From his beef with Taylor Swift to losing Justin Bieber’s loyalty, here’s why Scooter Braun is in his flop era
Given the fact that I’ve been a die-hard Belieber since the age of 11, it’s no surprise that I know quite a lot about infamous music agent Scooter Braun. Credited with being the first to discover the Canadian angel’s dulcet tones, Braun was once considered one of the most successful talent managers in the industry. Now, I think it’s fair to say that he’s best known as the guy who lost all of his celebrity clients and managed to royally piss off one of the most powerful women in the world, Miss Taylor Swift.
Welcome back to Explained By a Blonde, girlies. In classic ‘me’ fashion, we’re going to start 2025 as we mean to go on: pointing out toxic men’s flaws. I’m channelling my inner Drew Afualo, okay? Despite managing and collaborating with some of the biggest artists in the world (Justin Bieber, Ariana Grande, and Demi Lovato), Braun always had a rather negative reputation.
And while Braun’s public status has been on a downward spiral for quite some time now, it was Justin Bieber recently making the decision to unfollow his former manager on Instagram that officially put the nail in the coffin. So, without further ado, let’s take a proper look at Braun’s most outrageous professional blunders. Sorry Scooter, I’d say it’s not personal, but it definitely is.
me liking every scooter braun downfall tweet pic.twitter.com/p04oW8vE5h
— riku (@mrgooburt) January 5, 2025
What did Scooter Braun do to Taylor Swift?
Many people likely discovered Scooter Braun through his quite public beef with Taylor Swift. For context, in June 2019 Braun acquired Big Machine Records in a massive $300 million deal. At that time, Big Machine Records’ roster included Swift’s first six studio albums—Taylor Swift, Fearless, Speak Now, Red, 1989, and Reputation.
Shortly after the deal went through, Swift took to Tumblr to express her upset at the situation. The singer wrote that she had learnt about the “purchase of [her] masters as it was announced to the world.” Swift also labeled Braun a “bully” and called him “the definition of toxic male privilege in our industry.”
Swift explained: “For years I asked, pleaded for a chance to own my work. Instead I was given an opportunity to sign back up to Big Machine Records and ‘earn’ one album back at a time, one for every new one I turned in. I walked away because I knew once I signed that contract, Scott Borchetta would sell the label, thereby selling me and my future. I had to make the excruciating choice to leave behind my past.”
“When I left my masters in Scott’s hands, I made peace with the fact that eventually he would sell them. Never in my worst nightmares did I imagine the buyer would be Scooter. Any time Scott Borchetta has heard the words ‘Scooter Braun’ escape my lips, it was when I was either crying or trying not to. He knew what he was doing; they both did. Controlling a woman who didn’t want to be associated with them. In perpetuity. That means forever,” the post continued.
While the nitty gritty details of the pair’s tricky past aren’t fully known, it is public knowledge that Braun began managing Kanye West shortly after the rapper released the controversial track ‘Famous’—a song which included the nude likenesses of multiple celebrities, reportedly without their permission. In her Tumblr post, Swift referenced that particular situation, noting: “Or when his client, Kanye West, organised a revenge porn music video which strips my body naked.”
taylor’s reaction to scooter braun will always be iconic😭 pic.twitter.com/C4V4ILgOOx
— Ron / Indy N2 (@midnightstrack2) August 22, 2023
“kanye west made taylor swift famous” pic.twitter.com/GYE2mYAzk5
— athena (@athenamount) September 15, 2024
To already feel so belittled and degraded by a man and then have to watch him acquire control of your life’s work, I think we all understood at that time why Swift was mad as hell.
Thankfully, the singer didn’t let this snag stop her. Swift went on to re-release those albums and subsequently produce one of the most significant—both culturally and financially—world tours the world has ever seen.
every swiftie on our way to watch the demise of scooter braun pic.twitter.com/5lq3mzA3ut
— allie (@taybeautifulll) August 22, 2023
What happened between Scooter Braun and Justin Bieber?
Scooter Braun and Justin Bieber first met in 2008 when Bieber was only 12 years old. After discovering the young Canadian on YouTube and immediately signing him to Raymond Braun Media Group, a company founded by Braun and Usher, it became clear that the two would be in business with one another for quite some time.
And this was the case, Bieber and Braun had an incredibly close and personal relationship over the past 15 years. Indeed in 2019, when Braun was facing a lot of heat amid the Swift situation, Bieber took to Instagram to defend his friend, writing: “One thing I know is both scooter and I love you. I’m sure Scooter and I would love to talk to you and resolve any conflict, pain or or any feelings that need to be addressed. Neither scooter or I have anything negative to say about you. We truly want the best for you.”
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Fast forward to 2023 and Braun becomes the sole CEO of HYBE America, a multinational entertainment company. And while it might have looked as though his capital was up and thriving, there were other things at play. In the summer of that year, the exodus occurred. Grande, Bieber, and Lovato all step away from Braun’s management. Therefore, no-one was particularly surprised when Braun announced in 2024 that he would be retiring from celebrity management.
i love being alive at the same time as scooter braun’s downfall pic.twitter.com/uDsGNbT5oZ
— sofi⸆⸉ (@sofsklore) January 5, 2025
@vinylwithmeg IM SCREAMING HAHAHAHAUSJEWBEJDND #karma #karmataylorswift #scooterbraun #arianagrande
♬ Karma - Taylor Swift
As is the case with all pop culture moments, specific details are sparse. Some rumours swirled regarding Braun’s involvement in personal relationships or mishandlings over deals, however, the manager’s own statement regarding his retirement painted a much rosier picture. Referencing Bieber and Grande, Braun said: “There will never be a day where I don’t take great pride and honor in what we accomplished together. The same can be said for so many I have had the pleasure of once being called ‘manager’.”
While this sentiment likely remains true, Braun’s decision to disable his own Instagram almost immediately after Bieber cut the social media cord speaks volumes. And while we’ll never know the full story, I think it’s safe to say that a number of artists out there will likely be better off now Braun has retired.
