Justin Bieber and Scooter Braun’s story was a traditional music business fairytale: An bold younger supervisor plucks a younger prodigy out of obscurity and makes him a star. Their lives and careers have been intertwined for almost 20 years, with their names and careers synonymous with each other properly past most artist-manager relationships. Thee wasn’t a venture Bieber pursued, music or in any other case, that Braun wasn’t concerned in, whereas every of Braun’s purchasers exterior of Bieber would get a direct enhance from one of many twenty first century’s greatest stars.
However that shut relationship appears to have dissolved over time, as a result of a quiet and still-mysterious rift that has allegedly lower not solely their skilled ties however their friendship as properly. Over the previous few years, reviews have emerged with conflicting claims of monetary and private woes, although neither social gathering has confirmed or straight denied the strain.
Nonetheless, their relationship has all the time been bumpier than both probably hoped. Right here’s a glance again at all the things that has occurred between the 2 of them over time, from YouTube to Grammys to mugshots and extra.
2007-2008: Scooter Braun Discovers Justin Bieber
Braun had created his firm SB Initiatives in 2007 with the objective of signing three acts: a white rapper (Asher Roth), a lady group, and a younger child who “may do it like Michael Jackson,” in accordance with Billboard. One night time, he was watching YouTube movies of an act Akon had been working with when he stumbled upon Bieber’s YouTube channel. “The child [Akon had signed] was singing Aretha Franklin’s ‘Respect,’ and there was a associated video of Justin singing the identical track,” Braun recalled. “I clicked on it, pondering it was the identical child and realized that the 20-year-old I used to be watching was now 12.” Braun tracked down Bieber’s mom, Pattie Mallette, and satisfied her to fly to Atlanta with Bieber for a gathering. After Mallette prayed with leaders of her church, she determined that her son ought to signal a administration take care of Braun.
July 2008: Bieber Indicators to Braun and Usher’s label
Usher handed on Bieber once they first crossed paths in the course of the pre-teen’s preliminary Atlanta go to, however he modified his thoughts when he noticed extra movies of him performing. Justin Timberlake additionally expressed curiosity and there was a short battle between the 2, however Bieber in the end signed to Usher and Braun’s Raymond Braun Media Group (RBMG Information). L.A. Reid, who signed Usher when the singer was 14, would later signal Bieber to Island Def Jam Music Group in a 360 deal, with a 50-50 revenue break up with RBMG, in accordance with The New Yorker.
2009: Bieber Launches Pop Profession
On Could 18, Bieber launched his first single, “One Time,” which peaked at Quantity 17 on the Sizzling 100. Bieber’s ascent was swift, and Braun was by his aspect each step of the way in which. Their lives are so intertwined that even Braun’s mom did the teenager’s orthodontic work. Round this time, Braun additionally set up a meeting between Bieber and his celeb crush, Selena Gomez, having referred to as her mother on his shopper’s behalf. In November, Bieber’s first EP My World options Braun’s first government producer credit score on a Bieber launch and opening spots on Taylor Swift’s Fearless world tour. The EP debuted at Quantity Six on the Billboard 200.
November 2009: Lengthy Island Mall Chaos
Naturally, Bieber’s success was spurred by a loyal and intense fanbase of younger ladies. He began doing autograph signings and fan occasions, just like the one his staff scheduled at Roosevelt Area Mall on Lengthy Island just a few days after the discharge of My World. Three thousand followers confirmed up on the mall, and the scale of the group prompted the Nassau County police to cancel the occasion earlier than the pop star even arrived.
The police requested that Bieber formally announce the cancellation, reaching out to Island Def Jam senior VP James Roppo who couldn’t get involved with Braun or Bieber. The gang left about quarter-hour after Braun lastly tweeted that the occasion was canceled, however not with no handful of accidents among the many followers. This led to police holding Roppo in a single day on a number of misdemeanor fees. In March 2010, Braun turned himself in and was arrested over the mall mob incident. This could launch a year-long courtroom battle, which resulted in a plea cut price, with Bieber ordered to make a PSA about cyberbullying and sexting. Island Def Jam paid a superb and Braun’s report was cleared.
2010-2011: Additional Mainstream Success
Bieber launched the only “Child,” which debuted at Quantity 5 on the Sizzling 100. Ludacris, an previous buddy of Braun’s, was featured on the track. Bieber’s debut album was launched simply days after the teenager turned 16. He would turn out to be the youngest male artist to prime the Billboard 200 since Stevie Surprise in 1963. Braun later negotiated offers for a 3D film about Bieber with Paramount Photos, in addition to a memoir with HarperCollins. When the documentary By no means Say By no means got here out in early 2011, the movie made almost $30 million opening weekend. However the film was panned, with critics particularly taking subject with Braun’s “intense” presence within the function on his shopper’s life story.
2012: Bieber Grows Up (Sort Of)
In March 2012, Bieber turned 18. He started getting marketed as a extra grownup pop star. His album Imagine, launched just a few months later, featured quite a lot of pop and EDM heavyweights: Max Martin, Diplo, Zedd. Braun co-wrote the bonus observe “Maria,” a couple of girl who claimed Bieber fathered her youngster.
Bieber grew to become extra concerned with Braun’s enterprise pursuits, each discovering and selling artists signed to SB Initiatives. He tweeted out a video of then 13-year-old Madison Beer singing “At Final.” This prompted Beer to explode and Braun to ultimately signal her. Bieber later took Braun’s different signees Carly Rae Jepsen, Ariana Grande, the Wished and Cody Simpson on tour with him.
2013: Bieber’s Public Struggles Start
In January 2013, Bieber and Braun encountered the pop star’s first true scandal when TMZ printed images of Bieber and his buddy Lil Twist smoking blunts. Bieber later posted on Twitter and mentioned that he was “rising and studying.” Within the days after, reviews circulated that sources near the pair believed Twist was a “bad influence” on Bieber. In 2022, Lil Twist instructed Business Insider that he believed Braun had planted detrimental tales about Twist to deflect from his personal involvement in Bieber’s public spiral. Braun’s lawyer denied these claims and referred to as Twist a “demonstrably unreliable supply.”
However the weed images had been only the start of a catastrophic 12 months for Bieber’s public picture. A neighbor accused the teenager of spitting on him throughout an argument over the star’s fixed home events and reckless driving. Later, throughout a go to to the Anne Frank home in Amsterdam, he left a questionable message within the visitor ebook: “Anne was an ideal lady. Hopefully she would have been a belieber.” Braun, whose grandmother survived the Holocaust, defended Bieber, calling folks’s reactions “atrocious and insulting.”
Because the 12 months waned on, Bieber continued making headlines. TMZ shared video footage of the star peeing in a mop bucket whereas exiting a membership and later spraying cleansing fluid on an image of Invoice Clinton. He continued to upset his neighbors who name the police on him for dashing. Lil Twist is later arrested for driving below the affect in a automobile Braun purchased for Bieber after which accused of battery by a lady for a incident that occurred in Bieber’s residence.
Reports emerged by the summer time that Braun not solely wished Bieber to go to rehab but in addition to cease spending time with Lil Twist. “Fuck u Scooter and all the things u stand for,” Lil Twist would tweet out in November. “It was all deliberate out …All a arrange …Each story.”
January 2014: Bieber Arrested
Bieber smiled his approach by means of a mugshot after being arrested for driving below the affect, resisting arrest and having an expired license in Miami Seaside. In response, Braun tweeted his support for Bieber: “Love you and I’ll act within the method of somebody who really cares. That’s all I’ve to say. Thanks for all these involved.”
A pair weeks later, Bieber was arrested once more. This time, it was for allegedly hitting a limo driver within the head a number of instances. Braun tweeted as soon as extra, now asking folks to not “assume the worst.”
June 2014: Foul Language
Two movies emerged that month that includes a youthful Bieber utilizing the N-word. In a single video, he instructed a foul joke. Within the different, he sang his track “One Much less Lonely Woman,” changing “lady” with the same slur. Braun had pleaded with TMZ in 2011 to bury that footage. Usher had come to Bieber’s protection, calling the star “unequivocally not a racist.”
Late 2014: Plea Offers
Bieber’s arrests had been resolved later within the 12 months. He ended up taking anger-management courses and paid off his fines
March 2015: Comedy Central’s Justin Bieber Roast
As Bieber’s public downfall started to threaten his pop stardom, his staff mounted a comeback. In lieu of an enormous tv or journal interview, Braun cooked up a star roast, which featured Martha Stewart, Snoop Dogg, Kevin Hart, and extra. On the finish of the particular, Bieber earnestly apologized to the general public for what he had accomplished, proudly owning as much as his very public and principally unlawful errors. It was the proper act of harm management, permitting the pop star to fall on his sword whereas giving the general public a greater style of his persona.
August 2015: Pop Stardom Again on Monitor
Main as much as the brand new single “What Do You Imply?” Bieber had celeb associates (principally Braun’s different purchasers) submit images of themselves holding indicators noting the variety of days left till Bieber launched the track. It grew to become his first track to debut on the prime of the Sizzling 100 and helped launch a profitable rollout of his third album Function. Function, which was launched that November, was largely co-written by Poo Bear, one other shopper of Braun’s.
In a New York Times profile of Braun that December, Braun revealed that he had been planning Bieber’s comeback since October 2014 and that he was anxious Bieber “may’ve died” if he had continued touring in 2013. “It was far worse than folks notice,” he mentioned. “And when he’s prepared, he’ll inform what he was going by means of. Nevertheless it’s a tough factor to observe somebody you care and genuinely love undergo that. I’m actually, actually completely satisfied that’s over.”
2016/2017: Bother in Paradise
Bieber and Braun’s comeback was profitable, main to an enormous Function tour and a Grammy win for Bieber within the Greatest Dance Recording class alongside Jack Ü’s Skrillex and Diplo. However the pair hit a street bump after Bieber was reportedly supplied a hefty paycheck to carry out at a gig associated with the Republican National Convention. Braun had threatened to stop over the efficiency, which was billed as “not political,” although it was funded by Republican donors, who rejected Braun’s concept to show “Black Lives Matter” indicators. Bieber ultimately declined the present supply.
By July 2017, Bieber burned out on tour, deciding to cancel the remaining stretch of his Function trek. Braun defended his choice saying that “a person’s soul and well-being I really care about got here first.”
2019: Scooter Braun vs. Taylor Swift
Scooter Braun’s music business ambitions went approach additional than being a supervisor. His firm Ithaca Holdings acquired Large Machine Information that summer time, together with the rights to Swift’s grasp recordings. Swift spoke out towards the acquisition in a Tumblr post, revealing her particular beef with Braun and his “incessant, manipulative bullying.” Braun had been representing Kanye West in the course of the public implosion of West and Swift’s friendship over his track “Well-known” and the “revenge porn music video” the rapper launched, that includes bare mannequins of Swift and different celebrities.
Her submit featured a screenshot of an Instagram submit shared by Bieber’s that includes him on FaceTime with Braun and West with the caption “Taylor swift what’s up.” Bieber responded on Instagram a pair days later, sharing an apology to Swift for the earlier submit whereas defending Braun from the inflow of hate he acquired from Swift’s followers. “I often don’t rebuttal issues like this however once you try to deface somebody i loves character thats crossing a line,” he wrote.
Swift would later announce that she would re-record her first six albums in an effort to devalue the Large Machine recordings. By the top of the 12 months, Braun had signed Demi Lovato as his new shopper whereas Bieber had married his girlfriend Hailey Baldwin.
2020: Extra Modifications
Following the start of Braun and Swift’s a few years’ lengthy feud, Bieber equipped for a brand new album reflecting his extra mature married life. At a press occasion for his album Modifications, he tearfully thanked Braun. “You walked with me by means of a number of shit,” he mentioned. “I really feel like God’s introduced me out of a extremely darkish place.”
In a docuseries referred to as Seasons, the Biebers showcase their newlywed life whereas Bieber dove into a few of his well being struggles, together with Lyme illness and dependancy. Modifications would find yourself topping to Billboard 200 in February.
Bieber continued to be musically lively in the course of the Covid-19 pandemic, releasing a charity single with Ariana Grande referred to as “Caught With U,” which featured a co-writing credit score from Braun. Rapper Tekashi 6ix9ine accused the pair of beefing up the numbers to debut at Quantity One.
Bieber and Braun later starred within the video for Drake and DJ Khaled’s hit “Popstar.” Braun then applied a brand new technique for Bieber’s Modifications follow-up Justice, the place he launched a brand new single each month main as much as the album’s announcement. The singles had been all High 20 hits and featured artists like Likelihood the Rapper, Benny Blanco, and Shawn Mendes.
On the finish of the 12 months, Braun offered the grasp rights of Swift’s first six albums to non-public fairness group Shamrock Holdings, although Swift would later reveal that Braun would nonetheless revenue off her previous musical catalog for years to return. Swift quickly started re-recording her music.
2021: Justice and Extra Enterprise Strikes
Bieber’s fifth album Justice debuted at Quantity One in March 2021. A month later, BTS’s administration firm HYBE acquired Ithaca Holdings and SB Initiatives in a billion greenback deal. Bieber and Grande’s shares in SB Initiatives meant that they every acquired about $10 million from the deal. Braun later grew to become co-CEO of HYBE America.
Braun continued to have success as a supervisor presently, signing Australia’s the Child Laroi. His single “Keep” featured Bieber and was a High 10 hit.
2022: An Exposé on Braun
Business Insider printed a scathing report on Braun. It added extra context to Swift’s beef with Braun proudly owning her music, claiming that the supervisor had overstepped within the relationship between Bieber and Swift’s greatest buddy Selena Gomez. Braun’s lawyer denied this.
2023: The Rift Deepens
In an enormous deal, Bieber offered his publishing rights and grasp royalties to Hipgnosis for $200 million. That very same month, Braun grew to become the only real CEO of HYBE America after his co-CEO left the corporate. Across the pop star’s twenty ninth birthday, he referred to as off 100 dates of his Justice tour as a result of his well being.
By the top of summer time, reviews started swirling that Bieber and Braun had stopped talking and that the singer was searching for out new administration. Puck claimed that Bieber had been doing a “house-cleaning” of his staff, having changed his agent and enterprise supervisor, amongst different members. A press release from Bieber’s rep denied that he and Braun had been on the outs although Puck pushed back on the claims saying it was a “face-saving favor.” Extra reviews claimed that Hailey Bieber had overhauled the enterprise aspect of Bieber’s profession and had turn out to be a extra vocal a part of his conferences.
Inside just a few weeks, a number of purchasers of Braun’s depart SB, together with J Balvin, Demi Lovato, Idina Menzel, and Ariana Grande. Braun joked on Twitter: “Breaking information… I’m not managing myself.” (It was later reported that whereas Grande has new administration, she would retain a business relationship with Braun and HYBE). Billboard reported that Bieber was nonetheless on contract till 2027. Extra reviews emerged, claiming that the Biebers had been displeased with each Braun and his enterprise accomplice Alison Kaye’s efficiency whereas extra sources confirmed that Bieber and Braun had been not on talking phrases.
Summer season 2024: Contemporary Begins
On June 17, Scooter Braun introduced that he was officially retiring from management. In a prolonged submit on Instagram celebrating 23 years of being a supervisor and the current successes of his purchasers, Braun revealed that he could be transitioning into his function as CEO of HYBE America full-time.
“It was this previous Christmas Day when Ariana [Grande] and Justin [Bieber] grew to become the most important female and male within the historical past of the Spotify Billions membership that I simply smiled and thought ‘what a trip,’” he wrote. “Justin and Ariana had been each younger youngsters once I started with them. Justin a 13 12 months previous child busking in Canada and Ariana a younger actress on Nickelodeon. To see them each come as much as be the legends they’re at this time will perpetually be one in every of my biggest honors … I’ll proceed to root for them with the identical ardour that I did at every of their humble beginnings.”
A month later, the Biebers welcomed their first youngster Jack Blues. Bieber had reportedly entered the studio to report a comply with as much as 2021’s Justice, in accordance with Mk.gee who revealed to the New York Instances that he had been recording with Bieber.
2025: Goodbye Perpetually?
In January, Bieber kicked off the 12 months by formally unfollowing Scooter Braun on Instagram. It was essentially the most definitive assertion he had made on the standing of their relationship; there was by no means an official announcement of them parting methods since Braun introduced his retirement.
By the spring, followers and followers started expressing concern for Bieber, whose Instagram content material and habits in public grew to become extra erratic. Stories started circulating that he was having cash troubles whereas former associates accused Bieber’s pastor Judah Smith of running a “cult” that had sucked the singer in.
TMZ later reported that Bieber and Braun’s rift was over cash, claiming that Bieber owed Braun and HYBE thousands and thousands over his cancelled tour. He had acquired a $40 million advance from promoter AEG and owed them $24 million. HYBE agreed to repay the debt if Bieber paid them again over the subsequent ten years; Bieber allegedly made just one cost. The report continued to allege that Bieber’s enterprise supervisor, Lou Taylor, had concluded that Braun had been “grossly overpaid in commissions.” A HYBE audit decided the other and that Bieber really owed Braun an additional $1 million.
In response to those claims, Bieber’s reps denied that the singer was in monetary misery. “Any supply that’s making an attempt to promote you a narrative about alleged monetary misery … both doesn’t perceive the leisure business or, extra probably, is making an attempt to color an unflattering portrait of Justin, which bears no resemblance to actuality,” Bieber’s reps mentioned.
In the meantime, Bieber’s spouse Hailey offered her magnificence firm Rhode for $1 billion. And Swift’s masters saga got here to an in depth when she purchased again her music from Shamrock. A source said the sale occurred “regardless of Scooter Braun, not due to him.”
June 2025: Braun Speaks Out
Each Bieber and Braun had stored tight-lipped on the standing of their relationship amid the warring reviews on money owed and well-being. Braun lastly spoke about their rift in an episode of the Diary of a CEO podcast. He didn’t expose many particulars however confirmed that their relationship is “not the identical because it was.”
“I feel there comes some extent the place I perceive he in all probability needs to go on and present that he can do it,” Braun mentioned. “We labored collectively for therefore lengthy and we had such excessive success. And I feel you get to a degree as a person the place you need to present the world you are able to do it by yourself. And I utterly respect that. I feel at this level, that’s what he’s doing. Myself and everybody from the previous staff is rooting for him.”
From Rolling Stone US.