Liam Payne has managed to become the second most-talked-about moment of this year’s Oscars after debuting a ‘bizarre’ new accent.
The former One Direction musician was interviewed on the red carpet at the 94th Academy Awards.
He was asked live on Good Morning Britain about the shocking moment Will Smith climbed up on stage to slap Chris Rock following the host’s joke about Jada Pinkett-Smith.
A video clip of Liam’s interview has been seen more than 1.5 million times at the time of writing – and thousands are questioning what’s happened to his accent.
'I believe whatever he felt that he did, he had the right to do.'
'I had to leave my chair I'll be honest with you, it cut me really deep.'@LiamPayne reacts to the dramatic moment Will Smith hit comedian Chris Rock on stage at the Oscars for making a joke about his wife. pic.twitter.com/OGT4bA8jDi
The singer is originally from Wolverhampton, but people have said he sounds Welsh, Irish, American and Dutch all at once in his TV appearance today.
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In a slightly rambling interview, Liam said: “I don’t have a dog in this fight. There were three losers in this fight. And what happened is very sad, I hope everybody’s okay, like I really reach out to you guys, I hope you’re okay.”
He also added, speaking of Will Smith’s later acceptance speech: “It’s a very sad thing, but there was a powerful moment for me to sit and watch one of the world’s best emoters in the, ever, we’ve seen, speak from the heart. I would rather take the beauty out of the situation than take the pain.
“But I had to leave my chair, I’ll be honest with you, it cut me really deep. And I don’t get deep about these things, but I’m a big movie fan I’ll be honest with you.”
One person said that Liam’s accent switch was ‘quietly the best piece of content surrounding the Will Smith incident’, adding: “Liam Payne gushing like an LA wellness influencer about ‘one of the world’s greatest emoters’, in a hybrid accent of totally inexplicable origin + managing to drop in that he sold out Madison Sq Garden.”
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Journalist Josh Knapman quipped: “Will Smith smacked Chris Rock so hard, Liam Payne’s accent changed.”
Liam Payne speaking with a new accent in an interview to Good Morning Britain after the Will Smith slap at the Oscars. Credit: Twitter, @GMB
Someone else wrote: “Always good to hear from Liam Payne of Wolverhampton, Netherlands.”
Another posted: “Liam Payne now holds the record for most accents produced in one single interview. Top work, fella!”
And someone else commented: “It’s so funny that Liam Payne is objectively gorgeous but manages to be the least sexy person in the entire world.”
Featured image: Twitter, @GMB
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Major pop star crowns humble rice and three cafe as ‘Jewel of Manchester’ ahead of sold-out gig
Thomas Melia
A beloved city centre takeaway has been given the title of ‘Jewel of Manchester’ by chart-topping UK singer Sam Smith.
Known for hits like ‘Stay With Me’, ‘I’m Not The Only One’ and more recently ‘Unholy’, UK pop-ballad act Sam Smith also likes to drop a food review every once in a while.
Currently on the road with a run of shows in Manchester and London for their ‘To Be Free’ live shows, Sam Smith is stopping off at some of our city’s much-loved spots.
On their food-reviewing account titled ‘Sam Served’, where they adopt the aptly-fitting nickname ‘Ham Smith’, Sam has visited restaurants across the globe – and most recently turned their attention to Manchester’s own This & That.
Smith decided to pop in and grab a cheeky rice and three from long-standing backstreet food business This & That, and it certainly went down a treat.
After sampling their amazing selection of meat, vegetable and vegan curries, the musician crowned this family-run Indian takeaway a ‘Jewel of Manchester’.
The hitmaker described this Northern Quarter Indian eatery as ‘Everything food should be’ and definitely enjoyed all the curries on offer ‘leaving belly and heart full’.
This & That prides itself on affordable and comforting food with its ‘Rice and Three Curries’ starting from just £6 – not bad for a city centre foodie spot.
Sam has racked up an impressive 490k followers via their ‘Sam Served’ profile, with famous faces like Lily Allen, Denise Welch and CMAT all wanting to know the superstar’s foodie thoughts.
After enjoying a curry or three, Sam Smith also made sure to feed their soul to by venturing down to Afflecks and getting lost in the music at Mars Tapes.
Recognised as one of the UK’s only cassette and tape shops, Mars Tapes lets you flick through their crates of physical media and even preview tracks before you buy with its dedicated listening areas.
It’s safe to say that Smith has ‘Latched’ onto Manchester’s independent business scene and we’re here for it.
The London-born artist has just released their latest album Hazel Eyes and is currently amid a UK residency tour with two dates in Manchester’s Albert Hall and eight shows set for London Coliseum.
You can now have a private sleepover amongst all the history inside Manchester Museum
Emily Sergeant
Manchester Museum is now offering one lucky family the chance to have a sleepover with Stan the Tyrannosaurus rex.
For the first time in Manchester Museum’s history, one lucky family will be given the chance to experience an incredible night at the museum.
This unique opportunity is being offered as part of a prize draw, allowing visitors to find out what happens once the sun goes down inside the Fossils and Dinosaurs gallery – in the company of Stan, the famous Tyrannosaurus rex, of course.
The Fossils and Dinosaurs gallery is one of the most iconic spaces within Manchester Museum.
Having opened to the public all the way back in 1888, it’s part of the museum’s original building designed by celebrated Alfred Waterhouse, who also designed Manchester Town Hall and London’s Natural History Museum.
Not only will the lucky winning family enjoy an overnight stay in the gallery, but they’ll also be treated to a guided torchlight tour of the galleries after the Museum has closed, as well as other fun activities and a film screening too before bed.
You can now have a private sleepover inside Manchester Museum / Credit: The Manc Group
“We can’t be completely sure what happens when the sun goes down in our Fossils and Dinosaurs gallery, because nobody has ever spent the night in there before, but we can only imagine the kind of fun that can be had with Stan the T. rex and his friends,” said Dean Whiteside, Head of Commercial and Operations at Manchester Museum.
“This is a chance to be a part of museum history and enjoy the kind of once-in-a-lifetime experience you can’t usually buy.
“At the same time, Manchester Museum is a charity so, by getting behind this initiative, you’ll be helping to support vital work that impacts the lives of people across Greater Manchester and beyond.”
Fancy it then? You can enter the prize draw by buying a ticket for £5 from the Manchester Museum Shop, with each ticket counting as one entry and the winner set to be chosen at random from all valid entries.
The prize draw is now open and closes on Monday 28 September 2026.
Daisy Jackson -
28th March 2022 
