The current situation involving Taylor Swift and music manager Scooter Braun is complicated, to say the least, and there are dozens of celebrities involved. If you're unfamiliar with what I'm talking about, here's some quick context: On Sunday, June 30, news broke that Braun's company Ithaca Holdings had acquired Swift's back catalog of music with his purchase of Scott Borchetta's Big Machine Label Group. (Swift was a Big Machine artist through her sixth studio album, Reputation; now she's with Universal Music Group.) The "Me!" singer took to Tumblr shortly after this information went public and claimed Braun bullied her over the years. "Essentially, my musical legacy is about to lie in the hands of someone who tried to dismantle it," she wrote.
In her Tumblr post, Swift included a selfie Justin Bieber took three years ago that shows him FaceTiming with Braun and Kanye West. (Braun is West's and Bieber's manager.) At the time West, Kim Kardashian, and Swift were in the middle of a feud over the song "Famous." Swift claims in her post that Braun—and some of the artists on his roster—bullied her.
"I learned about Scooter Braun’s purchase of my masters as it was announced to the world. All I could think about was the incessant, manipulative bullying I’ve received at his hands for years," she wrote. "Like when Kim Kardashian orchestrated an illegally recorded snippet of a phone call to be leaked and then Scooter got his two clients together to bully me online about it. Or when his client, Kanye West, organized a revenge porn music video which strips my body naked."
It didn't take long for Bieber to respond to this with a message of support for Braun—and the celebrity entanglements only get more complicated from there. Below, we break them all down into three categories: Team Taylor Swift, Team Scooter Braun, and the stars stuck in the middle.
Justin Bieber: Apologized to Swift for that FaceTime selfie he took with Braun and West but ultimately came to his manager's defense. "Scooter has had your back since the days you graciously let me open up for you," he wrote on Instagram. "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."
Hailey Baldwin: Justin Bieber's wife. Commented "gentleman" on his post defending Braun, which irked Swift's friend Cara Delevingne. More on that later.
Yael Cohen Braun: Scooter's wife. Posted a lengthy message to her Instagram, defending her husband's name and accusing Swift of collecting and dropping friends like "wilted flowers." Kendall Jenner, Courteney Cox, Tori Kelly, Kacey Musgraves, and Olivia Munn all reportedly "liked" Yael's message at one point. (Some have since retracted.)
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Allison Jamie Kaye: A partner at Ithaca Holdings. Reposted Yael's message to Instagram and applauded her for speaking out. "I can categorically say that @scooterbraun is not only a good man who supports all women—particularly [Taylor Swift], who he has defended and advocated for behind close doors more times than I can say," she wrote.
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Demi Lovato: Braun's client; also came to his defense on Instagram. “I have dealt with bad people in the industry and Scooter is not one of them. He’s a good man," she wrote. Lovato also hit back at claims Todrick Hall made that Braun is homophobic. "I can guarantee you Scooter isn't," she said. "As a member of the LGBTQ+ community myself, he wouldn't have signed me if he was." Hall responded to Lovato via a series of tweets, but more on that when we get to Team Taylor.
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On Wednesday, July 3, Lovato announced via Instagram Stories she was taking a social media break.
Ty Dolla $ign: Another client of Braun's; wrote him a congratulatory message on Instagram that seemed to hint at the Swift drama.
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Scott Borchetta: Defended Big Machine's decision to partner with Braun; claims Swift knew about the acquisition before it went public.
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Erik Logan: Big Machine board member; defended Borchetta and said of Swift, “You’re the real bully. Your power is fading.”
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Halsey: One of the first celebs to come forward in support of Swift. “She deserves to own the painstaking labor of her heart," she posted to Twitter.
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Katy Perry: Reportedly signed a petition urging Swift to rerelease her first six albums on Republic so she could retain ownership. “I stand with Taylor. Stay strong, my friend," she wrote alongside her signature, per this screenshot captured by a fan. (These two confirmed they're no longer feuding after Perry appeared in Swift's "You Need to Calm Down" video.)
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Cara Delevingne: Longtime friend of Swift's; jumped to her defense after Hailey Baldwin called her husband, Justin Bieber, a "gentleman" for defending Braun. "Gentleman? @haileybieber @justinbieber you must be bored," she wrote under Bieber's post. "I wish you spent less time sticking up for men and more time trying to understand women and respecting their valid reactions."
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Todrick Hall: Also a friend of Swift's; posted several tweets asserting his loyalty to her. "I truly hope justice is served and that my friend’s music will fall into the hands of a better human," he wrote. He also said he believes Braun is "homophobic."
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Demi Lovato hit back against that accusation on Braun's behalf, which incited a rift between her and Hall. "Stop using your one client who identifies as queer to stand up for you," he wrote. "There's no way Demi saw my tweet, that means someone from your team is reaching out to them, using them to defend you. Fight your own battles."
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Cher: Took to Twitter to announce she's standing with Swift. "Unfortunately can relate," she wrote.
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Other celebrities who have voiced their support for Swift: Alessia Cara, HRVY, Iggy Azalea, Jack Antonoff, Sky Ferreira, Allie X, Diana Silvers, Heidi Montag, Haim, Martha Hunt, Joseph Kahn, Mamrie Hart, Mandy Teefey, Daya, Iris Apatow, Iza, Sara Sampaio, and Gretchen Peters. Ed Sheeran, Swift's longtime friend, revealed he's been speaking "directly to her" about the situation.
Celebrities who have reportedly unfollowed Braun: Miley Cyrus, Rihanna, Nicki Minaj, Selena Gomez, Camila Cabello, Gwen Stefani, Adele, and Beyoncé.
Ariana Grande: One of Braun's biggest clients; reportedly posted an Instagram Story slide congratulating Braun on the Big Machine acquisition but deleted it after Swift published her Tumblr post. According to Variety, Grande is "frustrated" with the situation and wants to speak out but has been advised against it.
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Kim Kardashian and Kanye West: Besides Bieber, they're the only celebrities Swift name-drops in her Tumblr post. Both have had well-documented friction with Swift, but neither has spoken out yet about this current drama.
Karlie Kloss: Also one of Braun's clients; she was Swift's most public best friend at the height of the singer's "squad" era. The two haven't publicly hung out in a while, but Kloss said on Watch What Happens Live! she feels "lucky to call [Swift] a friend." It's worth noting Braun was present at Kloss's second wedding last month but Swift wasn't. Of course, fans are now convinced this Big Machine drama is partially responsible for the rumored change in Swift and Kloss's friendship.
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We will update this post with more information as it comes in.
