The Reason Ariana Grande Fired Manager Scooter Braun Isn’t About Justin Bieber

Ariana Grande is no longer managed by Scooter Braun. Other artists, including Justin Bieber, remain on Braun’s roster.

As always, when a big star parts ways with their management, speculation sparks as to the reasons why. In this case, that speculation was first exploited by a disreputable gossip website peddling a bogus claim for traffic.

On Friday, the notorious tabloid, Radar Online, claimed Grande ended her professional relationship with Braun over two minor events involving Bieber, which were blown up by the press into something more.

Within hours of publication of the gossip site’s claim, a source informed Entertainment Tonight that the 22-year-old songstress’ reason(s) for firing Braun as her co-manager had “nothing to do” with Bieber.

“Ariana always has and continues to support Justin,” the insider said, explaining, “She did not think the relationship [with Braun] was working for her professionally anymore. It was time to move on.”

The source went on, “She thinks this is the best professional decision for her moving forward.”

Grande will continue to work with her team at Untitled Entertainment and manager Stephanie Simon, who looked after Ariana before the pair joined forces with Braun.

Page Six subsequently expanded on why Grande moved on. Of the singer’s departure, a source told the column “It had nothing directly to do with Bieber, apart from he takes up a lot of Scooter’s time. Ariana needs someone who can pay more attention to her as a manager.”

Both those measured reports are very different to Radar Online’s breathless version.

The tabloid claimed that after their alleged source confirmed Grande terminated her agreement with Braun, the insider was asked whether Braun and Grande ended things amicably.

Conveniently, Radar’s source allegedly replied, “I don’t want to get into the details” (which, of course, meant they don’t have to come up with any), before continuing, “But she terminated the agreement. She does continue to be managed by Untitled.”

The gossip site barely mentioned the massive success Grande enjoyed with Braun, who signed the Florida native in 2013 and guided the release of her debut studio album Yours Truly in 2013, My Everything in 2014, and multiple singles. Grande also won a number of music industry awards while co-managed by Braun.

Instead, the site attempted to hype up Bieber’s flirty appearance at Grande’s L.A. concert during her “Honeymoon Tour” last April, as being one of the reasons for Grande firing Braun.

Indeed, Gossip Cop noted, “Radar Online doesn’t actually seem to know [why Grande terminated her contract with Braun]. Other than quoting a source as supposedly confirming Grande is no longer working with Braun, it [Radar] merely recites old Grande-Bieber interactions. But the outlet doesn’t provide any proof that they’re connected aside from the fact that Braun has worked with both stars.”

As the Inquisitr previously reported, during Bieber’s guest performance at Grande’s April show, he interacted in a playfully flirty manner with her on stage, at one point hugging her waist. Ariana responded by smiling, blushing, and putting her face in her hands. After the show, both stars tweeted that they had enjoyed the show.

This is the clip all you lot are hyping over…?

Justin Bieber hugging Ariana Grande from behind…pic.twitter.com/VXAvaOENo3

— #OnTopicTalkShow (@MarvAbbey) April 9, 2015

Shortly after, the Internet was briefly fooled by a screenshot of a fake photoshopped tweet supposedly sent by Ariana’s then boyfriend, the rapper Big Sean, after Grande’s show.

“This kid is about to learn not to touch my girl like that. Beliebe that,” the screenshot tweet read, as if referring to the Biebs.

However, as TMZ reported at the time, the tweet was not sent by Big Sean.

Although Ariana and Big Sean split up a while after, the rapper and Bieber are longtime friends. Sean features on Bieber’s latest album Purpose, which was released last November. All of which confirms Sean did not sub-tweet Bieber and the Canadian wasn’t the cause of Sean and Ariana’s break-up.

Despite the debunking of the tweet’s authenticity, Radar mentioned the photoshopped tweet in its current story on Grande. The site then jumped to the compliment Bieber left underneath one of Grande’s Instagram videos last month.

At the time, Bieber, 21, wrote, “d**n Ariana u look so good.”

Grande didn’t respond on Instagram, but shortly after she tweeted, “lol no,” and in a second, added, “not today satan!!!! Gtg finish this music & live my cute, drama free life!!” Her boyfriend, a dancer named Ricky Alvarez, also chimed in with a retort tagging Bieber on Instagram.

Regardless, Radar’s story has been busted by ET, Gossip Cop, and Page Six. In addition, a source told the Inquisitr that Grande had been unhappy with being just one of many artists on Braun’s roster for some time and wanted more attentive management for the next phase of her career.

The insider also said Ariana was disappointed with the written apology her team helped write after her donut-licking debacle last July. Its perceived lack of sincerity made Grande a laughing stock, which led to her videoing a second apology.

[Images via Kevin Mazur / Getty Images]