One Direction's Liam Payne came under fire on Saturday afternoon after he sent a tweet to "Duck Dynasty" star Willie Robertson praising him for upholding "family values."

@williebosshog huge love to you/your family huge respect for your business prosperities and the family values you still all behold. big fan — Liam (@LiamPayne) January 18, 2014

A&E's "Duck Dynasty" was thrust into the national spotlight in December after Willie Robertson's father, Phil Robertson, compared homosexuality to bestiality in an interview with GQ.

Backlash to the tweet was swift, with One Direction fans rallying to Payne's defense and gay rights supporters denouncing him. As of 7 p.m., the tweet had been retweeted more than 10,000 times.

YouTube personality Tyler Oakley took to Twitter to express his disapproval.

Wow. Very confused and disappointed by this @Real_Liam_Payne tweet. This literally changes everything... pic.twitter.com/aQajQdJhfQ — tyler oakley (@tyleroakley) January 18, 2014

Two hours after posting his original tweet, Payne sent another tweet to clarify his comment.

Being a fan of someones show and the way they still hold a family together doesnt mean i am ok with all they say. — Liam (@LiamPayne) January 18, 2014