Louis Tomlinson ‘Babygate’ Rumors Gain Strength [Rumor]

One Direction star Louis Tomlinson is reportedly due to become a father early in the new year. Tomlinson hooked up with baby mama Briana Jungwirth back in May while on a stopover in L.A. during One Direction’s recently completed “On The Road Again” tour. Reports suggest that Louis and Briana had a brief fling, and Jungwirth’s pregnancy resulted. While Louis has acknowledged that he is to become a father — he has said twice that he is “excited” — Tomlinson has largely been playing “Where’s Wally” with journalists ever since.

Tomlinson and the rest of One Direction have been on a worldwide promotional tour since the release of their fifth album Made in the A.M., and during the numerous interviews, one topic has been out of bounds. Not a single question has been asked about baby Tomlinson. As reported in Inquisitr, it is believed that Tomlinson and his team have told journalists that they will be expelled from press conferences if baby Tomlinson is mentioned. Journalists from UK tabloid the Sun also reported that questions about Louis baby were off the agenda.

Of course, Tomlinson and his bandmates are part of a billion-dollar brand, and the brand has to be protected if it is to continue making money. The One Direction brand has been carefully manufactured from day one. As any fan is well aware, Louis Tomlinson, Harry Styles, Niall Horan, Liam Payne, and Zayn Malik were selected from those who didn’t make it through The X-Factor’s boot camp during the 2010 season. Louis and the others were selected from a cast of hundreds because they had the good looks, charm, and likeability that would appeal to fans of The X-Factor and to those most likely to vote.

The cynic would also claim that Louis and his pals were also selected because their age lent a certain vulnerability that would appeal to the young female demographic. At just 18-years-old, Tomlinson was the oldest member of One Direction while they were on The X-Factor.

Like any billion-dollar brand, image is incredibly important. Multinational brands employ psychologists to help advertisers brand their products to the right people. This is why Apple is branded as cool and expensive and, as a result, they can charge a premium for their products.

Louis Tomlinson and One Direction are no different. The extent to which Louis and the other members of One Direction are branded is apparent when you consider that Made in the A.M. was available in five different packages. As reported by GaGa Daily, one CD cover featured all four of the boys while Louis and the others each had a separate cover. A cynic would perhaps argue that this was to persuade super fans to buy five copies of the album, and many did. The Sony leaks scandal also gave some clues as to how Louis and the others were to be branded.

From wiki leaks via Sony ab the boys. Zayn as a "poser & a player"?! Ugh ? pic.twitter.com/cyW9dHgXLZ

— Iron Clad Larrie ? (@1D_Beards) April 17, 2015

Many One Direction fans believe that the Louis Tomlinson baby story is a fabrication, and Tomlinson’s refusal to talk about the matter raises that suspicion. The news that Louis was to become a father was broken in the Sun, a newspaper that has had a huge number of “exclusive” stories about Tomlinson and other members of One Direction. The original story was written by Pete Samson, who is the Sun’s U.S. editor.

Mr. Samson and his colleague Dan Wootton have broken numerous stories about Tomlinson and One Direction in which they quote “unnamed sources.” Some One Direction fans believe that the unnamed source may be none other than SyCo’s global head of media, Anne-Marie [Thomson] Samson, who is married to Pete Samson. Mrs. Samson’s LinkedIn profile states that amongst her skills she handles “crisis management” and “brand innovation” for SyCo.

Of course, there is no direct evidence to suggest that Mrs. Samson has leaked information about Tomlinson or One Direction, but many One Direction fans believe that her marriage to the Sun’s U.S. editor is a strange coincidence.

According to the Mirror, Simon Cowell has admitted that he “drip-fed” news about the fact that Louis and One Direction are to take an extended break. Given that fact, many will believe that stories about Louis and the others are also drip-fed to the media when the brand needs a boost.

Louis' car in front of the baby store in LA. #Louis pic.twitter.com/PiQtrysoGu

— 1D Updates (@1DCheckups) November 29, 2015

It is a fact that fans always know which hotel Louis Tomlinson will be staying in and know the time Louis will arrive at an airport. Over the weekend, fan sites were reporting that Tomlinson would be “baby shopping with Briana” at a particular store in West Hollywood. While Louis was nowhere to be seen, Briana was spotted with Tomlinson’s mother and sister.

Many of Louis Tomlinson’s fans simply do not buy the baby Tomlinson story, and it seems that the rumors will run and run.

[Photo by John Davisson/Invision/AP]