Justin Bieber reportedly owes nearly $9 million to Scooter Braun, whose retirement from music management made headlines last year.
This figure, expectedly, comes via a report from TMZ, which said on Wednesday that the alleged financial disagreement dates back to the artist’s premature tour conclusion in 2022. At the time, Bieber is alleged to have owed $24 million to AEG, a debt Braun’s company is said to have covered with the caveat that Bieber would repay the amount over 10 years. However, at least according to TMZ, that repayment plan was halted after a single payment.
Bieber’s business manager at the time is further alleged to have determined that Braun had been, in the words of Wednesday’s report, “grossly overpaid” to the tune of $26 million. This amount was disputed by an internal audit from Braun’s company, with Bieber determined to instead owe Braun a reported $1 million, although that alleged debt is said to have been forgiven. From there, an independent auditing entity was reportedly enlisted by Braun and company, which led to the nearly $9 million figure mentioned above ($8,806,000 to be exact).
The current status of any of this is unclear. Complex has reached out to reps for Bieber and Braun for comment, as well as to Pricewaterhouse, the auditor mentioned in Wednesday’s TMZ report. This story may be updated.
In June of last year, Braun, whose 23-year management career also included work with Ariana Grande and the artist formerly known as Kanye West, among others, announced that this chapter of his life had “come to an end.” In a statement shared to Instagram, Braun pointed to his family and other personal concerns as having been instrumental in his decision to “step into a new role.” These days, Braun serves as CEO of HYBE America, which recently announced a distribution partnership with Jermaine Dupri that marked a full-circle moment for both.
Bieber, meanwhile, has been rumored for some time now to be planning a full-fledged return to music at some point this year. His most recent album, Justice, became his eighth Billboard 200 No. 1 back in 2021. In April, Drake and Big Sean were among the artists who responded to Bieber’s Instagram-delivered invitation to “make music together.”
