Liam Payne Was Asked What He's Proud Of For Pride Month & His Answer Was Not Ideal

You know that cringey feeling you get when you hear a celebrity say something that you just know they'll get roasted for later on? Well, that's precisely how you'll feel after you find out what just happened to One Direction star Liam Payne. To be fair, it's very easy for a celebrity's words to be taken out of context or misconstrued, but still, Liam Payne's comments about Pride for Pride Month are just a little too literal and have a lot of fans on social media scratching their heads.

It is so, so important to find people in this world who have the ability to stand up on a platform and express really important topics and ideals. Luckily, we have some pretty stellar people doing just that for Pride Month — both celebs and everyday men and women celebrating and honoring the LGBTQ+ community — and for that reason, I couldn't be happier.

The UK will be celebrating the occasion as well, with London’s Pride parade taking place in just a few short weeks on July 7. And some celebs across the pond are showing their support, including Liam Payne, who is taking part in Adidas’s Prouder campaign alongside other celebs such as David Beckham, Kate Moss, and Pharrell Williams.

But the issue is that Payne took a question entirely too literally when being interviewed about what makes him proud. The Evening Standard published a piece about Pride, and interviewed celebrities about their views and stance on the subject. In the article, the Evening Standard wrote, "Becks and Payne reveal what makes them glow with Pride in honour of annual parade," which already seems a little off, considering these are two straight men who are being featured pretty prominently, rather than LGBTQ+ interviewees, but I digress.

But it got much, much worse after seeing what Payne had to say about Pride. Payne told the Evening Standard:

I think since I’ve had a little boy, everything changes in life. I’m aiming more for him to be prouder of me, and already he’s making me a better man, which I think is incredible.

Look, that's a very sweet sentiment and all, but the objective for Pride is not about your own proud achievements, or what makes you a better person. Many fans thought that Payne's comments showcased his lack of understanding of just how privileged he is to be in the position he's in. Let's be real here — it seems as if Payne was *pretty* unaware that the question wasn't actually geared toward what made him, as a human, proud. But still, even though it looks like the question went completely over his head, fans took to Twitter to talk about the cringe-worthy miscommunication that went on.

Some noted just how painfully literal Liam Payne took the question:

Others thought that Payne shouldn't have even had a part in the Pride article to begin with:

But one user hit the nail on the head, showcasing Payne's response as proof that he might not necessarily understand the actual meaning behind Pride. She wrote,

I’m all for allies vocalising their support but understand what you’re supporting. It’s not about making your children proud of you. It’s about rights you will never understand. It’s about equality you have. Check your privilege @LiamPayne and please do some research on #Pride.

A portion of Payne's quote did sort of mention the reasoning why Pride is so important, though. According to Metro UK, Payne said that life would be better if we "all came together a bit more," adding, "If we all aimed for a better future, it would be easier."

I mean, personally, it's still not what I'd consider a great response to the question, but I guess it's better than nothing.

Payne will be attending London Pride on the Prouder float as an ally, so let's hope that someone schools him quickly before he says anything else that can be taken in a not-so-great light.