Ariana Grande, Katy Perry and Demi Lovato attend Kamala Harris fundraiser thrown by Taylor Swift nemesis Scooter Braun

'Sooooo this happened...'
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Megan C. Hills22 July 2019

It isn’t unusual for celebrities and other high profile individuals to throw fundraisers in support of a political candidate. However, American presidential hopeful Senator Kamala Harris’ latest event has drawn controversy on Twitter for a surprising reason.

Taylor Swift’s archnemesis and Hollywood power agent Scooter Braun recently threw a fundraiser in the senator’s honour, which saw the likes of Ariana Grande, Demi Lovato and Katy Perry attend. While it may have been an “incredible night” according to Braun, some Swift fans have since attacked Harris for her connection to the agent.

According to a flyer for the event, Braun and his wife Yael hosted a “fireside chat with Kamala” at their home in Los Angeles on Saturday.

Following the event, Braun posted an image of the pair sitting in a garden, which he captioned, “Such an incredible night supporting our brilliant friend... candidate for President of the United States of America @KamalaHarris”

Braun’s clients Ariana and Demi Lovato were also there, alongside singer Katy Perry who were all photographed with Harris.

Harris’ husband Douglas Emhoff shared the snap on Twitter, writing, “Sooooo, this happened....”

Braun posted other photos on Instagram from the event, including one of him hugging Harris’ husband Douglas Emhoff captioned #doughive and another with Grande and Lovato. He captioned it, “Fam.”

Grande responded in the comments with a simple heart emoji.

It wasn’t long before the fundraiser became a major talking point, with hundreds of fan accounts retweeting the image of Grande, Perry, Lovato and Harris together. While there was an inevitable swarm of political debate in the comments, a few Swift fans also joined the fray.

One tweeted out, “I was SO excited for you as a democratic candidate, but if you so choose to go to an event held by @scooterbraun, a man whose arrogance mirrors our president’s, I can no long hold onto my excitement and faith for you as a presidential candidate, @KamalaHarris #disappointed”

Another Instagram user with a Taylor Swift profile picture wrote in Braun’s comments, “Can't believe I have to unstan Kamala now.”

Recently, it was revealed that Swift and Braun are at odds over a business dispute regarding the singer’s master recordings. Braun’s company bought recording label Big Machine Records, which owns Swift’s masters and has “derived as much as 80 percent of its revenue from Swift’s music in recent years” according to Variety.

Evan Agostini/Invision/AP

Following public news of the sale, Swift penned an essay in which she claimed she had suffered “incessant, manipulative bullying...at his hands for years” and from his roster of clients including Justin Bieber and former client Kanye West.

She called his purchase of her masters her “worst case scenario” and claimed that both Braun and Big Machine Records founder Scott Borchetta were “controlling a woman who didn’t want to be associated with them. In perpetuity.”

AP

While Braun didn’t directly respond to her claims, his wife Yael and other celebrities including Justin Bieber, Sia and Demi Lovato defended him, as others including Cara Delevingne, Halsey, Cher and Kelly Clarkson supported Swift.

Kamala Harris is set to run in the 2020 US Democratic primary against candidates including Senator Elizabeth Warren, Senator Bernie Sanders and former Vice President Joe Biden.

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