scooter braun taylor swift demi lovato justin bieber ariana grande fired parted ways manager hybe

Why On Earth Have Ariana, Justin And Demi Dropped Their Manager Scooter Braun?

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It looks like Justin Bieber, Demi Lovato and Ariana Grande have all parted ways with their high-profile manager Scooter Braun. 

It’s hard to wade through what’s fact and fiction, but the news has been reported in Puck, Variety and Billboard, so something is definitely afoot. The manager, who has used his celebrity clients to elevate his own profile, has over seven million followers across Instagram and Twitter (Or is it X? Whatever it’s called) and has become a bit of a household name.

The reason why people are so invested in the manager’s scandal, comes down to how he handled the purchase of Taylor Swift’s masters from Big Machine Records. The founder, Scott Borchetta, allowed Scooter to purchase her first six studio albums in 2019, without letting Taylor know what’s going down.

scooter braun taylor swift demi lovato justin bieber ariana grande fired parted ways manager hybe

Demi Lovato, Scooter Baun and Ariana Grande. Photo credit: Instagram/@scooterbraun

The pop star took to social media to tell her fans she wasn’t pleased with Scooter owning her masters since he’d previously used his then-client Kanye West and Justin Bieber to “bully” her in 2016.

Justin, Demi and Ariana all stood by Scooter when this went down, so I’m guessing that something big has happened behind the scenes to force the trio to drop Scooter like a hot cake. 

A roundup of all the reports claiming Scooter Braun was dropped by Justin Bieber, Demi Lovato and Ariana Grande. 

Justin Bieber and Scooter Braun

According to Puck, Justin and Scooter “haven’t talked in months”, with journalist Matthew Belloni claiming that the singer “fired his team”. Once news of this became public, Justin and Scooter’s reps told Page Six that these rumours are simply not true. 

scooter braun taylor swift demi lovato justin bieber ariana grande fired parted ways manager hybe

Justin Bieber with Scooter Braun. Photo credit: Instagram/@scooterbraun

However, the Puck journalist has claimed this is a “face-saving favour to Scooter”, as Justin is still “contractually bound” to his manager. The pair have been together since Justin was discovered at 13 years old, so if something has gone down… it’s gonna be juicy. 

Demi Lovato and Scooter Braun

Demi signed with Scooter in 2019, and it was supposed to push their career to the next level. I’m a major Demi stan, so I was excited to see what would happen with their music. Sadly, they didn’t reach the same heights as Ariana or Justin, and Variety reports that their split from Scooter was “amicable” and “mutual”. 

scooter braun taylor swift demi lovato justin bieber ariana grande fired parted ways manager hybe

Scooter Braun and Demi Lovato. Photo credit: Instagram/@ddlovato

Scooter hasn’t spoken out about this publicly, but he did dedicate an Instagram Story post to Demi this week to celebrate their birthday, calling them “one of the kindest souls out there”. Sources have told the publication that Demi is looking for new management, but nothing has been confirmed yet. 

Ariana Grande and Scooter Braun

This isn’t the first time Ariana and Scooter have parted ways. In 2016, the ‘Thank You, Next’ singer fired Scooter for reasons that haven’t been confirmed. US Weekly previously reported that it was due to Scooter’s involvement with her personal life, with a source saying: “At one point, Ariana fired him because she had had it… he definitely gets involved in his client’s business and personal relationships.”

When Billboard approached both Ariana and Scooter’s reps for comment on the rumours, both declined to comment. That makes me think the pair have defs parted ways, but are trying to keep the news under wraps for a bit. 

Scooter Braun addresses the drama surrounding his clients. 

Fans have been creating satirical posts about the management saga on X, pretending that random clients (who have nothing to do with Scooter) have parted ways with him. It looks like Scooter has tried to get in on the joke, which hasn’t gone down particularly well. 

“Breaking news… I’m no longer managing myself,” he wrote. 

Some fans have theorised that there will be some unsavoury info about Scooter coming out, which is why celebs have been quick to distance themselves from him. One source told Variety that his behaviour has tipped things over the edge. “He’s imploding,” they said. “It’s a different world since the pandemic. You just can’t be an asshole like that anymore.”

But after Variety did some digging, there’s another possible reason for all the drama… and IMO, it’s really boring. 

According to a source, Scooter is simply in the process of stepping back from management. He sold SB Projects’ parent company Ithaca Holdings to HYBE America in 2021, so he’s planning on focusing on his role as CEO. The South Korean company is massive, and its clients include K-Pop royalty BTS, so you can imagine he’ll be kept very busy. 

“All of Scooter Braun’s clients are under contract and negotiations have been going on for several months as Scooter steps into his larger role as HYBE America CEO,” the source said. 

“People are spreading rumours based on what they know, but they are off. Scooter’s team at SB Projects are still handling both Justin and Ariana as they work through what this new structure looks like.”

I guess all we can do is wait to see what unfolds. I’ll be over here with my popcorn when the tea drops.

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Image credits: Instagram/@scooterbraun, @ddlovato, @arianagrande, @justinbieber