Scooter Braun on Thursday night took to Instagram to break his silence on the latest chapter in his ongoing feud with Taylor Swift. The pop superstar recently claimed that Braun wouldn’t allow her to perform old songs at the 2019 American Music Awards, or use them in a forthcoming Netflix documentary, after acquiring her catalog of hits earlier this year in a deal with Swift’s former manager, Scott Borchetta of Big Machine Label Group.
Hours after Swift took to social media to put Braun and Borchetta on blast, tens of thousands of fans rallied in her support.
In his first public remarks since the public spat, Braun wrote in his post, which was accompanied by an image of one of the threats he says he and his family received, “Since your public statement last week there have been numerous death threats directed at my family.”
The music manager continued: “However, I came home tonight to find my wife had received a phone call threatening the safety of our children, as well as other threats seen above. I won’t go in to the details of this past week. I have been at a loss. Thinking of my wife and children, my team and their families, I have gone through a range of emotions on how to deal with this. I write this now only after a deep breath and much reflection. I am certain there is no situation ever worth jeopardizing anyone’s safety.”
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Braun also wrote that while he doesn’t think Swift intended for her fans to send his family death threats, he reminded the singer, “It’s important that you understand that your words carry a tremendous amount of weight and that your message can be interpreted by some in different ways.”
“We are living in a time of pointless violence and as a husband and father I am concerned,” Braun wrote. “This is a world filled with toxic division where people express their opinions over social media instead of having conversations in person. I want no part in that.”
Braun — who famously manages Justin Bieber, Ariana Grande and Demi Lovato, among other musicians — also claimed that his “attempts and calls to have an open discussion with [Swift] over the last 6 months have all been rejected,” and went on to acknowledge Swift’s previous assertions that she and the businessman have never had a good relationship.
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“To be frank I was shocked and disheartened to hear that my presence in the Big Machine deal caused you so much pain as the handful of times we have actually met I have always remembered them to be pleasant and respectful,” Braun wrote. “Knowing what I know now all I have wanted to do is rectify the situation.”
Despite the back-and-forth of claims made on Instagram and statements to the press from Big Machine and Dick Clark Productions (dcp is a division of Valence Media, the parent company of the Billboard-Hollywood Reporter Media Group), a resolution has yet to be made about whether Swift can perform any pre-Lover material during Sunday’s awards show. But Braun insisted in his Instagram post that she can. “As the world now knows you can and should perform any song you would like at the AMAs,” Braun added. “I have never and would never say otherwise. You do not need anyone’s permission to do so legally but I am stating it here clearly and publicly so there is no more debate or confusion.”
Back in June, Swift wrote on Tumblr that she was “sad and grossed out” after Braun purchased the rights to her first six studio albums. Then, earlier this month, Swift wrote on social media about how the acquisition might impact her performance at the AMAs.
“I feel very strongly that sharing what is happening to me could change the awareness level for other artists and potentially help them avoid a similar fate. The message being sent to me is very clear. Basically, be a good little girl and shut up. Or you’ll be punished. This is WRONG. Neither of these men had a hand in the writing of those songs,” Swift wrote in part. “They did nothing to create the relationship I have with my fans.”
Read Braun’s entire Instagram post below.
