Music manager Scooter Braun has finally spoken out after Taylor Swift accused him of purchasing her old record label as a way of “bullying” her.
Scooter was at the centre of drama in July, when it was reported he had bought Big Machine Records, the label Taylor had previously been signed with, and therefore owned the masters to her first six albums.
Shortly after this deal was announced, Taylor posted a lengthy statement on Tumblr in which she said the situation was her “worst case scenario”, claiming that Scooter had “incessantly” and “manipulatively bullied” her throughout her career, highlighting the fact he was managing Kanye West when their feud reignited around the release of the rapper’s song Famous.
In the months that followed, Scooter has remained tight-lipped on Taylor’s accusations, but finally shared his take on the matter during an interview on the podcast Wide Open.
Denying he “does anything with malicious intent”, he explained: “I try to do things above board. I try to do the right thing.
“Not everyone’s going to be happy with everything that you do, and I think in the long-term – I’ve learned this over time – the truth always comes out, and I’m confident in that.”
In his first interview since the deal was announced, Scooter completely side-stepped mentioning the feud, instead recalling Taylor’s “kindness” when his client Justin Bieber supported her on one of her tours at the beginning of his career.
And while Scooter has previously chosen not to address the Taylor Swift drama, the same can’t be said for his wife Yael Cohen, who was quick to fire off an Instagram post criticising the singer.
Writing on Instagram, Yael insisted her husband has supported Taylor and believed in her “more than she believes in herself” since her rise to fame.
Referring to Taylor’s “bullying” accusations, she wrote: “Girl, who are you to talk about bullying. The world has watched you collect and drop friends like wilted flowers. My husband is anything but a bully, he’s spent his life standing up for people and causes he believes in.
“Beyond that, it’s easy to see that the point of putting this out was to get people to bully him. You are supposed to be a role model, but continue to model bullying.”
“How embarrassing this temper tantrum is because you didn’t get your own way,” Yael added. “He believes in and supports you, I sincerely hope you can learn to love and believe in yourself the way my husband does.”
Similarly, singers Demi Lovato and Justin Bieber – both of whom are managed by Scooter – have jumped to his defence, with the latter claiming Taylor “crossed a line” with her initial Tumblr post.
Big Machine CEO Scott Borchetta also claimed that Taylor had been offered “every chance in the world” to own her old recordings, though she has refuted this in a statement issued via her legal team.
Taylor recently said she plans to get around the matter by re-recording her first six albums.