Taylor Swift vs Scooter Braun: Justin Bieber, Halsey, Demi Lovato and More Celebs Take Sides

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Taylor Swift vs Scooter Braun: Justin Bieber, Halsey, Demi Lovato and More Celebs Take Sides

The drama between Taylor Swift and Scooter Braun has celebrities divided. After the pop star slammed the talent manager’s acquisition of her masters and her former label, Big Machine Records, countless stars took to social media to share messages of support on both sides of the aisle. Swift, 29, published a lengthy Tumblr post on June 30, in which she claimed that she “learned about Scooter Braun’s purchase of my masters as it was announced to the world.” She went on to accuse Braun, 38, of “incessant manipulative bullying” at the hands of himself and his clients Justin Bieber and Kanye West, the latter of whom she has publicly feuded with on and off since 2009. “Scooter has stripped me of my life’s work, that I wasn’t given an opportunity to buy,” she wrote. “Essentially, my musical legacy is about to lie in the hands of someone who tried to dismantle it. This is my worst case scenario. This is what happens when you sign a deal at fifteen to someone for whom the term ‘loyalty’ is clearly just a contractual concept. And when that man says ‘Music has value’, he means its value is beholden to men who had no part in creating it.” The “Bad Blood” singer also spoke out against Big Machine founder Scott Borchetta, who signed her to a record deal at the label in 2005 and helped launch her megasucessful music career. “Any time Scott Borchetta has heard the words ‘Scooter Braun’ escape my lips, it was when I was either crying or trying not to,” she wrote. “He knew what he was doing; they both did. Controlling a woman who didn’t want to be associated with them. In perpetuity. That means forever.” Swift announced in November 2018 that she signed with Republic Records and Universal Music Group after 13 years and six albums with Big Machine. Her next disc, Lover, was released on August 23. Scroll down to see which celebrities have taken sides in the drama.

Credit: Tony Barson/WireImage.com; SMXRF/Star Max/GC Images

Taylor Swift vs Scooter Braun: Justin Bieber, Halsey, Demi Lovato and More Celebs Take Sides

The drama between Taylor Swift and Scooter Braun has celebrities divided. After the pop star slammed the talent manager’s acquisition of her masters and her former label, Big Machine Records, countless stars took to social media to share messages of support on both sides of the aisle. Swift, 29, published a lengthy Tumblr post on June 30, in which she claimed that she “learned about Scooter Braun’s purchase of my masters as it was announced to the world.” She went on to accuse Braun, 38, of “incessant manipulative bullying” at the hands of himself and his clients Justin Bieber and Kanye West, the latter of whom she has publicly feuded with on and off since 2009. “Scooter has stripped me of my life’s work, that I wasn’t given an opportunity to buy,” she wrote. “Essentially, my musical legacy is about to lie in the hands of someone who tried to dismantle it. This is my worst case scenario. This is what happens when you sign a deal at fifteen to someone for whom the term ‘loyalty’ is clearly just a contractual concept. And when that man says ‘Music has value’, he means its value is beholden to men who had no part in creating it.” The “Bad Blood” singer also spoke out against Big Machine founder Scott Borchetta, who signed her to a record deal at the label in 2005 and helped launch her megasucessful music career. “Any time Scott Borchetta has heard the words ‘Scooter Braun’ escape my lips, it was when I was either crying or trying not to,” she wrote. “He knew what he was doing; they both did. Controlling a woman who didn’t want to be associated with them. In perpetuity. That means forever.” Swift announced in November 2018 that she signed with Republic Records and Universal Music Group after 13 years and six albums with Big Machine. Her next disc, Lover, was released on August 23. Scroll down to see which celebrities have taken sides in the drama.

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Justin Bieber

The “Sorry” singer took to Instagram on June 30 to apologize for posting a “hurtful” photo with Braun and West in 2016, which Swift called her “lowest point” in her Tumblr blog. “At the time i thought it was funny but looking back it was distasteful and insensitive,” Bieber wrote. “Scooter has had your back since the days you graciously let me open up for you.! As the years have passed we haven’t crossed paths and gotten to communicate our differences, hurts or frustrations. So for you to take it to social media and get people to hate on scooter isn’t fair. What were you trying to accomplish by posting that blog? seems to me like it was to get sympathy u also knew that in posting that your fans would go and bully scooter. Anyway, One thing i know is both scooter and i love you. I feel like the only way to resolve conflict is through communication. So banter back and fourth online i dont believe solves anything. I’m sure Scooter and i would love to talk to you and resolve any conflict, pain or or any feelings that need to be addressed. Neither scooter or i have anything negative to say about you we truly want the best for you. I usually don’t rebuttal things like this but when you try and deface someone i loves character thats crossing a line.”

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Halsey

The “Without Me” singer tweeted on June 30 that Swift is “a huge reason why I always insisted to write my own music.” She continued, “She deserves to own the painstaking labor of her heart. She has surpassed all expectations of what any artist is even capable of. She catapulted her stardom into the Milky Way. And it turns my guts that no matter how much power or success a woman has in this life, you are still susceptible to someone coming along and making you feel powerless out of spite. It speaks volumes to how far we have to come in the music industry. The way writers are treated. How as an entertainer you are respected but as a writer you’re walked all over. Even when you are both in one single body. I am standing with her.”

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Demi Lovato

The “Sober” singer, who became one of Braun’s clients earlier this year, wrote on her Instagram Stories on June 30 that she has “dealt with bad people in this industry and Scooter is not one of them.” She called him a “good man,” adding, “Personally, I’m grateful he came into my life when he did. Please stop ‘dragging’ people or bullying them. There’s enough hate in this world as it is. Y’all can come after me all you want but I’m always gonna stay loyal to my team. I value loyalty more than most people in this world and if my name is gonna be brought into conversations I’m gonna stand up for myself and the ones on my team.”

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Yael Cohen

The F--k Cancer founder, who is married to Braun, fired back at Swift on Instagram on June 30. “Let’s get the facts straight. You were given the opportunity to own your masters, you passed. Interesting that the man you’re so ‘grossed out’ by believed in you more than you believe in yourself,” she wrote. “Your dad is a shareholder and was notified, and Borchetta personally told you before this came out. So no, you didn’t find out with the world.” Cohen then slammed the Grammy winner for getting “people to bully” Braun, adding, “The world has watched you collect and drop friends like wilted flowers.” She ended her post by calling Swift’s “temper tantrum” “embarrassing” and asking for a phone call rather than a Tumblr post.

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Scott Borchetta

The Big Machine founder wrote a lengthy blog post on Sunday to share his side of the story. He claimed that Swift’s dad Scott’s lawyer participated in a meeting about the acquisition and was therefore aware of the deal. Borchetta wrote that he also “personally texted Taylor at 9:06pm, Saturday, June 29th to inform her prior to the story breaking on the morning of Sunday, June 30th so she could hear it directly from me.” He acknowledged it was “possible that she might not have seen” his message, but he “truly doubt[s] that she ‘woke up to the news when everyone else did.’” The music executive also included legal documents and text messages about the deal in an attempt to refute Swift’s claim that she was only offered the rights to her first six albums one at a time. “Taylor had every chance in the world to own not just her master recordings, but every video, photograph, everything associated to her career. She chose to leave,” Borchetta wrote.

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Cara Delevingne

After Bieber’s wife, Hailey Bieber (née Baldwin), called him a “gentleman” for defending his manager, Delevingne clapped back with a lengthy Instagram comment. “Gentleman? @haileybieber @justinbieber you must be bored. I wish you spent less time sticking up for men and more time trying to understand women and respecting their valid reactions,” she wrote. “As a married man, you should be lifting women up instead of tearing them down because you are threatened. I am not sure you actually understand what an apology is. This issue that @taylorswift is talking out is about far more than a picture and you know that. As you said, you haven’t spoken to her in years which means you definitely don’t understand the situation. I do. Take a step back and try and learn from this. We should all be on the same team. End of story.”

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Iggy Azalea

The “Fancy” rapper came to Swift’s defense on Twitter on June 30. “Telling someone about a deal days before it’s public means the deal was already done & she never had the opportunity to even make a bid to own her own work. These deals take months to negotiate in long form,” Azalea tweeted.

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Todrick Hall

The YouTuber, who has been friends with Swift for years, called Braun “an evil person who’s only concern is his wealth and feeding his disgusting ego” on Twitter on June 30. He also accused the talent manager of being “homophobic” before claiming, “I know from his own mouth that he is not a Swift fan.” In response to Hall’s allegation that he stopped working with Braun on his own terms, Braun’s business partner Allison Scarinzi tweeted, “We dropped you. … Scooter has been nothing but supportive of all disenfranchised groups. He is against dishonesty. Not those living in their truth.”

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Joseph Kahn

The music video director, who has worked with Swift on many of her projects, tweeted on June 30, “Once and for all, Bieber is a horrible person. Trash.” In a second tweet, Kahn wrote, “There is one way for @scooterbraun to salvage this situation and make this right. Sell Taylor’s songs back to her. He can keep the rest of Big Machine. All artists are watching.”

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Martha Hunt

The Victoria’s Secret Angel and longtime Swift pal tweeted on June 30, “Taylor doesn’t deserve for someone who has constantly BULLIED her to OWN THE RIGHTS to her blood, sweat, + tears. It’s not the dark ages - artists shouldn’t be held down, and I couldn’t be prouder of my friend for standing up for what’s right. End of story. This is about protecting artists. Taylor courageously exposed a grown man who has time + time again proven his obsession with holding her down, like his reputation precedes him. He doesn’t deserve a morsel of control over the archives of her past. Sad day for music, esp considering Taylor’s generous contributions to the industry.”

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Mandy Teefey

Selena Gomez’s mother wrote on Instagram on June 30, “@Taylorswift I wish I could give you a big hug right now! Thank you for speaking out about this and teaching future young artist about protecting themselves. I don’t understand the pleasure of power plays to simply hurt people! To deny you the option to own your blood, sweat and tears, especially as a young women who shared growing up in front of the world, is heartbreaking!! @yael I would love to have a mom to mom meeting in private, drink some tea and have some real talk!! XO.”

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Spencer Pratt

The Hills: New Beginnings star tweeted on June 30, “I hope Tay puts Lovers on hold now and drops fire REP 2.”

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Ty Dolla $ign

The rapper posted a shirtless, post-workout photo of Braun on Instagram on June 30 with the caption: “Congratulations to my brada @scooterbraun they hate to see it bro  Keep putting up these W’s !”

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Hannah Brown

The Bachelorette season 15 lead tweeted on June 30, “Oh heck no...don’t mess with our Queen Taylor. #fangirlactivated #IStandWithTaylor #WeStandWithTaylorSwift @taylorswift13.”

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Cher

The music icon, whom Swift quoted in her recent “You Need to Calm Down” music video, tweeted on July 1, “Unfortunately Can Relate 2 Having Million Stolen,A FEW TIMES. Some Close,Some Very Close,Some Supposed 2 Protect Me. PULL UP UR BIG-GIRL G-STRING, PULL ON UR RHINESTONE COMBAT BOOTS,KICK SOME ASS, & REMEMBER ‘YOU ARE A RICH MAN.’”

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Nick Viall

The Bachelorette alum made his thoughts on the matter known with a succinct tweet on July 1. “In case you’re all wondering ... Team Taylor,” he wrote, along with the hashtag “#IStandWithTaylor.”

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Becca Tilley

"Happy Sunday. #IStandWithTaylor," the Bachelor alum tweeted on July 1. 

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Sia

The “Chandelier” singer threw her support behind Braun via Twitter on July 1. “You’re a good kind man @scooterbraun I hope this passes quickly,” she wrote. “I love you keep going.”

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Brendon Urie

The Panic! at the Disco frontman spoke out in a live Twitch.tv video on July 1 after his “Me!” collaborator slammed Braun. "Man, this f--king Scooter Braun s--t, like, what a piece of s--t, right?" he said. "You guys know about this dude? It just like broke my heart. I read Taylor's statement and I was like, 'That sounds about right, ya know. Toxic dudes doing toxic bulls--t in this toxic industry.'"

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Camila Cabello

Cabello, who opened up for Swift on her 2018 Reputation tour, made her stance on clear on Twitter on July 2. “I don’t know a lot about what’s going on but I will say I really believe artists should own their own life’s work,” she wrote with a broken heart emoji. 

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Ed Sheeran

Swift’s BFF Sheeran broke his silence on the drama via Instagram after fans began to inquire why he wasn’t supporting his friend publicly. “I have been speaking directly to her, like I always do,” he responded to a fan’s comment.

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Kelly Clarkson

The former American Idol winner tweeted on July 13 that she had a workaround for Swift amid the drama. “@taylorswift13 just a thought, U should go in & re-record all the songs that U don’t own the masters on exactly how U did them but put brand new art & some kind of incentive so fans will no longer buy the old versions,” she wrote. “I’d buy all of the new versions just to prove a point.”

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Sheryl Crow

When Crow appeared on Watch What Happens Live on September 11, the “All I Wanna Do” singer weighed in on Swift and Braun’s drama. Though she claimed to “stay out of that world,” she admitted to not knowing “what the big stink was.”

“I will say one thing about masters, like, I signed with a record label 30 years ago and within five years, it became owned by Interscope and then Interscope got bought by Universal,” Crowe, who signed with Big Machine Records in February, said. “So these things, that’s just the way the business goes. That’s totally not unusual for your masters to change hands like 9,000 times.”