest to four counts of harassment after getting into an argument with Yolanda Hadid at the Pennsylvania home he and his famous ex shared at the time.
According to court documents obtained by TMZ, the pop star was accused of calling Yolanda Hadid a “fucking Dutch slut” and shoving her into a dresser in a dispute over his young daughter, Khai.
At the time, Zayn denied the allegations in a statement, saying he planned to “remain vigilant to protect Khai and give her the privacy she deserves”.
During an interview on the Call Her Daddy podcast this week, the chart-topping singer addressed the claims in mostly abstract terms, but said he now believes he handled the incident in “the best way” possible.
“I don’t tend to get involved when people say things online, whether it’s got something to do with me or whether it doesn’t,” he explained.
“Because for me, my most valuable thing that I have in life is time. And that takes so much time, in a toxic environment, to explain yourself to people and justify things. I knew what the situation was, I knew what happened and the people involved knew, too. And that’s all I really cared about.”
He went on to note: “I just didn’t want to bring attention to anything and wasn’t trying to get into a negative back-and-forth with [Yolanda Hadid], or any sort of narrative online where my daughter was gonna look back and read that.
“I believe I dealt with it in the best way, in an amicable, respectful way, and that’s all that needs to be said.”
Zayn and Gigi first began dating in late 2015. The following year, Gigi appeared in the music video for Pillowtalk, the lead single from Zayn’s debut solo album, Mind Of Mine. The former couple welcomed Khai, now two, in September 2020.
Just weeks after Zayn’s alleged confrontation with Yolanda, he and Gigi ended their relationship. According to Zayn, the former couple are in a “really good” place these days.
“Since I’ve had my daughter and since she was born, the main thing in my mind is trying to be a good example to her. In terms of, I can do things and I can achieve things and I can overcome things — and you can do this, too,” he said.
“To let things like a feeling stop you from doing that after having a child feels like a really small thing. I feel like I’ve had to step up as a man or just as a person.”
As for his relationship with his daughter, he added: “I have her 50% of the time, so that time I have with her is so important because I feel like she’s growing up so fast. So when I’m with her, I don’t work at all... We just have fun. I feel like I’ve rekindled my own childhood through her.”
Zayn is set to resume his music career this month. Next week, he’ll unveil Love Like This, his first new solo single since his 2021 album, Nobody Is Listening.
In his Call Me Daddy chat, he said he “selfishly” wanted to be the first One Direction member to embark on a solo career after leaving the group, which disbanded in 2015.
“I’m a passive dude, but when it comes to my music and my business, I’m serious about it and I’m competitive,” he said. “So I wanted to be the first to go and do my own thing.”
Watch a clip of Zayn Mailk’s Call Her Daddy interview below.