One Direction band
Simon Cowell said in an interview that the British boy band One Direction was planning to take a break next year. In this photo, One Direction accepts the award for favorite pop/rock band duo or group during the 42nd American Music Awards in Los Angeles, California on Nov. 23, 2014. Reuters/Mario Anzuoni

KEY POINTS

  • James Corden shut down the rumors that One Direction will reunite for the "Late Late Show's" finale
  • One Direction went on hiatus in 2016
  • "The Late Late Show" is slated to end on April 27 after eight years

The rumor that One Direction's long-awaited reunion is happening this month is apparently a "false alarm."

Ahead of the finale of James Corden's "The Late Late Show," reports surfaced that the British boyband — originally composed of Liam Payne, Harry Styles, Niall Horan, Zayn Malik and Louis Tomlinson — will be making an appearance in full in the episode alongside other several A-list celebrities including Tom Cruise, the Kardashians, Ben Affleck, Mila Kunis and Kate Hudson, among others.

However, the official Twitter page for "The Late Late Show with James Corden" on Thursday debunked the speculation about the "What Makes You Beautiful" hitmaker's alleged upcoming reunion on the talk show.

"Nobody loves the boys more than us ... but this story just isn't true. What is true is we've got an absolutely brilliant 2-hour finale planned to celebrate 8 years of #LateLateShow at [10 p.m.] on April 27th," it tweeted alongside a screenshot of a news article with "false alarm" written over it.

One Direction's fans, known as Directioners, have been waiting to see the members reunite since Malik's departure from the band in 2015 and the beginning of their extended hiatus in early 2016. At the time, fans believed that the singers would be returning in 18 months, but they have since pursued solo projects, Rolling Stone reported.

The four remaining members of One Direction last appeared on "The Late Late Show" as a group in December 2015. They sang along to the greatest hits of their career, including "Story of My Life," "Best Song Ever," "No Control," "Perfect" and "Drag Me Down," on Corden's "Carpool Karaoke" segment. The video has accumulated about 195 million views on YouTube as of press time.

Most recently, Tomlinson revealed in his "All of Those Voices" documentary that he wasn't prepared to go on a "break" at the time as he couldn't imagine his life without the band.

"Even right up until we went on the break, there was still really no closure on that idea," he said. "You didn't really, or at least I didn't understand what it was going to be. I think the feeling I remember the most is a little bit of anger because I didn't want to go on a break. It didn't just upset me, it shocked me. I wasn't prepared for it. I thought for me, it was the band or nothing."

But it appeared that the members remain on good terms as Horan recently admitted during an interview with Esquire that he often sends some of his unreleased music to his former bandmates for their "honest opinion."

"We've released enough songs over the years, so we know what's decent and what's not... All the 1D boys and artists alike, I'll always try and send it around and get everybody's opinion," the 29-year-old "This Town" singer shared.

Styles also recently thanked his One Direction bandmates individually during his acceptance speech at the Brit Awards, where he won album of the year for his critically acclaimed record "Harry's House."

"I want to thank my mum for signing me up for 'X Factor' without telling me, so I literally wouldn't be here without you. I want to thank Niall, Louis, Liam and Zayn because I wouldn't be here without you either. Thank you so much," Styles said.

RTR4E2MO
Members of boy band One Direction, including Malik (second from right), attend the Royal Variety Performance in support of the Entertainment Artistes' Benevolent Fund in London last year. Reuters