Sophia Michaels
Music manager Scooter Braun’s career seems to be going through some serious changes. On Aug. 21, Billboard reported that Demi Lovato and Ariana Grande had cut ties with Braun, though sources quickly denied that Grande was leaving, per Variety. The following day, sources told The Hollywood Reporter that Idina Menzel was also splitting from Braun. Reps for Braun, Grande, Lovato, and Menzel did not immediately respond to POPSUGAR’s request for comment.
Braun shot to fame when he discovered Justin Bieber on YouTube in 2007 and helped kick-start his career. He has since managed Carly Rae Jepsen, Kanye West, the Black Eyed Peas, and David Guetta at different times, and he is the founder of the American record label Schoolboy Records and the holding company Ithaca Ventures, among other ventures. He is also currently the CEO of the Hybe Corporation’s United States leg, Hybe America.
In 2018, Braun found himself at the center of a scandal when news broke that Ithaca Ventures had purchased Big Machine Record Group, which included the masters of Taylor Swift’s first six albums. Amid heavy criticism from Swift, Braun in turn sold the catalog for $300 million, leading Swift to rerecord all six projects.
Managers and their celebrity clients do often split for a variety of reasons, and there’s no concrete evidence that indicates Braun’s are leaving because of any particular issue. However, his clients’ rapid departures one after the other have made fans speculate there are issues behind the scenes.
Ahead, here’s what we know about what’s happening with Braun’s empire.
