Simon Cowell has defended One Direction and has vowed to stand by the band over their drug video scandal.
The 54-year-old music mogul said that he has seen the boys in the band, who found fame on his talent show, grow from boys into adults and passed off their antics in the video as "misbehavior", the Daily Star reported.
However, the 'Syco' boss, who was shocked to see the footage, said that the scandal won't affect their success.
In the leaked video, Zayn Malik is seen smoking a joint in a tour van in Peru and also joking with Louis Tomlinson about passing police who were "clueless" about what was going on.
