Seven years after buying Taylor Swift’s master recordings and sparking one of the biggest fights in music history, Scooter Braun is speaking out. The 44-year-old former talent manager sat down for a rare interview on the “Second Thought” podcast with Suzy Weiss on May 28, 2026. He shared his side of the story and admitted he is still confused about why everything happened.
Braun revealed that he barely knows the pop superstar. He claimed they only met three times in their lives and never had a real conversation. This confession comes one year after Swift successfully bought back her first six albums, closing a painful chapter in her career.
“I don’t know Taylor Swift. I think I’ve met her in my life three times. I have never had a substantial conversation with her in my life.” – Scooter Braun
The Night Braun Went From Loved to a Villain
Braun said the public backlash hit him like a truck. Before the deal, he spent over a decade building a reputation as a top manager for stars like Justin Bieber and Ariana Grande. Then everything changed overnight.
“[I] went from being like, loved and appreciated for over a decade to literally a villain the next night,” Braun said on the podcast.
He recalled one specific moment before the drama started. Swift invited him to a private party. During that meeting, she told him she had the “utmost respect” for him. He said he told her the same thing back. That is why the sudden hate surprised him so much.
Braun explained that you do not spend $300 million buying a record label just to hurt an artist. He said he was excited about the chance to work with her. But instead of a partnership, he got a public war.
A Friendship That Never Existed
Many people believe Braun and Swift had a long history of bad blood before the 2019 deal. Braun said that is completely false. He described a major gap in their relationship timeline.
He admitted he spoke to her once for more than two minutes. That one conversation was nice. After that, they had no contact for two to three years before he bought Big Machine Records.
“I’m just as confused that this is part of my life as you are,” Braun admitted. He said there is a “big misconception” that he managed her or that they knew each other well. He said people are usually shocked to find out he legitimately does not know her.
How the $300 Million Deal Changed Music Forever
The fight started on June 30, 2019. Braun’s company, Ithaca Holdings, bought Big Machine Label Group for over $300 million. Swift was signed to Big Machine at the start of her career. This meant Braun gained control of the master recordings for her first six albums: Taylor Swift, Fearless, Speak Now, Red, 1989, and Reputation.
Swift was furious. She wrote a long post on Tumblr that same day. She said she was not given a fair chance to buy her own work. She also accused Braun of “incessant, manipulative bullying” through his clients Kanye West and Justin Bieber.
Braun eventually sold the masters to the private equity firm Shamrock Capital in November 2020 for a reported $405 million. But Swift was not done fighting. She started re-recording all her old albums. She called them “Taylor’s Version.” These new records became massive hits.
Swift announced in May 2025 that she finally bought back her masters. Reports say she paid around $360 million for them. She called it her “greatest dream come true.”
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Looking Back Without Regret
Even though the situation hurt his reputation, Braun said he learned a lot. He chose to grow from the experience instead of staying angry.
“I learned a tremendous amount from it. I chose to grow from it. I’m grateful for it at this point in my life,” Braun said.
He also admitted that the fight helped other artists. Braun noted that most record labels still own their artists’ masters. He said the situation with Swift brought attention to this problem. Now, more artists want to own their music, and he thinks that is great.
Braun retired from artist management in 2024. He is now focusing on other business ventures and is dating actress Sydney Sweeney. When asked about Swift today, he kept it simple.
“To this day, I will never truly understand that situation. I wish her nothing but the best.”
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