Jack Antonoff has shared his response to several high-profile musicians ditching Scooter Braun as their manager in recent days.
Talent manager Braun, 42, has been credited with launching the careers of several stars, namely Justin Bieber and Ariana Grande.
Within the space of a few days last week, however, multiple reports emerged of clients parting ways with the manager, including Grande, Demi Lovato and Idina Menzel.
On Sunday (27 August), producer Antonoff weighed in on the public fallout by sharing a meme on his Instagram Stories.
The image was taken from the life simulation video game The Sims, and showed a woman using a desktop computer intently while a newborn baby is aflame on the floor.
The accompanying quote read: “Not now sweetie, mommy is trying to figure out why Ariana Grande, Demi Lovato and Idina Menzel just fired Scooter Braun as their manager.”
Antonoff, 39, is a close friend and frequent collaborator of Taylor Swift, who has had a tempestuous relationship with Braun for several years.
The manager and “Anti-Hero” singer have been embroiled in a feud since Braun purchased the master recordings of Swift’s first six studio albums in 2019, before later selling them on in an investment fund in a deal that is believed to be north of $300m (£238.5m).
Jack Antonoff shares Scooter Braun meme— (Jack Antonoff / Instagram)
At the time of the original sale, Swift condemned Braun, labelling him a “bully” and “the definition of toxic male privilege in our industry”. She claimed to have never been given the opportunity to buy the masters for herself, and has since been re-recording her old material as a means of regaining ownership of her sound.
In an interview in 2021, Braun voiced his “regret” at Swift’s response to the deal.
Since the reports of celebrity clients moving on from Braun surfaced, the manager’s public comments have been minimal. Sources have denied that Bieber and Grande have ceased working with him.
“All of Scooter Braun’s clients are under contract and negotiations have been going on for several months as Scooter steps into his larger role as HYBE America CEO,” a source close to Braun told Variety.
“People are spreading rumours based on what they know, but they are off. Scooter’s team at SB Projects are still handling both Justin and Ariana as they work through what this new structure looks like.”
You can find a list of all of the artists who have reportedly split from Braun here.
On Twitter/X on Tuesday (22 August), Braun broke his silence and appeared to make light of the situation.
“Breaking news… I’m no longer managing myself,” he said.
