Liam Payne Shoves Louis Tomlinson Onstage, Finds the Backlash Hilarious: See His Response!

One Direction member takes to Twitter to explain his actions in Manchester

One Direction fans got a little overheated over the weekend when footage of members Liam Payne and Louis Tomlinson roughhousing onstage went viral.

While performing at Manchester Arena, Liam seemingly shoved Louis while Harry Styles was belting a line of "What Makes You Beautiful." While the singer was apparently joking around with his mate, fans rushed to Louis' defense, reprimanding Liam for his harshness. Some media outlets also did not hold back in scolding the 1D member for his aggression.

"Don't get us wrong, being a multi-millionaire, super-talented boyband member with everything you could possibly ever want at your fingertips must be REALLY hard," read a post on Heat World. "But surely you could keep your temper in check for just a couple of hours while you're working?"

After the media exploded over what turned out to be a harmless encounter, Payne took to Twitter to poke fun at the outrage. The 22-year-old sarcastically wrote, "OH MY GOD THATS SO OUTRAGEOUS HOW DARE I HAVE A JOKE WITH A FRIEND ON STAGE," in response to the Heat World article.

He followed up with another tweet saying, "Simply the funniest story I've read to date clearly the person who wrote this has never experienced friendly banter in their life."

http://t.co/kFvOwC1EOI ... OH MY GOD THATS SO OUTRAGEOUS HOW DARE I HAVE A JOKE WITH A FRIEND ON STAGE

? Liam (@Real_Liam_Payne) October 5, 2015

Simply the funniest story I've read to date clearly the person who wrote this has never experienced friendly banter in their life

? Liam (@Real_Liam_Payne) October 5, 2015

Loyal fans are already coming to the singer's defense responding to his tweet. One fan wrote, "Haters are gonna hate. Love you @Real_Liam_Payne and @Louis_Tomlinson! Remember no one can #DragMeDown," in reference to the single from their latest album Made In The A.M., due for release Nov. 13.  

Haters are gonna hate. Love you @Real_Liam_Payne and @Louis_Tomlinson! Remember no one can #DragMeDown

? Macki Alvarez (@mackialvarez) October 5, 2015

While some fans are probably still fuming, the incident seems to be a non-issue between the friends. Payne is the only member to have spoken out about the shove but we're guessing none of the other members really seem to mind. Or even noticed!

Watch the members talk about the band's dynamic after losing fifth member Zayn Malik.