Update: A representative for Ariana Grande tells Refinery29 that the singer's alleged deleted Instastory is fake.
The original story continues below.
Ariana Grande has waded into the murky waters of the Taylor Swift and Scooter Braun drama. On Sunday, Swift posted a Tumblr response to the news that Braun had acquired her former record label, Big Machine, for $300 million USD. The purchase gives Braun ownership of Swift's entire catalog up until November 2018 (when she switched to Republic Records which, coincidentally, Grande is also signed to).
The situation is difficult for Swift because she claims the manager bullied her back during the Kim Kardashian/Kanye West drama. It's a lot to take in, and apparently Grande felt the same, expressing her complicated sentiments in an Instagram Story that she almost immediately deleted.
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On Sunday, Grande posted a celebration of Braun's acquisition of Big Machine that she took down following Swift's post. Now, she's giving a bit more clarity of where she stands on the situation — for those fast enough to catch it.
“I would never support someone with the intentions of hurting another person…." she wrote according to screenshots of the Story on Twitter. "I spoke to him myself as soon as I heard.. I don’t mean to make this public or get involved but I’ve noticed mixed opinions where people used my name… please spread love. I’m so so sorry Tay. Ily. Stay strong"
? IG | Ariana Grande deleted her Instagram story sharing the news about Scooter purchasing Big Machine after Taylor made her heartbreaking post on Tumblr pic.twitter.com/WVCpJ32BBw
— Taylor Swift News (@TSwiftNZ) June 30, 2019
— ??? ?? (@xWonderSelx) July 1, 2019
Refinery29 has reached out to Grande for comment, but she has previously made her support for Braun well known. Most recently, she posted a heartfelt Instagram on his birthday.
"i’m so grateful to work with you because you are truly the best but most importantly i’m grateful because u are a true, dear friend," she wrote.
She also had him on stage during a performance of "God Is A Woman" on her Sweetener tour.
Grande has also spoken up in support of Justin Bieber in recent months, defending him from accusations of lip-syncing at Coachella. Bieber was another target of Swift's in her Tumblr post, having previously taunted Swift on Instagram. He responded with an apology and continued to stoke the fire.
Of course, Grande does not have to answer for Braun's actions and is not responsible for any of his alleged behaviour towards Swift. However, in the spirit of Swift's "You Need To Calm Down" music video, Grande is making sure they all wear crowns.
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