One Direction appeared on the Today show Monday morning to promote their new album “Four,” but fans became concerned after one of the band members ended up being a no-show at the release party. While Liam Payne tried to assure viewers that Zayn Malik had to stay home due to a stomach bug, some believe his absence is instead proof of Malik’s rumored substance abuse issues.

Rumors of Malik’s drug addiction began last May, when a leaked video showed him smoking a joint while on tour in Peru alongside fellow One Direction member Louis Tomlinson.

Liam Payne apologized for his bandmates’ poor decisions on Twitter soon after the video was released online, writing on Twitter that “we are only in our 20s and we all do stupid things at this age.” However, his apology seemed to only fuel the rumors that Malik is struggling with an addiction to drugs and alcohol.

When host Matt Lauer asked the four attending band members why Malik wasn’t there to greet their 15,000 shrieking fans in Orlando on Monday morning, Payne again defended Malik.

“He’s got a tummy bug, so he’s not very well at the moment, so he couldn’t make it. We only found out this morning, so we were very sad and he is as well that he can’t be here for our album release day. But it’s still going to be a really great day, I’m sure.”

Lauer didn’t seem to believe Payne’s excuse, so he asked,”Is it something more serious than just a minor illness?”

Payne repeated that “He’s just at home, he needs to rest, he’s OK.”

A representative for the band later told HollywoodLife.com Payne’s remarks would be the final word on the topic of Malik’s absence. Fans of the band helped make “#GetWellSoonZayn” trend on Twitter worldwide on Monday afternoon.