Britney Spears warned against trusting 'genius' makeup guru—'stay away from that man'

Britney Spears has shared her support for a problematic Hollywood star—and fans are not happy about it. 

Now that Britney is free from her conservatorship after a lengthy legal battle, she's wasting no time in embracing her newfound independence. 

The US pop star was released from her restrictive financial arrangement last Friday after nearly 14 years, much to the delight of #FreeBritney activists and her loyal fanbase. Having been denied control over her personal and economic affairs for over a decade, Britney is currently on a celebration streak as she looks forward to turning 40 in December. From revealing she's thinking of having another baby with fiancé Sam Asghari to enjoying her first glass of champagne after a "long wait", the mother-of-two is savoring every moment of this next chapter of her life. 

However, it seems like not all of Britney's celebrations have gone down well with her legion of adoring fans. The Toxic singer stunned her followers with an endorsement of the controversial beauty influencer, Jeffree Star, on Thursday, in which she lauded his makeup line and hailed him as a 'genius.' 

The Instagram update was immediately met by concern from well-meaning followers, with many urging the singer to reconsider her post. The backlash comes just a few weeks after Britney's 'creepy' baby doll video shed questions over the star's mental wellbeing as she prepared to exit her 13-year-long conservatorship. 

The Instagram update was immediately met by concern from well-meaning followers, with many urging the singer to reconsider her post. The backlash comes just a few weeks after Britney's 'creepy' baby doll video shed questions over the star's mental wellbeing as she prepared to exit her 13-year-long conservatorship. 

Her unexpected support for Jeffree drew an avalanche of worried comments, as numerous people rushed to alert Britney of the Internet celebrity's dubious past. 

Having first risen to fame with his Youtube channel in the late noughties, the 36-year-old mogul is now the CEO of Jeffree Cosmetics and continues to create makeup-related video content online. His reputation has been significantly damaged, however, over the past several years, due to multiple allegations of racism, violence, and sexual assault. 

With Britney living under tight restrictions when these scandals broke, fans were quick to excuse her ignorance and gently update her on the situation. 

"Ok a lot has happened since you’ve been locked up so we’re gonna have to talk about Jeffree but we love you xoxo," one fan wrote. 

"Nooo britney stay away from that man," another person said. 

Jeffree Star responded to the praise on his Instagram story, reposting Britney's image with the caption, 'Iconic'.