Harry Styles throws shade at Zayn Malik before thanking Simon Cowell for ‘growing One Direction in test tubes’

Harry Styles hosted Saturday Night Live for the first time last night and wasted no time in dissing his former One Direction bandmate Zayn Malik.

In his opening monologue, the 25-year-old singer briefly discussed the group going their separate ways in 2015 before snubbing the Dusk Till Dawn artist as he hailed Niall Horan, Liam Payne and Louis Tomlinson as his ‘brothers’.

Showing off his comedic side, Harry began: ‘I don’t know if you heard or not, I’m not in a boyband anymore. I’m in a man band now.’

He continued: ‘I was in a band called One Direction, how crazy would it be if they were here tonight? Well, they’re not. Wouldn’t it be crazy if they were though? They’re not.

‘I love those guys, they’re my brothers. Niall, Liam, Louis… and Ringo. Yeah, that’s it.’

Harry Styles — Harry hosted SNL for the first time (Picture: Backgrid)

Zayn Malik was snubbed by Harry (Picture: Rex)

Harry thanked Simon Cowell for growing the band (Picture: Film Magic)

HE REALLY JUST DID ZAYN LIKE THAT WOAH #SNL

— L is seeing Lou and Niall!!!? (@Princess_Park28) November 17, 2019

WOW!!!! @Harry_Styles Diss Zayn Malik on tonight of #SNL @nbcsnl #LiveCoastToCoast

— austinleo510 (@austinleo_5122) November 17, 2019

Did Harry just shade Zayn again omg so mean dude. @Harry_Styles not nice! #SNL

— Claudia ? (@CatValFan_24) November 17, 2019

I was not expecting this episode to start out with some Zayn shade ?? #SNL

— ~faiza~ (@omgfaiza) November 17, 2019

THE ZAYN SHADE STOOOOOOP #snl

— moni ♡ 82 (@spicyperalta) November 17, 2019

#snl harry said zayn who

— delaney (@Spideyphan) November 17, 2019

I can’t believe @Harry_Styles murdered @zaynmalik on live television #snl #SaturdayNightLive #HarryStyles pic.twitter.com/FAvjaf6j3P

— Abby • FINE LINE DEC 13? (@hazzasmemes) November 17, 2019

Elsewhere in his opening speech, Harry said: ‘You know for me, it’s not about the fame or the money. It’s about the music, it’s about the art. It’s about the art and the music and the music and the art.

‘I believe that music is a universal language. Especially songs that are performed in English because that’s the only language that I understand. ‘

BGUK_1790642 - ** RIGHTS: WORLDWIDE EXCEPT IN UNITED STATES ** Los Angeles, CA - Harry Styles strips down to his underpants for a sketch as he hosts Saturday Night Live. The former One Direction singer was pulling double duty on the latest episode of SNL by both hosting and being the music guest. He starred in several sketches throughout the show, including one where he and Chris Redd played a pair of funeral DJs who rapped an obituary to a 96 year-old grandma who had passed away. They ended the skit by stripping down to their skivvies and shaking it with RIP printed on Styles underwear while Redd's said Betty. In another sketch Styles and Heidi Gardner starred as a couple from Iceland who were expecting a baby. As they attended a birth class, their fellow parents-to-be got an earful ??? and eyeful ??? from the peppy duo as they boasted about Heidi getting sexier during her pregnancy before showing how they kept in shape with twerking and even having sex. In a pre-recorded music video sketch Joan (Aidy Bryant) declared her dog, 12-pound Chihuahua Doug, her boyfriend. She then imagined what it would be like to talk to him in human form, as realized by a very committed Styles - who wore a dog collar and ate out of her hand while also singing how much he loved her back. In another sketch he played a guy who was in charge of social media for the wholesome food company Sara Lee but kept making rude and outrageous Instagram posts about having threesomes while in another sketch he played an intern intent on going out to get Popeye's chicken sandwiches for everyone in a nod to the recent news stories about people brawling over the sandwiches. Styles then played an incompetent pilot alongside Mikey Day who end up scaring the passengers by first talking about kids cartoon characters having sex but forgetting the intercom button is switched on and then when they attempt to fix it just make things worse with a series of blunders and references to the plane going down. *BACKGRID DOES NOT CLAIM ANY COPYRIGHT OR LICENSE IN THE ATTACHED MATERIAL. ANY DOWNLOADING FEES CHARGED BY BACKGRID ARE FOR BACKGRID'S SERVICES ONLY, AND DO NOT, NOR ARE THEY INTENDED TO, CONVEY TO THE USER ANY COPYRIGHT OR LICENSE IN THE MATERIAL. BY PUBLISHING THIS MATERIAL , THE USER EXPRESSLY AGREES TO INDEMNIFY AND TO HOLD BACKGRID HARMLESS FROM ANY CLAIMS, DEMANDS, OR CAUSES OF ACTION ARISING OUT OF OR CONNECTED IN ANY WAY WITH USER'S PUBLICATION OF THE MATERIAL* Pictured: Harry Styles, Aidy Bryant BACKGRID UK 16 NOVEMBER 2019 BYLINE MUST READ: NBC / BACKGRID UK: +44 208 344 2007 / uksales@backgrid.com USA: +1 310 798 9111 / usasales@backgrid.com *UK Clients - Pictures Containing Children Please Pixelate Face Prior To Publication* — Aidy Bryant sang a duet with Harry (Picture: NBC)

Harry Styles as a dog — Things got weird (Picture: NBC)

Then in the most unexpected twist, Harry transformed into the pooch and began duetting with Aidy.

Honestly, between that and the Zayn shade, we’ll be haunted forever.

Saturday Night Live airs Saturdays on NBC in the US.

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