Recently, Justin Bieber has ramped up his Instagram use, sometimes posting several times a day. While fans have welcomed getting greater access to the singer, some of his posts have them concerned. After Bieber posted a picture on a trip with friends, fans spotted what appeared to be a bong in the background. Many have taken to the comments to express their concern.

Justin Bieber’s fans expressed concern after an Instagram post

On May 4, Bieber posted an Instagram picture of musician Eddie Benjamin playing guitar in a house. In the background, Bieber sits outside, seemingly smoking a bong. Another photo shows him on the porch with a bong behind him. Many of his fans were not happy with his apparent marijuana usage. 

“Look at all the drugs on that table,” one person wrote. “Praying hard for you Bieber!!”

“Be fine please Justin, we love you my brother,” wrote another.

“Don’t even smoke weed s***,” wrote a fan. “Leave that man.” 

Many people attacked Bieber for being on a trip with friends instead of home with his wife, Hailey Bieber, and their son. Others had a problem with the example they believed he was setting for fans. 

“Always thought [Justin Bieber] was better than that,” wrote one person. “At least keep it out of the public view. You’re not setting a good example for your young fans. Your standards appear low …This is a huge disappointment.”

Still, Bieber had a number of defenders in the comments. He has expressed frustration in the past over the backlash he faces for things other celebrities openly do.

“All of you haters are just Karens,” one person wrote. “Every ‘disappointed fan’ isn’t much of a real fan at all if you ask me!”

Justin Bieber has shared insight into his life on Instagram

While many of Bieber’s Instagram posts feature him spending time with friends or infant son, others give insight into his feelings. 

“I think I hate myself sometimes when I feel myself start to become inauthentic,” he wrote in the caption of a March 22 post. “Then I remember we’re all being made to think we’re not enough but I still hate when I change myself to please people.”

He recently shared what appears to be writing from ChatGPT about being deserving. 

“Some people say, ‘you deserve love’ but that can be confusing — because ‘deserve’ sounds like you have to do something special to get it. But love isn’t a prize you win. You’re special just because you’re you,” reads the post. 

Those close to him also have concerns about his behavior

Fans are not the only ones who have expressed concerns about Bieber. Some of his former collaborators feel the same way.

“Seeing him disintegrate like this … it’s watching the embodiment of someone not living their purpose,” a former team member told The Hollywood Reporter. “He’s lost. There’s no one protecting him because there’s no one there willing to say no to him. You say no, you get blown out.”

His reps have pushed back against these claims, however.