Justin Bieber Reportedly 'Felt the Need' to Defend Scooter Braun in Wake of Taylor Swift Comments

Another update in the Taylor Swift/Scooter Braun drama comes in the form of, you guessed it, an anonymous source.

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The next update in the Taylor Swift/Scooter Braun drama comes in the form of, you guessed it, an anonymous source.

To recap, Braun's company Ithaca Holdings recently purchased Big Machine, Swift's old record label, for a whopping $300 million. Swift took to Tumblr shortly thereafter and explained why Scooter owning her back catalog of music is her "worst case scenario." The singer then laid out detailed accounts of "incessant, manipulative bullying" she allegedly suffered at the hands of Braun and his clients (Kimye and Bieber). So when Big Machine's founder Scott Borchetta sold the label to the leader of Swift's enemies, she felt betrayed. For more information about this feud, feel free to read this explainer

The ongoing feud between Braun and Swift has prompted various celebrities, many of whom have ties to one or both parties, to publicly pick a side.

On Sunday, Bieber took to Instagram to defend his longtime manager, telling Swift that "Scooter has had your back since the days you graciously let me open up for you." He also told her that hating on Scooter via social media "isn't fair."

A source close to Justin Bieber told People that the singer "felt the need" to defend his “friend and mentor" Scooter Braun in the wake of the bullying claims made by Taylor Swift. 

“[Scooter] has been very understanding and encouraging of Justin taking a break from making a new album and instead focusing on his mental health,” the source said. “Justin thinks Scooter has a big heart [and] thought Taylor’s bashing of Scooter was unfair.”

The source also added that this will be the last time the "Sorry" singer will speak publicly on the matter. “He really just wants the whole thing to die down,” the source explained. “It’s a small business, and he doesn’t want there to be hate.”

In her Tumblr post, Swift uploaded a screenshot of a 2016 Instagram post from Bieber where he is seen FaceTiming with Braun, who can be seen with West, alongside the caption, "Taylor swift what up." In his initial Braun defense, Bieber apologized for the post, saying he now sees why it was "insensitive."

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