Liam Payne got himself in a bit of trouble over Twitter yesterday.
With the cast of Duck Dynasty under scrutiny for Phil Robertson’s scandalous remarks toward gays last month, the One Direction singer addressed Phil’s son, Willie, and wrote:
"Huge love to you/your family huge respect for your business prosperities and the family values you still all behold. big fan."
It didn’t take long for a war to then break out online between gay rights advocates and fans of Payne, who rushed to the artist’s defense.
Two hours after posting the controversial Tweet, Payne himself sent another message:
"Being a fan of someones show and the way they still hold a family together doesnt mean i am ok with all they say…. just watched a show and I liked it as most people do."
That’s fine, of course. But it’s the family values line that caused the most outrage.
Duck Dynasty kicked off Season 5 on Wednesday to very low ratings. The series lost 3.5 million viewers from its Season 4 premiere.
Might folks be sick of the Robertsons? Might this be a one-time glitch? Might they choose to watch Duck Dynasty online instead of on TV?
And what do you think of Payne’s support for the family?