Will One Direction reunite?

Fans have been anticipating a 'One Direction' reunion for over eight years since the band's split, but Simon Cowell doesn't see it happening.

During an interview with Steven Bartlett on ‘The Diary of a CEO’ podcast on June 10, Cowell expressed doubts about the group reuniting.

Comprising Harry Styles, Zayn Malik, Louis Tomlinson, Niall Horan, and Liam Payne, One Direction announced their hiatus in December 2015, following years of success.

Cowell and Nicole Scherzinger played significant roles in assembling the band during the reality competition series ‘The X Factor’ in 2010, where each member initially auditioned as solo artists. Eventually, Cowell signed them to his former record label, Syco Music.

During his podcast appearance, Cowell revealed that each of the five former band members holds a stake in the ‘One Direction’ name. He expressed, "If one band member says for whatever reason that they don’t want to tour, it can stop the others from touring."

Cowell also expressed regret over not owning the name himself, stating that if he did, it would offer more flexibility. He joked about buying back the name from the members, "You could do a tour with three of them" rather than making all the original members come back. "If you’re listening, I’ll buy it back from you."

When asked about the likelihood of a reunion, Cowell expressed skepticism, stating, "I doubt it."