Harry Styles jokes about spitting on Chris Pine at New York concert

Harry Styles has responded to wild claims he spat on actor Chris Pine in a statement to fans at a packed-out concert in New York.

Harry Styles has responded to claims he spat on Don’t Worry Darling cast member Chris Pine at the Venice Film Festival in a cheeky address to fans at his latest concert.

“It’s wonderful to be back in New York; I just popped very quickly to Venice to spit on Chris Pine,” the popstar joked to the audience at Madison Square Gardens, with fans erupting in squeals and applause.

Harry Styles: "It's wonderful, wonderful, wonderful to be back in New York. I just popped very quickly to Venice to spit on Chris Pine." pic.twitter.com/TUGOSoQPxw

— CONSEQUENCE (@consequence) September 8, 2022

It comes after Pine’s reps rubbished the claims as “complete fabrication” in a statement to People on Wednesday.

“Just to be clear, Harry Styles did not spit on Chris Pine. There is nothing but respect between these two men and any suggestion otherwise is a blatant attempt to create drama that simply does not exist,” the statement read.

Footage of Styles taking his seat at the Don’t Worry Darling premiere on Tuesday has divided the internet, spawning thousands of memes and theories surrounding the reported feuds between the film’s cast and director Olivia Wilde.

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Styles laughed off the saga at his New York concert.

Still, the singer hasn’t denied the accusations.

In the clip, Styles is seen jerking his head towards Pine’s lap as he bends to take his seat, with the actor freezing mid-clap and staring into his lap with a bemused smile.

As the former One Direction member sat down, he looked everywhere but at Pine, giving fans more reason to believe in the alleged saliva assault.

Styles’ diehard fans, who fiercely defended him on Twitter in the wake of the spitting scandal, have expressed their disappointment the As It Was singer didn’t deny the shocking act.

“We were defending him with our lives and he’s making jokes about it,” one wrote, with another adding, “No seriously he’s insane.”

Another said, “Can’t believe i’ve been defending u from spit allegation and ur here GIGGLING ABOUT ITTTTT.”

Pine immediately looked down at his lap after Styled appeared to spit on him. Picture: Getty Images.

It was anything but smooth sailing for the Don’t Worry Darling cast on Tuesday amid director Olivia Wilde and lead Florence Pugh’s well-documented feud.

During the event, Pine looked like he wanted to be anywhere else while Styles fumbled questions at a press conference Pugh opted to skip, despite being in Venice at around the same time.

Pine later made an enthusiastic display when Pugh arrived on the red carpet, crouching down to take photos of the star and leading fans to believe he had taken her side in the drama.

Meanwhile, awkward footage of Styles refusing to be photographed next to Wilde, with whom he has been in a relationship with since September 2020, has sparked speculation the couple have split.

Styles “rejects” Wilde on red carpet

In the video, Styles, 28, can be seen being ushered to stand next to Wilde, 38, on the red carpet at the Venice Film Festival, but appears to snub her.

Instead, he fist pumps Nick Kroll, refuses to make eye contact with Wilde and ultimately positions himself between Gemma Chan and Sydney Chandler.

Harry seemingly rejected the idea of standing next to Wilde in a red carpet snap.

Reports suggest cast tension began when Wilde and Styles formed a romance on set, allegedly while Wilde was still in a long-term relationship with Ted Lasso actor Jason Sudeikis.

The former couple, who share two children together, announced their shock split after nine years together and by January, Wilde was pictured hand-in-hand with Styles attending a friend’s wedding.

At the time, sources cited Wilde’s relationship with Styles as the main reason for her engagement breakdown, with one insider telling New York Post at the time the duo had an ongoing affair, leaving Sudeikis distraught.

Pugh’s beef with Wilde is thought to have stemmed from the alleged affair.

Florence Pugh’s “iconic” behaviour

The 26-year-old star of Olivia Wilde’s Don’t Worry Darling whipped up a frenzy online with her brief yet dramatic appearance at the Venice Film Festival after refusing to attend the press panel with the rest of the cast.

On Monday, Variety reported that Pugh would not be present at the press panel due to her flight arriving too late. Wilde later cited “scheduling conflicts” as the reason. Pugh is currently filming Dune 2 in Budapest.

Fellow Dune star Timothee Chalamet arrived in Venice two days prior, so it may be Pugh simply opted out of facing awkward questions about tensions on the set of the film relating to Styles’ on-set romance with Wilde, and disgraced actor Shia LaBeouf’s “firing”.

On Twitter, fans labelled Pugh’s move “iconic”, with a clip of the Little Women star sashaying through Venice with an Aperol Spritz in hand.

florence pugh avoiding the conference and its drama at the venice film festival and enjoying a spritz. this is what i call iconic behaviour, no one is doing it like her pic.twitter.com/G7iPdXp45N

— fra🍂🫧 | #1 kit connor protector (@goldenheartvhes) September 5, 2022

Inside the conference, Wilde was tasked with dodging questions about the scandal, refusing to add fuel to the fire.

After gushing over Pugh’s performance, she said: “As for all the endless tabloid gossip and all the noise out there, I mean, the internet feeds itself. I don’t feel the need to contribute. I think it’s sufficiently well-nourished.”

“Miss Flo” and the Shia LaBeouf drama

Online, both Wilde’s and Pugh’s stylists fanned the flames even further, posting subtle references to the stars’ behind-the-scenes clash.

Following the press conference, Wilde’s stylist, Karla Welch, took to her Instagram Story to share a scenic picture with the words: “There’s always more to the story …”

Just hours later, Pugh’s stylist, Rebecca Corbin Murray, shared a series of pictures of Pugh dressed for the premiere, and captioned it “Miss Flo” – an apparent dig at the director, who referred to the actor by that nickname in a leaked video call with Shia LaBeouf, who left the film early in production and was replaced with Harry Styles.

Photos have since emerged of members of Pugh’s team wearing t-shirts emblazoned with the moniker “Miss Flo”.

I want that shirt #missflo 😂😂😂😂 pic.twitter.com/PyeYIJvILE

— nore💜 (@noreelshani1995) September 7, 2022

It comes after after Wilde claimed she fired disgraced star Shia LaBeouf to keep the cast “safe” from his “combative energy”.

LaBeouf clapped back at her allegations, with footage emerging shortly after of Wilde begging the actor to stay on the film in a video message, hinting at a disagreement with “Miss Flo”.

LaBeouf was eventually replaced with Styles.