After Epic Fight With Taylor Swift & Losing Major Stars, Scooter Braun Retires From Music Management After 23 Years

Scooter Braun, the high-profile manager who guided the careers of stars like Justin Bieber and Ariana Grande, announced Monday he is retiring from the music management business after 23 years.

The 42-year-old is stepping away from managing artists but will remain CEO of HYBE America, the U.S. subsidiary of the South Korean entertainment company behind K-pop sensation BTS.

“After 23 years this chapter as a music manager has come to an end,” Braun wrote on Instagram. “It’s a strange feeling because I think I have wanted this for a while, but I was truly afraid to answer the question ‘Who would I be without them?'”

Braun said the decision followed his parting ways with Bieber, Grande, Demi Lovato and other major clients last year amid speculation about the status of their business relationships. He cited a “desire to spread their wings” from one unidentified star client as a catalyst.

Braun is probably best known for his epic fight with Taylor Swift. Their rift started when Braun sold her catalog to an investment fund without telling her. Braun was mercilessly attacked by Swifties for years.

The Connecticut native launched his music career at age 19, eventually becoming one of the industry’s most powerful player-managers by guiding Bieber from his youth to global superstardom.

In his Instagram post, Braun said he “loved” being a music manager for two decades but that his priorities shifted as he started a family. He has three children with his ex-wife, Yael Cohen, from whom he split in 2021.

“As my children got older, and my personal life took some hits, I came to the realization that my kids were 3 superstars I wasn’t willing to lose,” wrote Braun. “The sacrifices I was once willing to make I could no longer justify.”

While expressing gratitude to his former management clients, Braun acknowledged “a lot said about what is happening in our company… and in my career.” Rumors circulated last year about conflicts with Bieber and others.

Braun said he’s beginning “a different working relationship” with his former clients and will “always be in their corner to consult and support them.”