As he gears up for his long-awaited return to music, Zayn Malik is opening up about that headline-making altercation between him and the mother of his former girlfriend, Gigi Hadid.

In 2021, the former One Direction member pleaded no contest to four counts of harassment after getting into an argument with Yolanda Hadid at the Pennsylvania home he and Gigi Hadid shared at the time. According to court documents obtained by TMZ, the pop star was accused of calling Yolanda Hadid a fucking Dutch slut and shoving her into a dresser in a dispute over his young daughter, Khai.

At the time, Malik denied the allegations in a statement , saying he planned to remain vigilant to protect Khai and give her the privacy she deserves. Appearing on the Call Her Daddy podcast this week, Malik addressed the claims in mostly abstract terms, but said he now believes he handled the incident in the best way possible.