One Direction singer Liam Payne has gone on a shooting trip with the anti-gay stars of Duck Dynasty.

One of the singer’s friends posted a picture of him this week in Louisiana, holding a gun with members of the Robertson family, who have been embroiled in repeated rows over homophobia.

Phil Robertson was suspended from the A&E reality show for less than two weeks last year, when he questioned in an interview to GQ why gay men would prefer “a man’s anus” over a vagina.

Robertson this month added to controversy again when he claimed that sexually transmitted infections are God’s punishment for gays, and earlier this year gave an Easter Sermon claiming that the “sexually immoral” would go to hell.

Members of his family have also appeared at the conferences and events of several anti-gay groups, with his son Alan Robertson hailing Robertson as a 21st Century prophet akin to John the Baptist.

Payne’s friend Andy Samuels posted the now-deleted picture on Twitter, writing: “Today I shot a gun at a clay disc thing and I loved it”

Payne previously waded into controversy earlier this year, when he tweeted a message of support to the Robertsons praising “the family values you still all behold”.

He later insisted: “Being a fan of someones show and the way they still hold a family together doesnt mean i am ok with all they say.”

The singer coincidentally denied being a homophobe earlier this week, tweeting: “I’m 100% not homophobic.

“But I’m also 100% not gay so when somebody says I am I’m gunna say I’m not which does not make me a homophobe.”