Scooter Braun has called it a career — but not without taking one last dig at Taylor Swift.
Or so many people think!
On Monday, June 17, the longtime manager — who rose to fame working with legends like Justin Bieber and Ariana Grande — confirmed he is retiring from music management after 23 years.
“I am fortunate to have had the opportunity to live a ‘Forest Gump’ life while witnessing and participating in the journeys of some of the most extraordinarily talented people in the world.
“I’m constantly pinching myself and asking ‘How did I get here?’ And after 23 years as a music manager this chapter has come to an end,” Braun said in a long and self-serving Instagram statement.
Although the statement was, in a word, long, many took the time to read it carefully. Those who read it found the Easter egg everyone was hoping for: a subtle dig at adversary Taylor Swift.
Scooter Braun takes aim at Taylor Swift in retirement announcement
“It’s a weird feeling because I think I’ve wanted this for a while, but I was really scared to answer the question ‘Who would I be without them?’ I was really just 19 when I started. So for my whole adult life I’ve been an artist manager on call 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.
“And for 20 years, I loved it. It’s all I knew.”
This is where Scooter talks about all the celebrities he’s managed over the years, from Justin Bieber and Usher to Tori Kelly, Carly Rae Jepsen, and the other villain in Taylor’s story: Kanye West.
And that’s the thing; Taylor’s name didn’t appear on the list of artists thanked for working with her. At least, not directly!
This is where things got interesting. Scooter talked not only about the highs of his career, but also the lows of his career:
“A lot has been said about what’s been happening in our company and in my career. I smiled when we had success, and I’ve always tried to take the high road when we were attacked. But over the last 3 years I’ve begun to feel that taking the high road has led to confusion and ambiguity about who we are.”
Oh, she was “attacked”? By who exactly? By Taylor and his team, who wanted to protect their legacy? Or maybe by some of his other female clients.
Recall, last year Grande and Demi Lovato fired Braun amid reports that he was basically a huge a-hole.
Revisiting the Scooter/Taylor War
In 2018, Braun’s company acquired the rights to Swift’s first six albums … which prompted Taylor to harshly criticize Braun for trying to control her career.
Braun eventually sold Swift’s catalog for hundreds of millions of dollars, while Swift recorded her own record-breaking versions of those same albums and songs.
While we’re still waiting on Reputation and Taylor Swift, the superstar has already made her point about the longevity of her career and her star power.
As for Scooter, his next step is to spend more time with his family.
Scooter thanks his kids: both biological and the ‘baby’ who started it all
Brown cited his children with his ex-wife Yael Cohen in his social media message, saying:
“As my kids grew up and I had some ups and downs in my personal life, I realised my kids were three superstars whom I didn’t want to lose.
“I could no longer justify the sacrifices I was willing to make. It was time to step into a new role… [I must now become] First a father, second a CEO, and now no longer a manager.
Brown explained that he had been thinking about stepping away from management for “the past two years,” though the idea started to feel more real in the summer of 2023 — because “one of my biggest clients and friends told me they wanted to spread their wings and go in a new direction.”
We’re assuming this is a reference to Bieber.
In announcing his retirement, Brown further said:
“See, life doesn’t give you your plan, it gives you God’s plan. And God has been pushing me in this direction for a while now.
“I have nothing but love for the people I have worked with over the years, and as we develop a different working relationship, I will always be there to advise and support them, whether that be directly or from a distance.”
“Each client I’ve had the pleasure of working with has changed my life, and I know many of them are just starting to see the success they deserve. I’ll be cheering for every single one of them.”
The grand executive meeting concluded as follows:
I never imagined how this chapter would end, hell, I never even saw it coming. But it did. And I will cherish every moment of it. I made my plans… but it seems I like God’s plan more Cheers!”