Demi! Ariana! Why Celebrity Clients Dropped Former Music Manager Scooter Braun
Music executive Scooter Braun was reportedly dropped by several celebrity clients before announcing he was retiring as a talent manager in June 2024 — but why?
Who Were Scooter Braun’s Most Famous Clients?
Among Scooter’s star-studded client roster included Justin Bieber, Demi Lovato, Ariana Grande, Carly Rae Jepsen, David Guetta and Ava Max.
Did Ariana Grande Drop Scooter Braun as Her Manager?
In August 2023, multiple outlets reported that the “Into You” artist parted ways with her manager. However, neither she nor Scooter publicly addressed the reports. The news came just weeks after Ariana teased that she was rereleasing her debut album, Yours Truly, for its 10th anniversary.
Previously, though, Scooter confirmed in an interview with Variety that Ariana had fired him in February 2016.
“And with Ariana, I could have said a lot of stuff, and in fact, my team wanted me to, because they were pissed,” the entrepreneur told the outlet in October 2018. “But I said ‘We’re not gonna say a word, and this is gonna come back around.’ They were like, ‘Never take her back!’ but I just said ‘Let’s stay quiet and let our truth be our actions.’ And when s—tty boyfriends leave, she starts to see the light on some stuff. And one day, I got a phone call. She said ‘Can I see you tomorrow?’ and I said, ‘No, I’m busy’ — I actually couldn’t, so I said ‘I could see you Thursday’ or whatever, and I went over there and we had a very honest conversation.”
Scooter then revealed that he and Ariana would occasionally argue, but this ultimately brought them closer.
“One of my mentors said ‘Every artist will break your heart,’ and I used to fight that — now I realize this situation will break your heart because it becomes so personal and your job 90 percent of the time is keeping stuff out of [the artists’] sight to keep the pressure off of them, so how could they ever appreciate you as much as you think they should because they don’t even know about that stuff?” Scooter explained. “And also it made me and her really tight, because now when we get into those fights and she’s coming at me, I just go, ‘Woah, do you want to go back to where we were?’ and then it kinda calms down.”
In September 2016, Ariana officially rehired Scooter as her manager seven months after firing him.
Did Demi Lovato Drop Scooter Braun?
After Demi rereleased some of her past pop hits as rock ’n’ roll-styled songs over the summer of 2023, multiple reports surfaced that she dropped Scooter as her manager. Variety reported in August 2023 that the decision was “mutual and amicable.” However, neither Demi nor Scooter publicly addressed the reports.
Did Justin Bieber Drop Scooter Braun?
Justin was the first major music artist to reportedly part ways with Scooter, as reports about the alleged separation surfaced in August 2023. However, reps for the manager and the “Lonely” singer initially denied the rumors.
“This is not true,” Justin and Scooter’s reps told Us Weekly at the time. However, a source exclusively told Us Weekly on August 23 that Justin and Scooter have in fact parted ways.
“Justin has officially let Scooter go as his manager,” the source said, adding that Hailey Bieber "led the charge that led Justin to leave him for another manager.” The insider further added that the "Baby" singer "has been taking meetings with other managers for three years.”
Why Happened Between Taylor Swift and Scooter Braun?
In 2019, Scooter and his company, SB Projects, acquired Big Machine Records, which held the rights to Taylor’s first six albums.
"For years I asked, pleaded for a chance to own my work,” Taylor explained in a statement in 2019. “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 learned about Scooter Braun's purchase of my masters as it was announced to the world.”
In her statement at the time, Taylor accused Scooter of “incessant, manipulative bullying.”
As a result, the “Love Story” artist sought to rerecord her work and own each album. In the years to come, Taylor rereleased Fearless (Taylor’s Version), Red (Taylor’s Version), Speak Now (Taylor’s Version) and 1989 (Taylor’s Version).
Though the music manager vehemently denied Taylor’s bullying claims, he explained in a September 2022 interview with NPR that he learned a lesson from the ordeal.
"So, the regret I have there is that I made the assumption that everyone [clients], once the deal was done, was going to have a conversation with me, see my intent, see my character and say, ‘Great, let’s be in business together,’” Scooter explained. “And I made that assumption with people that I didn’t know.”
Scooter Braun's Reaction to Losing Celebrity Clients
Amid the tidal wave of exiting clients, Scooter broke his silence via X (formerly Twitter) in August 2023. “Breaking news … I’m no longer managing myself,” he wrote, poking fun at his own declining reputation. The comment section was flooded with images of his former clients, twisting the knife regarding his plummeting artist representation.
Scooter Braun Announces His Retirement as a Music Manager
"After 23 years this chapter as a music manager has come to an end," Scooter wrote in a lengthy Instagram post on June 17, 2024. He explained how he began his profession at the age of 19, "And for 20 years I loved it. It’s all I had known." He also went on to detail how he shepherded Justin and Ariana's careers.
Scooter described how he worked "24 hours a day, seven days a week" for his "entire adult life", and now it was "time to step into a new role."
"As my children got older, and my personal life took some hits, I came to the realization that my kids were three superstars I wasn't willing to lose," he continued, referring to the three children he shares with ex-wife Yael Cohen. The New York native said he planned to continue working as CEO of entertainment company HYBE America as well with his philanthropic work through the ?Make-A-Wish foundation.
