7 hours ago
- Entertainment
- New York Post
Scooter Braun struggled with suicidal thoughts after Taylor Swift feud, divorce
Scooter Braun has revealed that he struggled with suicidal thoughts following his public feud with Taylor Swift and his split from Yael Cohen.
The former music manager's dispute with the 'Love Story' singer began in June 2019 when he bought the master recordings of her first six albums for a reported $300 million.
His marriage to Cohen began to fall apart shortly after, and in October 2020, he contemplated taking his own life after finding himself in a 'very dark place.'
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9 Scooter Braun revealed that he struggled with suicidal thoughts following his public feud with Taylor Swift and split from Yael Cohen.
The Diary Of A CEO/Youtube
9 Braun's dispute with Swidt began in June 2019 when he bought the master recordings of her first six albums for a reported $300 million.
taylorswift/Instagram
'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,' Braun, 43, said on Steven Bartlett's 'Diary of a CEO' podcast Monday. 'I can't control this.'
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'I'm not gonna be this perfect image that I've presented to the world. And if I can't be this perfect image, I don't want to be here,' he added. 'It went to a very dark place.'
Rather than act on his dangerous thoughts, Braun sought help and visited the Hoffman Institute Foundation in Petaluma, Calif., for a week-long personal retreat.
9 Braun said that he contemplated taking his own life in October 2020.
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'That's not me. I would never leave my kids. I don't wanna leave anybody,' Braun continued. 'Like what was that?'
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The record exec and Cohen, 38, share three children: Jagger, 9, Levi, 7, and Hart, 5.
'The next morning, a friend of mine called, and I told him about that night before,' Braun detailed further. 'He called me back with another friend, and they said, you need to go to Hoffman. They told me that they could get me in two weeks because there was a cancellation.'
9 '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,' Braun said.
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While the former manager and Cohen ended up separating in July 2021 and divorcing in September 2022 after seven years of marriage, Braun said that he was 'never depressed again' after he visited the Hoffman Institute Foundation.
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'I've spent my whole life pursuing these things, doing this, choosing this, choosing that life and choosing the clients,' he said. 'I'm at the top of my game, yet I wanted to kill myself last night. Something has got to change. I chose to go to that place instead.'
'The hard stuff actually came after I got out,' Braun added. 'I ended up going through a divorce. I ended up going through all this different stuff – but I never was depressed again.'
9 Braun and Cohen separated in July 2021 and divorced in September 2022 after seven years of marriage
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Braun also said that he 'couldn't be happier' after divorcing Cohen and retiring from music management in 2024.
Before his retirement, Braun had managed stars like Ariana Grande, Justin Bieber, Kanye West and Demi Lovato.
'The most interesting thing that happened on the other side of it is that six years ago, I was the biggest manager, had the perfect marriage, and everything I touched turned to gold,' he said. 'Six years later, I'm divorced, I don't manage anymore, and I couldn't be happier.'
9 Braun, who managed Justin Bieber, retired from music management in 2024.
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9 Braun also managed Ariana Grande before he retired in 2024.
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As for his public dispute with Swift over her master recordings, Braun said that the feud was a 'gift,' adding, 'All the hate I got after that moment was not deserved.'
'The biggest gift that I got from that was understanding that all the praise I had received up until that moment was not deserved,' he said. 'All the hate I got after that moment was not deserved because none of these people knew me.'
'[Swift] didn't know me. This person didn't know me. This person who met me three times, they didn't know me,' Braun added. 'I can show respect for all of them because I don't know them. So I can love them where they're at. But the gift of pain was awareness.'
9 Braun said that his public feud with Swift was a 'gift.'
taylorswift/Instagram
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9 Swift regained her first six master recordings on May 30 after buying them back from the private equity firm Shamrock Capital.
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Braun's surprising remarks on Monday came just days after Swift, 35, reacquired the rights to her first six albums by buying them back from the private equity firm Shamrock Capital last month.
'I am happy for her,' Braun, who sold Swift's masters to Shamrock Capital in November 2020, told The Post after the 'Shake It Off' singer regained control of her entire discography.
Although Braun was rumored to have 'encouraged' the deal between Swift and Shamrock Capital, insiders close to the 'Anti-Hero' artist dispelled those claims.
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'Taylor now owns all of her music,' the source said, 'and this moment finally happened in spite of Scooter Braun, not because of him.'
If you are struggling with suicidal thoughts or are experiencing a mental health crisis and live in New York City, you can call 888-NYC-WELL for free and confidential crisis counseling. If you live outside the five boroughs, you can dial 988 to reach the Suicide & Crisis Lifeline or go to
