Scooter Braun Says He Barely Knew Taylor Swift Before Masters Controversy

Here’s a plot twist nobody saw coming: according to Scooter Braun, the entire Taylor Swift masters saga was built on a relationship that barely existed in the first place.

In a recent interview with The Free Press, the former record executive claims he and Taylor Swift were practically strangers when he purchased Big Machine Label Group for $300 million in June 2019—the transaction that handed him control of her master recordings. Braun says he’s only met Taylor three times in his entire life, and one of those encounters was at a private party where she told him he had her utmost respect. That’s it. That was the depth of their connection before he became Public Enemy Number One to the entire Swiftie fanbase.

It’s worth putting this in context. When Braun acquired Big Machine, Taylor attempted to buy her masters back and was rejected. She then took her frustrations public, calling out Braun online before ultimately deciding to re-record her entire catalog from scratch—a move that proved both defiant and commercially brilliant. In May 2025, she finally bought back the masters from the holding company Braun had sold them to, reclaiming full control of her work.

Now, nearly seven years after the whole thing exploded, Braun is essentially saying there was no hidden animosity on his end because there was no real relationship to begin with. He claims some people wrongly assume they knew each other before the dispute, but insists:“I legitimately don’t know her and didn’t have many interactions with her and never really knew her.”

What’s interesting here isn’t whether Braun’s account is accurate—that’s for them to know. It’s the larger question his statement raises about how massive industry conflicts can erupt between people who barely know each other. Sometimes the biggest feuds aren’t about personal betrayal at all. They’re about business deals, timing, and the collision of two artists’interests. Braun also says he’s grateful for what happened and learned from the experience, wishing Taylor nothing but the best.

Whether that’s genuine reconciliation or just smart PR is the real conversation.