Music manager Scooter Braun has spoken publicly about his feud with Taylor Swift on the Second Thought podcast on Friday, 29 May 2026, claiming he does not know Swift and cannot explain why she has treated him as an adversary.
The feud dates back to 2019, when Swift publicly objected to Braun’s acquisition of her former label Big Machine Records and, with it, the master recordings of her first six studio albums.
As reported by Reality Tea, Braun described in the interview how his public reputation was destroyed almost overnight, going from “loved and appreciated for over a decade to literally a villain the next night.”
Scooter Braun Taylor Swift feud timeline
Braun’s position throughout the interview was one of genuine confusion. “I don’t know Taylor Swift,” he said.
“I think I’ve met her in my life three times. I have never had a substantial conversation with her in my life.”
He said he does not fully understand the depth of animosity directed at him by Swift and her fanbase and framed himself as a collateral casualty of a dispute that he believes was primarily between Swift and Big Machine Records founder Scott Borchetta.
The masters controversy consumed several years of public conversation around both parties before Swift began re-recording her catalogue.
Swifties respond with receipts
The interview did not go quietly. Swift’s fanbase, widely known as Swifties, responded to Braun’s claims of ignorance by flooding social media with years of archived evidence they say contradicts his version of events.
The resurfacing of documentation was swift and extensive.
Swift herself has not responded publicly. She reclaimed the masters of her first six albums for an undisclosed sum in 2025, which many observers viewed as the practical resolution of the dispute, even if the personal dimensions of it were never formally addressed.
What this means for Braun
The podcast appearance marks Braun’s most candid engagement with the feud in years.
Whether it generates any shift in public perception is uncertain.
The Swiftie response suggests that his framing of events remains deeply contested.
Braun has largely stepped back from public-facing music management in the period since the feud peaked. His willingness to speak about it now, at a point when Swift has already won the practical battle over her masters, may indicate a desire to close out the narrative on his own terms.
Whether Swift or her team will respond remains to be seen.
