Scooter Braun has long been one of the music industry’s most divisive figures.
The savvy manager who helped make Justin Bieber one of the most successful pop stars on the planet is also the opportunistic mogul who infuriated Taylor Swift by purchasing the rights to her music.
(Taylor is still in the process of recording new versions of her songs in order to right this wrong. The singer recently announced that she plans to release a “Taylor’s version” edition of her smash 1989 album.)
There was a time when Scooter’s core group of A-list stars were willing to ignore the complaints about his abrasive attitude and focus instead on his apparent genius for marketing talent.
But these days, those same stars appear to be hastily distancing themselves from Scooter.
This week, both Ariana Grande and Demi Lovato parted ways with Braun.
Both stars sang Scooter’s praises on countless occasions in the past, and neither provided any reason for kicking him to the curb so abruptly.
Insiders say Lovato and Braun parted ways on amicable terms, but no similar claim has been made about Grande’s split from her longtime manager.
Perhaps even more troubling for Braun are the rumors that Bieber is planning to fire Braun.
Justin was Scooter’s first client, and while Bieber might owe much of his success to Braun, Braun almost certainly owes his entire career to Bieber.
One insider tells Variety that the reports of a Braun-Bieber split are completely bogus.
“Justin and Scooter are still working together,” says the source (via Yahoo! News).
“Justin is not taking meetings to look for new management. The two recently worked on something together.”
But multiple other sources allege that Braun and Bieber have not spoken “in months” and that Bieber is planning to distance himself from Braun.
One sauch insider confirms that Bieber and Braun are “kinda done” and no longer on speaking terms.
“Their relationship is definitely strained,” the source tells Yahoo News.
“They may not be parting ways right now, but Justin’s exit is around the corner.”
The insider says that Braun’s aggressive approach to business is just something that stars no longer wish to be associated with.
“He’s imploding. It’s a different world since the pandemic. You just can’t be an a–hole like that anymore,” says the source.
Insiders close to Braun deny the claim that Scooter has become a victim of his own hard-nosed style.
And with a roster of talent that still includes Hilary Duff, Quavo, Kelly Rowland, the Black Eyed Peas, David Guetta, Dan + Shay, and Ashley Graham, he’ll likely continue to be a force in the industry.
But there have been rumors that singers Idina Menzel and J Balvin are also planning to part company with Braun in the near future, and if the exodus continues to make headlines, other stars might follow suit.
So we could be looking at the beginning of an epic downfall — one that would satisfy a lot of Swifties!
Ariana Grande, Demi Lovato Fire Scooter Braun; Insiders Say Justin Bieber Has Also Cut … was originally published on The Hollywood Gossip.