The boys of One Direction had a very big start of the week, but no matter how important an event is for the career, health always comes first.
Which is why on their first gig to promote their new album, "Four," for Today show at the Universal City Walk at the Universal Orlando Resort, People Magazine noted that band member Zayn Malik was absent. Today host Matt Lauer addressed Zayn's absence, asking the boys, "I'm counting chairs here and I see four. Normally, we're used to seeing five. Where's Zayn?"
Liam Payne answered for the group, saying, "He's got a tummy bug so he's not very well at the moment, so he couldn't make it over. We only found out this morning, so we're very sad and he is, as well, that he can't be here for our album release day. It's still going to be a really great day."
Matt did not buy it though and pressed the boys further, asking, "There's been a lot of action on social media about him. Is it something more serious than just a minor illness? There have been rumors of substance abuse. What's going on?"
According to New York Daily, there have been rumors of Zayn struggling with booze and drugs - Zayn was caught with Louis Tomlinson smoking a joint in Peru last May. Then, it was also Liam who cleared the air saying in an apology, "We are only in our 20s and we all do stupid things at this age."
However, at this point, the boys keep insisting that all Zayn has is a bug, with Liam saying, "No, he's just got a stomach bug. He's okay. He's just at home; he needs to rest. He's okay."
Despite Zayn's absence, however, the hosts of Today are still happy with the boys' presence, with weatherman Al Roker telling People Magazine backstage, "Their new album is called Four. Maybe they knew that Zayn would be missing all along. No, seriously, we hope he gets better soon."
Later, the band's rep also put in a word to Hollywood Life that said Zayn is "all good" and that there is no more to be said on the topic.
In other more cheery news, "Four! Has reached number one in over a hundred countries, said Splash News, which means that the sick band member can wake up to a lot of buzz from their latest release.
Do you think Zayn is just at home with the flu, or is there more to the story than the boys of 1D are willing to tell?