Members of one of the best-selling boy bands of all time, One Direction, were reportedly abused during their peak.

An insider from In contact criticized the management team, claiming they had effectively destroyed young musicians Liam Payne, Zayn Malik, Harry Styles, Niall Horan and Louis Tomlinson.

“They weren’t emotionally mature enough to handle the fame,” the source explained. They emphasized that they did not allow the five boys to lead normal, peaceful lives, but rather that they were overworked and spent their youth in hotel rooms between hectic work schedules and performances.

“They were treated like they were commodities,” the insider added.

These comments surfaced after Simon Cowell revealed he plans to launch another talent show in the hopes of discovering the next big boy band like One Direction.

One Direction was formed in 2010 during the British television show The X Factor.

However, after captivating audiences for almost five years, the band took a break in 2016 Dusk to dawn Hitmaker Malik’s departure in 2015.

While the members pursued solo careers, Payne recently died at the age of 31 after falling from a hotel building on Wednesday, October 16.