Fans of Ariana Grande and Taylor Swift are currently at odds after the Wicked star responded to a message of support shared by her former manager, Scooter Braun.
Braun, who managed both Grande and Swift, took to social media over the weekend to sing praises for Grande and her role as Glinda the Good Witch in the movie adaptation of the Broadway show. “You were born for this moment,” the music mogul wrote of Grande. “Your talent, your dedication, your voice, your ability to make us laugh and cry at the same time.” Braun concluded the post by congratulating the star and expressing his pride. “Singing along to ‘Popular’ made my night,” he added. “Bravo bravo bravo.”
The Instagram post, which sees Braun pictured on the Wicked set with Grande and her co-star, Elphaba’s Cynthia Errivo, didn’t go unnoticed. Heading to the comments, Grande — who split from Braun’s management last year — reflected on the “special memories” she has shared with the music CEO, and thanked him for his “support, and for being a part of this.” Fans of Swift were quick to react, mostly negatively, to the pair’s social media interaction, since Swift and Braun have been engaged in a much-discussed feud that dates back to 2019.
Around that time, Swift learned that, as CEO of her then-label Big Machine Records, Braun had acquired the rights to the masters of her six-album catalog, which she claims he sold without her knowledge or consent. The beef is the reason Swift has been re-recording and re-releasing her old albums with the subtitle Taylor’s Version. Swift fans took Braun and Grande’s interaction as supposed evidence of betrayal on Grande’s part. “Ariana chose to work with [Braun] throughout her career knowing how he has manipulated his artists,” one Swiftie wrote.
Others urged Braun to “leave [Grande] alone,” and declared that “Ari is fake” and “should have dropped Scooter” as her manager. Elsewhere, Swift defenders said Grande’s comment was “the last straw for me,” and labeled the her “the enemy” of the Swift fandom. While many were “disappointed” by the pair’s interaction, there were some fans who rushed to Grande’s defense, with many emphasizing the important role Braun played in Grande’s career, and therefore, her understandable response to his praise for Wicked.
“She has simply replied to a post which Scooter has dedicated to her, as a sign of respect,” one fan wrote. “Thanking him for the support during the filming of her dream role, is not as big of a deal as y’all are trying to make it.” Despite the in-fighting among fans, Swift and Grande have shown nothing but support for each other’s careers. While they haven’t shared a lot of time together in the spotlight in recent years, Grande last week reacted to tying Swift’s records for the most number-one debuts on the Billboard Hot 100.
“Good company,” she replied when learning that she shared the record with her fellow pop star. Elsewhere, the pair co-headlined the 2014 Victoria’s Secret Fashion Show, with Grande complimenting Swift’s “You Need To Calm Down” music video in 2019. It seems any beef between the two has been manufactured by their fandoms, perhaps we’ll get a musical collaboration sometime soon?
Published: Nov 25, 2024 05:29 am