For years now, there’s been a lot of chatter about Taylor Swift, Scooter Braun and the contentious deal made over the pop star’s masters (which she bought back in May). Then, when she released Midnights in 2022, it was quickly speculated that one of the tracks was about the former music manager and his ex-wife. Now, he’s fully addressed “Vigilante Shit” and stated that he does not believe the song is about him and his former partner.
In the track “Vigilante Shit,” Swift sings about “dressing for revenge” and not starting anything but making sure it ends. There’s even a line that says, “Don’t get sad, get even.” And then, lyrics, like the ones below, quickly made Swifties believe this track was all about Scooter Braun:
She needed cold hard proof so I gave her some / She had the envelope, where you think she got it from? / Now she gets the house, gets the kids, gets the pride / Picture me thick as thieves with your ex-wife
So, on the Question Everything podcast, Danielle Robay read those words back to Braun and asked him if the song was about his life. In response, he stated:
No, because I talk to Yael every day. My ex-wife is one of my best friends, so me and my ex-wife laugh about that stuff. We don't even call each other ex. That's like my partner, that's the mother of my children. That is my family for life. I have a tattoo on my finger that says 'same team' after my divorce because she and I are on the same team for life. That's what we say to each other.
For context, Braun and Yael Cohen Braun were married from 2014 to 2022, and they share three children, Jagger (9), Levi (7) and Hart (5). They filed for divorce in 2021, and it was finalized in September 2022. Notably, Swift’s album Midnights also came out in October 2022, and many thought its track, "Vigilante Shit," might be about her relationship with Braun. They also thought the lyrics about an ex-wife could have been referencing Yael.
However, the music mogul fully turned that idea down in this new interview, explaining:
So no, I never thought that was about us. She never thought it was about us. And everyone else kind of feeding into the fire, great strategy move, but nah.
In the past, Braun has also opened up about this feud with Swift, specifically in regard to the deal that led to her re-recording a lot of her music. In 2023, he talked to Bloomberg about how he could be “angry, resentful, bitter,” but could also “choose to say thank you for playing a role in my growth.”
Overall, he made it clear that he does not believe he’s connected to this song off Midnights, and he’s spoken a few times over the last few years about moving forward from this contentious deal.
Meanwhile, “Vigilante Shit” was Swift’s favorite song to perform on the Eras Tour, and it became quite the moment in the blockbuster tour that ran from early 2023 through the end of 2024. She also owns all her music now. That shakes up Swift’s upcoming projects, as it’s unclear what exactly will happen with Taylor’s Version of Taylor Swift and Reputation, even though she has said she might release them someday.
Overall, it seems like both parties are moving forward after this massive, turbulent moment. However, every once in a while, it comes back up and is a point of conversation, and if that happens again, we’ll be sure to keep you posted.
