TikTok Star Max Balegde Faces Backlash for Videos Mocking Liam Payne After His Tragic Death

TikTok influencer Max Balegde, with 3.6 million followers, has faced heavy backlash for past videos poking fun at former One Direction singer Liam Payne before his untimely death. Max has since deleted all related videos, explaining that he removed them “out of respect” following the tragic news of Liam’s fall from a hotel balcony in Argentina, which led to his death from multiple traumas and internal and external hemorrhaging, told the Express.

Posting on social media for the first time in two weeks, Max shared, “You might have noticed that I have been away from socials for a few days, and I have had a lot of people ask me why I took down my videos about Liam Payne. The reason for both of these is out of respect to this tragic news. I always want my pop culture content to be light-hearted, so it didn’t feel right to leave those videos up given the awful news. Sending love to everyone affected by this loss”, via The Mirror.

Previously, Max posted several videos that humorously referenced and “mocked” comments Liam made during an appearance on Logan Paul’s Impaulsive podcast in 2022. In the podcast, Liam recounted a time when a fellow bandmate “threw him up against a wall,” to which he responded, “If you don’t remove those hands, there’s a high likelihood you’ll never use them again.” This comment became a popular topic for mockery, with Max even wearing a shirt with the quote at Capital’s Summertime Ball in 2022.

The news of Liam’s tragic death has drawn a swift response from both fans and former bandmates. Argentina’s National Criminal and Correctional Prosecutor’s Office No. 16 is currently investigating the incident as an “inconclusive death,” with witnesses questioned to reconstruct events leading up to the fall at the Casa Sur Hotel in Buenos Aires.

In a heartfelt joint statement, Liam’s former bandmates from One Direction expressed their sorrow, saying, “We are completely devastated and will miss him terribly. The memories we shared with him will be treasured forever.”

While Max’s decision to remove the videos has been viewed by some as respectful, others have criticized him for making light of Liam in the first place. Max’s response reflects the somber shift in his perspective, with a focus on empathy as he moves forward from this incident.