The men, who first started working together in 2007 when Braun discovered Bieber on YouTube, werespottedtogether on Thursday spending the Fourth of July at a local parade, along with Bieber’s wifeHailey Baldwinas well as Ashton Kutcher and Mila Kunis.
The holiday outing marked the first time Braun, 38, and Bieber, 25, were seen together since the singer came to his music manager’s side after Swift, 29, accused him of “manipulative bullying” upon learning that he purchased her former record label, Big Machine Label Group, and her master recordings.
Bieber “felt the need to defend”his “friend and mentor,” a source close to the star recently told PEOPLE.
Kevin Mazur/One Love Manchester/Getty
“[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, referencing how the pop star took time off from music to focus on treating hismental health strugglesincluding depression, anxiety and ADHD.
“Justin thinks Scooter has a big heart [and] thought Taylor’s bashing of Scooter was unfair,” the source shared.
Bieber “doesn’t plan to make any more public statements defending Scooter” but “he really just wants the whole thing to die down,” the source added. “It’s a small business, and he doesn’t want there to be hate.”
On Sunday, Swift shared aTumblr blog postexpressing her disdain for Braun after shelearned through the newsthat he had acquired Big Machine for $300 million.
(L-R) Taylor Swift, Justin Bieber and Scooter Braun.Frazer Harrison/Getty Images; Jason Merritt/Getty Images; John Salangsang/Variety/Shutterstock
In her blog post, she also claimed that Braun used Bieber and on-and-off clientKanye Westto bully her on social media following her feud with the rapper over the lyrics of his song “Famous.”
“All I could think about was the incessant, manipulative bullying I’ve received at his hands for years,” Swift wrote. “Like whenKim Kardashianorchestrated an illegally recorded snippet of a phone call to be leaked and then Scooter got his two clients together to bully me online about it.”
Swift shared a screenshot taken from Bieber’s Instagram account of an August 2016 post, in which he shared a FaceTime call between himself and Braun — who can be seen with West, whom Braun was not managing at the time of Bieber’s Instagram post. “Taylor swift what up,” Bieber captioned the post, which he later apologized for inhis response.
However, Bieber also stated in his Instagram reaction: “I usually don’t rebuttal things like this but when you try and deface someone i loves character thats crossing a line.”
source: people.com
