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Justin Bieber shares first Instagram post in three months, but stays quiet on Scooter Braun rumours

Pop star has yet to comment on reports that he and other stars could be parting ways with his longtime manager

Roisin O'Connor
Saturday 26 August 2023 17:15 BST
Hailey and Justin Bieber arrive at the Grammys

Pop star Justin Bieber broke a three-month hiatus on Instagram on Saturday (26 August), by sharing a photo of him together with wife Hailey Bieber and their niece, Iris.

The Grammy-winning artist, 29, had previously shared a few stills from SZA’s new music vide for her single “Snooze” to his Instagram Stories.

In the first photo shared to his grid since May, Bieber can be seen wearing a black hoodie and white vest top, while his wife, 26, is wearing an oversized leather jacket as she holds Iris in her arms.

Iris is the daughter of Hailey’s sister, Alaia Baldwin.

Bieber captioned the image with a simple “kissing” emoji in the post, shared to his 283 million followers.

In “Snooze”, which was directed by Bradley J Calder, Bieber stars as one of SZA’s romantic partners, along with regular collaborator Benny Blanco, and actors Young Mazino and Woody McClain.

The video features clips of a shirtless Bieber lounging in bed with SZA and enjoying a picnic date with her.

Bieber has yet to address ongoing rumours that he is trying to split from his longtime manager Scooter Braun, who first discovered him on YouTube in 2008.

The Independent understands that at least two of Braun’s other high-profile clients, Demi Lovato and Idina Menzel, have left his management services.

It has also been reported that pop star Ariana Grande, who has been with Braun since launching her debut album, has also severed ties with him.

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Meanwhile, a report in Billboard claimed on Friday that Bieber still has four years left on his contract with Braun.

The Independent has contacted Grande, Bieber and Braun for comment.

Braun appeared to poke fun at the reports earlier this week, as he joked that he was “no longer managing himself” in a post to X/Twitter.

Justin Bieber (left) and Scooter Braun in 2020 (David Livingston/Getty Images)

On Friday 25 August, it was reported that Grande’s team were unhappy after Braun allegedly refused to cut his vacation short, in order to help tackle the media storm surrounding her relationship with Wicked co-star Ethan Slater.

Sources close to Braun have claimed that he is merely stepping back from day-to-day management to focus on his role as CEO of HYBE America, the South Korean entertainment company behind K-pop giants BTS.

“All of Scooter Braun’s clients are under contract and negotiations have been going on for several months as Scooter steps into his larger role as HYBE America CEO,” one source told Variety.

“People are spreading rumours based on what they know, but they are off. Scooter’s team at SB Projects are still handling both Justin and Ariana as they work through what this new structure looks like.”

You can read more about Braun and his career here.

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