Sydney Sweeney hard-launched her relationship with Scooter Braun back in September when they were spotted holding hands on a date night. They were romantically linked ever since they were spotted together at the Lauren Sánchez-Jeff Bezos wedding in Venice, Italy, in June.
PEOPLE confirmed the romance, with a source telling the outlet that the couple “have a lot in common and neither one of them cares what others think.” Another source shared, “They have a genuine connection, and their circle of friends has blended together seamlessly.”
Most recently, Sweeney and Braun were spotted in New York City. PEOPLE obtained photos of the couple kissing during their outing at Central Park. However, as Sweeney gets close to the music producer, fans have dug into Braun’s past. The relationship with Sweeney is his first public relationship after the high-profile divorce from his ex-wife, Yale Cohen, in 2021.
Braun was also involved in an infamous feud with Taylor Swift over her masters. In recent years, many of Braun’s clients have left him. Some of these artists have openly admitted to a difficult working relationship with Braun. Here are all the celebrities who hate Sweeney’s new boyfriend.
1. Justin Bieber
Scooter Braun discovered Justin Bieber when he was just 12. It was Braun who introduced him to Usher and later helped him sign on to Def Jam. They worked together for over 15 years before ending their business relationship in 2023. Sources close to the situation shared that financial disputes arose between the two of them.
A recent TMZ documentary on Bieber, TMZ Investigates: What Happened to Justin Bieber, revealed that he was on the verge of a financial collapse in 2022. According to the outlet’s financial audit of the situation, Bieber owed Braun approximately $9 million and AEG and HYBE a total of around $32 million.
The amount was an advance that Bieber had received from AEG Presents for his 2022 Justice tour, which ultimately got cancelled. According to PEOPLE, Bieber allegedly agreed to pay $26 million to Braun and an additional $5.5 million to cover half of Braun’s unpaid commissions. A month before this alleged settlement, Braun had commented on his relationship with Bieber on The Diary of a CEO podcast:
[It’s] not that same that it was. We worked together for so long and we had such extreme success. I think you get to a point as a man where you want to show the world you can do it on your own and I completely respect that. I think at this point, that’s what he’s doing. And myself and everyone from the old team is rooting for him.
At the peak of Bieber’s troubles with substance abuse, Braun allegedly tried to help him as much as he could. He shared that he was worried about losing Bieber every night. He shared with The Red Pill podcast in 2018:
I was worried every night that I was going to lose him. I thought he was going to die. I thought he was going to sleep one night and that he would have so much crap in his system that he would not wake up the next morning.
Others also agreed that Braun tried his best in protecting his high-profile client. So much so that he allegedly made one of Bieber’s friends into a scapegoat.
2. Lil Twist
Lil Twist was Justin Bieber’s friend at the peak of his fame. He was bashed by the media and the general public, who accused him of negatively influencing Bieber. In a TMZ article in 2013, it was reported that Twist was blamed for the time when Bieber was photographed smoking weed in a hotel room.
In 2020, Twist appeared on Mina SayWhat’s podcast to share that he was made into Justin Bieber’s drug charge scapegoat in the 2010s (via Page Six).
If they would have put weed charges on Justin in his early career. It would have been bad on him.
He shared that he got a call from Bieber’s management, asking him to “take the heat for him.” Twist shared, “They said, ‘Cool, if you love him then you can take the heat for him because you can come off a little weed charge. You’re associated with Lil Wayne. You’re a rapper’.”
If it wasn’t enough, Twist told Business Insider in 2022 that he believed Braun planted negative stories about him in the media to take away the attention from Bieber. He shared:
He made sure he did everything to protect Justin, and he did his job, but he did it wrong, in ways of hurting other people to get things done, and it wasn’t right.
Braun’s attorney, Marty Singer, denied Twist’s allegations. He called Twist a “demonstrably unreliable source”, pointing out his criminal record. Interestingly, it was once reported that Braun and Bieber got into a major heated exchange over battery charges against Twist (via Page Six).
3. Selena Gomez
Scooter Braun was involved in all aspects of Justin Bieber’s life at the time, including his on-and-off relationship with Selena Gomez. A source shared about the relationship between Braun and Gomez, “[There] definitely got to be bad blood between the two camps” (via Business Insider).
Sources also told Insider that Taylor Swift was not happy with the way Braun handled the relationship aspects of Bieber and Gomez. The source shared that it was one of the reasons why Swift went hard against Braun during their feud over the masters.
Gomez was among the celebrities who showed solidarity with Swift when she called out Braun in 2019. In a lengthy Instagram story, Gomez shared
You’ve robbed and crushed one of our best song writers of our time an opportunity to celebrate all of her music with fans and the world.
SELENA GOMEZ OFFICIALLY RAISING THE BAR FOR EVERY ARTIST RIGHT NOW. #IStandWithTaylor pic.twitter.com/yGNCKPjEio
Braun’s attorney denied any bad blood between Braun and the Wizards of Waverly Place actress. He shared that the claims were “ridiculous” and that Braun “continues to have a very good relationship with Selena.”
4. Madison Beer
Madison Beer was discovered by Justin Bieber at the age of 12, when he shared her YouTube cover of At Last by Etta James. She has since released acclaimed songs like Melodies, Reckless, 15 Minutes, and Make You Mine. Beer was 13 at the time when Scooter Braun signed her on as an artist.
However, soon Beer faced one of the most devastating experiences of her life. In 2016, Beer became a victim of an online attack that resulted from her nude photos being leaked online. It was leaked by a boy she was dating at the time. She has since revealed the trauma of the experience.
According to Business Insider, Braun lost interest in Beer after the incident, and they parted ways later. A source told the outlet, “As soon as something bad happened, he jumped ship. He needed to preserve his focus on Justin.” Beer also told NME that she was unhappy with the direction her music career was going at the time. She shared about her lack of creative control:
They kind of just gave me them and said, ‘These are yours and you don’t really have a choice whether to put them out or not’. They wanted me to be very pop, very Disney queen. I was really young, I didn’t know the industry. I felt trapped for a long time.
Marty Singer denied these claims as well, sharing that Beer was always grateful to Braun. He shared that the singer had sent Braun a text message after they had parted ways, thanking him “for always caring” about her.
5. Todrick Hall
Todrick Hall signed with Scooter Braun in 2013, which was a dream come true for Hall. However, their relationship went sideways soon. According to Business Insider, sources shared that Hall felt Braun wasn’t taking his career seriously. In addition, Insider reported that Braun wasn’t impressed with Hall’s references to him in the YouTube visual album, Straight Outta Oz.
Braun allegedly threatened to get the video removed if Hall didn’t pull the references. He also allegedly wanted executive producer credits on the video. When Hall refused to budge, they allegedly parted ways. A source shared, “It’s all about control, controlling everyone’s image and everyone’s narrative.”
Hall later unleashed a public tirade against Braun when he called Braun “evil” and “homophobic” in light of the Taylor Swift controversy. He wrote on X (via ET):
For those asking, I left Scooter Braun a long time ago…I am saddened by this news, but not shocked. He is an evil person who’s only concern is his wealth and feeding his disgusting ego. I believe he is homophobic & I know from his own mouth that he is not a Swift fan. I truly hope justice is served and that my friend’s music will fall into the hands of a better human.
Many of Braun’s supporters called Hall out for the comments, including his SB Projects partner Allison Scarinzi, who clapped back with accusations against Hall. She claimed that Braun dropped Hall after they had found out that Hall was stealing from fans during his Christmas tour.
@todrick this is disgusting and defamatory statement. We dropped you after finding out you were stealing from your fans on your Christmas tour. Scooter has been nothing but supportive of all disenfranchised groups. He is against dishonesty. Not those living in their truth.
However, Hall responded that he was dropped two years after the Christmas tour, denying her claims. Hall also received criticism from Demi Lovato, who claimed that Braun was never homophobic. Marty Singer called Hall “a disgruntled former client” with “significant animosity” against Braun.
6. Kanye West
Scooter Braun briefly managed Kanye West before their relationship ended in 2018. There are two sides to this story, with West’s side arguing that Ye fired Braun, while the manager’s side shared that he decided to quit. Business Insider presented both sides after talking to some of the parties involved in what went down between West and Braun.
According to one story, West called Braun to consult him on a deal that would sell a stake in Yeezy to a third party. Braun met with West, during which the latter was second-guessing the deal. Braun allegedly told him that he didn’t need to sign the deal if he wasn’t comfortable. However, West shared that he didn’t want to be scared and signed the deal anyway.
West changed his mind within hours and confronted Braun in front of several people, accusing him of tricking West. West allegedly accused Braun of trying to “take advantage of him making him sign away Yeezy to someone else.” Braun was insulted by the accusations and tore up the deal. The next day, he told West that they had to stop working together.
However, West’s side of the story claimed that Braun had previously attempted to manipulate West. He allegedly tried to take an ownership interest in Yeezy. This incident allegedly broke West’s trust in Braun, leading to him ending the relationship. A former associate, who had knowledge about the situation, told Insider:
He talked the talk: ‘I care about Kanye, I would never take advantage.’ [However], Scooter’s most important client has always been Scooter.
Braun’s attorney, Singer, claimed that this version of the story was false, adding that Braun never took an interest in a Yeezy stake. He also claimed that West offered large percentages of Yeezy to Braun several times, all of which the manager had declined.
7. Taylor Swift
Taylor Swift and Scooter Braun were feuding for years before Swift could finally get her hands on the masters of her first six studio albums. Their dispute was the subject of a two-part docuseries on Max, Taylor Swift vs Scooter Braun: Bad Blood.
In 2019, Swift wrote an explosive letter on Tumblr, telling the world that her masters had been sold without her consultation. Braun’s Ithaca Holdings acquired the masters of her first six albums from Scott Borchetta’s Big Machine Label for $300 million.
She accused Braun of being a bully, while the former music manager claimed that his purchase of the masters was very much legal. She shared,
All I could think about was the incessant, manipulative bullying I’ve received at his hands for years.
In another Tumblr post, Swift shared that Scooter Braun and Scott Borchetta denied her permission to perform a medley of her hits over the decade. She shared,
The message being sent to me is very clear. Basically, be a good little girl and shut up. Or you’ll be punished.
In November 2020, just when Taylor Swift had started re-recording her music, Scooter Braun sold her music catalog to Shamrock Holdings for over $300 million. Swift shared in a Twitter letter that she had no clue about the sale and added that it was the second time her masters had been sold without her knowledge.
Braun later told Variety that the feud was all a misunderstanding on Swift’s part. During the interview for Variety, Braun shared that it made him “sad” seeing Swift’s reaction to the deal. He shared that Swift’s accusations were “not based on anything factual.” He shared, “I don’t know what story she was told. I asked for her to sit down with me several times, but she refused.”
He shared that the worst thing about Swift’s outburst was her calling him a bully. One of the major issues with Swift’s narrative was her father, Scott Swift’s, role in it. He was a shareholder in Big Machine Records, owning 3% of the shares.
While he abstained from voting on the sale of her masters, he made a sizeable $15.1 million from the deal with Braun. Taylor Swift’s team denied that her father ever discussed the sale with her beforehand.
In 2025, Taylor Swift shared a long letter on her website, where she announced to the world that she had bought back the masters from Shamrock Capital. Braun reacted to the news, stating to UsWeekly that he was happy for the singer.
What do you think of Scooter Braun’s alleged issues with all these celebrities? Let us know in the comments below!
