Ariana Grande Reportedly Has ‘Outgrown’ Scooter Braun and Chose to Drop Him as Manager
Yes, Ariana Grande is really leaving Scooter Braun, and a source has told People why. After a source told multiple outlets that Grande was still under contract with manager Braun and his SB Projects, a new source made it clear to People that the paperwork may not be finished yet, but Grande made the decision herself to drop Braun.
“They are friendly but she’s outgrown him and is excited to go in a different direction,” the source said. “Yes, there are negotiations happening because of contracts. But this is her choice. It’s time for something new.” Neither reps for Grande nor Braun have commented yet on their relationship or confirmed the departure.
Ariana Grande and Scooter Braun in 2015
Multiple outlets were told by a source yesterday that “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. People are spreading rumors 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.”
Billboard and Puck News’ Matthew Belloni first reported that Grande was leaving Braun. She started working with him in 2013 and then briefly fired and rehired him as a manager in 2016, in part because he had gotten involved in her romantic relationship at the time.
Braun himself told Variety in 2018 of Grande firing him, “With Ariana, I could have said a lot of stuff, and in fact my team wanted me to, because they were pissed. But I said ‘We’re not gonna say a word, and this is gonna come back around.’ They were like, ‘Never take her back!,’ but I just said ‘Let’s stay quiet and let our truth be our actions.’
“And when shitty boyfriends leave, she starts to see the light on some stuff, and one day I got a phone call. She said ‘Can I see you tomorrow?’ and I said, ‘No, I’m busy’—I actually couldn’t, so I said ‘I could see you Thursday’ or whatever and I went over there and we had a very honest conversation.” He said it was his first time being fired as a manager.
A source told Us Weekly in 2019 of the firing, “He definitely gets involved in his clients’ business and personal relationships. At one point, Ariana fired him because she had had it.”
When Insider published its exposé on Scooter Braun last March, it also included reporting on how Braun later affected Grande’s relationship with ex-fiancé Pete Davidson. Braun introduced them.
A person close to the situation told the out that Davidson felt “blindsided” by Grande’s release of “Thank U, Next” a month after their breakup, then touched on how Braun had a hand in their romance’s outcome. “I think their relationship didn’t get a fair shake because management was so involved.”
Senior News and Strategy Editor
Alyssa Bailey is the senior news and strategy editor at ELLE.com, where she oversees coverage of celebrities and royals (particularly Meghan Markle and Kate Middleton). She previously held positions at InStyle and Cosmopolitan. When she’s not working, she loves running around Central Park, making people take #ootd pics of her, and exploring New York City.
