Brittany Renner Sparks Outrage After Ditching Hijab and Returning to Old Ways

Brittany Renner has removed her hijab following her brief marriage to rapper Kevin Gates. The 33-year-old’s decision has sparked significant discussion about authenticity, religious sincerity, andpersonal transformation, turning her spiritual journey into a complex case study of modern celebrity spirituality and public perception.

Renner’s spiritual journey began long before her relationship with Kevin Gates. She formally converted to Islam in August 2024, taking her Shahada (declaration of faith) after years of contemplation.

“Allah put Islam on my heart five, six years ago. But I was not ready to accept it,”

she explained.

Initially, her conversion appeared genuine—she embraced the faith wholeheartedly, adopting modest dress including the hijab, abstaining from alcohol for six months, and practicing celibacy for eight months. Renner described the experience as “a really beautiful purification process for me of the mind, heart, body, and soul,” adding that Islam had “made my life better in every single category.”

Renner’s relationship with Kevin Gates, a practicing Muslim, began in early 2025. The couple married on April 6, 2025, in a union that followed Islamic traditions, though it was not legally recognized in U.S. courts. Their marriage lasted a mere 52 days, ending on May 28, 2025. Following the divorce, Renner appeared on Instagram on June 18, 2025, without her hijab for the first time in nearly a year. In the video, she revealed her natural curly hair and noted,

“I wore cornrows underneath my hijab just so my hair could fit in it.”

Accompanying the hijab removal, Renner posted a caption that drew significant attention:

“I don’t have blind loyalty to any person, place, or thing. I also don’t need excuses to do what I want to do because I accept whatever comes behind my decisions. It’s still Alhamdulillah for everything!”

Social media users accused her of “cosplaying” as a Muslim, with comments such as “Ok so she’s done with the cosplay, got it” and “She shouldn’t have played with religion.”

Even during her initial conversion in August 2024, skeptics had questioned her sincerity, accusing her of “making a mockery” of Islam and using the hijab as a “marketing strategy.” One particularly vocal critic wrote, “STOP DISRESPECTING MY RELIGION!!!!!!!! Islam isn’t a marketing strategy, a way to get in the blogs or a way to gain attention!!!”

The timeline of Renner’s spiritual journey has fueled debate about its authenticity. Her conversion coincided with her relationship with Gates, and her departure from Islamic practices followed immediately after their divorce.

However, Renner has pushed back against this narrative, maintaining that her experience with Islam was transformative. Even after removing her hijab, she continued to use Islamic phrases like “Alhamdulillah” (praise be to Allah) and spoke positively about the religion’s impact on her life.

Renner’s journey reflects broader issues surrounding celebrity conversions, cultural appropriation, and the commodification of religious practices. With over 4 million Instagram followers, the fitness influencer has built her career on transformation and reinvention. Her brief Islamic period—shifting from provocative fitness content to modest religious observance—represented perhaps her most dramatic reinvention yet. Her case highlights how public figures’ religious choices are often viewed through the lens of their personal relationships and career motivations rather than spiritual authenticity.

Renner’s experience raises profound questions about how we judge religious authenticity—especially when it involves public figures whose every decision is scrutinized and commodified for public consumption.