Scooter Braun has spoken publicly about the emotional challenges he faced following the end of his marriage and his high-profile dispute with Taylor Swift. According to Daily Mail, the former manager of Justin Bieber shared on the Diary of a CEO podcast that the pressures during that period pushed him to the edge.
The music executive, known for managing stars like Justin Bieber, Ariana Grande, and Demi Lovato, revealed that he experienced suicidal thoughts in 2020. His mental health crisis came amid his divorce from Yael Cohen and the intense media attention surrounding his business dealings with Taylor Swift.
“I had a suicidal thought for 20 minutes where I was like, ‘If my marriage is going to fall apart, I’m not gonna be with my kids all the time. I can’t control this. I’m not gonna be this perfect image that I’ve presented to the world,’” Braun shared during the podcast.
The tension with Taylor Swift began when Braun acquired the master recordings of her first six albums in 2019 through a $300 million deal. The acquisition sparked a long-running public dispute with the pop singer.
Braun’s seven-year marriage also began to break down around the same time. He and Cohen, who share three children—Jagger, Levi, and Hart—faced growing challenges that eventually led to their separation.
The music executive explained that the pressure of balancing his personal struggles and professional life became overwhelming. He felt the public misunderstood his situation, assuming he was thriving while he was actually battling serious internal struggles.
Following advice from a close friend, Braun decided to attend the Hoffman Process retreat, a week-long residential program designed to help individuals process early life experiences and develop tools for emotional resilience. The retreat offered him the clarity he needed to move forward.
Braun acknowledged that the difficult moments taught him to find balance. “I ended up going through a divorce. I ended up going through all this different stuff—but I never was depressed again,” he said.
The long-running feud with Swift added to his stress. Braun initially thought they would work together amicably after the acquisition. However, Swift publicly criticized the deal in a Tumblr post, which left Braun shocked.
The feud intensified as Swift later re-recorded her albums, regaining control over her music and achieving remarkable commercial success.
Reflecting on those years, Braun admitted the experience changed his perspective. “All the praise I had received up until that moment was not deserved, and all the hate I got after that moment was not deserved, because none of these people knew me—she didn’t know me,” he said.
Braun’s candid conversation on the Diary of a CEO podcast sheds light on the unseen emotional struggles that can follow public success.
Article updated 3 weeks ago. Content is written and modified by multiple authors.
