Scooter Braun reveals biggest 'misconception' as he addresses Taylor Swift 'feud'

Scooter Braun has opened up about his infamous fallout with Taylor Swift, revealing there’s one thing about the entire situation that still completely confuses him.

The former music manager addressed the long-running controversy surrounding Swift’s masters during a new appearance on Suzy Weiss’ Second Thought podcast, where he claimed the public massively misunderstood the nature of their relationship.

According to Braun, despite years of headlines painting them as bitter enemies, the two barely even knew each other.

“I don’t know Taylor Swift,” Braun said.

“I think I’ve met her in my life three times. I have never had a substantial conversation with her in my life.”

Taylor Swift reportedly had a feud with Scooter Braun, but he's still not sure why (Kevin Winter/TAS24/Getty Images)

The Scooter Braun - Taylor Swift feud, explained

The 44-year-old said one of the biggest misconceptions surrounding the drama was the belief that they had some kind of long-standing personal feud behind the scenes.

“I think there’s this big misconception that we knew each other and we had this feud and I managed her for years,” he explained.

“People are usually shocked to find out that I legitimately don’t know her.”

Braun also claimed they had almost no contact in the years leading up to him purchasing Big Machine Label Group, the company that owned the masters to Swift’s first six albums.

“The three years prior to us buying Big Machine, she and I had no contact,” he said.

Scooter Braun became a 'villain overnight' following the fallout from Taylor Swift's masters arguments Terry Wyatt / Stringer

What happened to Taylor Swift's masters?

The drama surrounding Swift’s masters became one of the biggest music industry controversies of the last decade after Braun acquired Big Machine in 2019 in a deal reportedly worth around $300 million.

That purchase gave him ownership of the master recordings for albums including Fearless, Speak Now, Red, 1989 and Reputation.

Swift later publicly accused Braun of “incessant, manipulative bullying” and said learning he had acquired her music was her “worst nightmare.”

In an emotional Tumblr post at the time, she claimed she was never given a fair opportunity to buy back her masters herself.

“Never in my worst nightmares did I imagine the buyer would be Scooter,” Swift wrote.

“Controlling a woman who didn’t want to be associated with them. In perpetuity. That means forever.”

The fallout quickly exploded online, with fans rallying behind Swift and turning Braun into one of the music industry’s biggest villains almost overnight.

Swift famously responded to the masters dispute by launching her hugely successful re-recording project, releasing “Taylor’s Version” editions of her older albums (Sarah Morris/FilmMagic)

"I went from being loved and appreciated for over a decade to literally a villain"

Reflecting on that moment during the podcast, Braun admitted the backlash completely blindsided him.

“I went from being loved and appreciated for over a decade to literally a villain the next night,” he said.

Despite the controversy, Braun insisted the situation also sparked an important industry-wide conversation about artists owning their work.

“As confusing as the situation was to me, I think what it did bring to light is that artists are going to start wanting to own their masters,” he explained.

“And I think you’re seeing artists more and more do that, and I think that’s great.”

Taylor Swift released her own versions of her albums to get back at her record label (Shirlaine Forrest/TAS24/Getty Images for TAS Rights Management)

Why did Taylor Swift release Taylor's versions of her albums?

Swift famously responded to the masters dispute by launching her hugely successful re-recording project, releasing “Taylor’s Version” editions of her older albums in an effort to regain ownership and control over her music.

Then in May 2025, she officially announced she had finally bought back the rights to her original catalog from Shamrock Capital, the investment firm Braun sold the masters to in 2020.

In a handwritten letter shared online, Swift described finally owning her music as reclaiming “my entire life’s work.”

“All I’ve ever wanted was the opportunity to work hard enough to be able to one day purchase my music outright,” she wrote.

Braun has since publicly said he was “happy for her” after news of the deal broke.

And while fans are still deeply divided over the feud years later, Braun now says he’s simply trying to move forward from one of the most chaotic chapters of his career.