Sydney Sweeney & Scooter Braun's Relationship Is Bursting With Red Flags

"Euphoria" star Sydney Sweeney has attached herself to one of Hollywood's most toxic bachelors. Public perception of talent manager Scooter Braun has been overwhelmingly negative since his 2019 feud with pop star Taylor Swift, after he purchased her album masters. Since then, plenty of celebrities — including Ariana Grande, Justin Bieber, and Demi Lovato — have distanced themselves from Braun. But Sweeney, it seems, is eager to get closer.

When Sweeney and Braun were first linked romantically in 2025, the Internet was unimpressed. While Sweeney — who's been trying to make the MAGA bob happen — has been attached to a series of recent scandals, including a controversial denim ad for American Eagle, she's still more well-liked than her new boyfriend. "They definitely bond over being 'wrongfully attacked' by the general public," wrote one Reddit user. But shared PR problems aren't exactly the foundation of a healthy relationship, and there are several signs of harmful dating trends in their partnership, indicating that this pair isn't destined to go the distance.

Scooter Braun is 17 years older than Sydney Sweeney, which is way outside the best age gap for a successful relationship, according to experts. They recommend being more like one to three years apart from your partner.

But age-gap relationships seem to be part of Sweeney's pattern. "Let a girl have a type (older men)," joked one Reddit user, a reference to Sweeney's previous red-flag-filled relationship with the much-older Jonathan Davino. That relationship ended because Sweeney and Davino were in different life stages. "She's not ready to settle down," an anonymous source told People after the pair called their engagement off. "They didn't split because there is no love. They split because she just wants to focus on her career right now." But it seems likely that Sweeney will run into similar differences with Braun.

Differing life phases are just part of the problem when there's a major age disparity between partners. Age gaps can be a red flag if they leave partners on unequal footing within the dynamic. Plus, there's another more insidious dynamic that can crop up, too. "In some cases, a partner may fetishize someone older or younger, and the attraction is coming more from an unhealed place than real love," relationship expert Nicole Moore told Wedding Wire. Given Sweeney's highly sexualized public image, Braun's attraction to her may be based on objectification, rather than a true, enduring appreciation for who she is.

The relationship between Sydney Sweeney and Scooter Braun escalated quickly, with rumors emerging that the pair were getting serious almost immediately. "They are full on," an anonymous source told Page Six just three months after the couple met in June 2025. "It's not a casual relationship. It's game on, it's full throttle. They are together."

It's not entirely clear who is driving the intense pace, but it doesn't bode well for the couple's future. One partner quickly escalating the relationship can be a way of establishing control. "They're using that quickness and intensity to get you on board, gain your trust and then, you know, those things just don't end very well," clinical psychologist Holly Schiff told Today.

It's especially concerning, considering Sweeney recently ended a relationship on the basis that she isn't ready to settle down. It hints that Braun might be pressuring her to commit too quickly, or that the pair are rushing to allay public criticism or soothe their own insecurities. The strongest relationships unfold slowly and allow partners to get to know each other well before they start declaring their commitment.

Sydney Sweeney was first linked to Scooter Braun in 2025, just months after ending her three-year engagement to Jonathan Davino. That suggests that Sweeney didn't take the time to properly process and grieve her previous six-year relationship before throwing herself into a new one. In fact, her relationship with Braun looks suspiciously like a rebound. By contrast, Braun ended his marriage to ex-wife Yael Cohen in 2022, and had roughly three years to enjoy being single and reconnect with himself before launching a relationship with Sweeney.

Rebounding can be a major red flag, since inadequately processing the end of one relationship makes for a fragile foundation for the next one. It's also often one of the biggest red flags in Hollywood relationships. "A 'rebound' is typically a means to escape from the pain of your previous relationship," therapist Brooke Sprowl told Self. "They may be looking for a relationship to complete them, or give them a sense of identity." If Sweeney is using Braun to avoid dealing with her feelings about her breakup with Davino, it might mean that her attraction isn't based on authenticity.

While Sydney Sweeney is a movie star, Scooter Braun operates behind the scenes, formerly as a talent manager and now as an investor. That means Sweeney is a lot more accustomed to the spotlight, which comes with a lot more attention. For the bombshell blonde, much of that attention is sexual or romantic. It's already caused some tension for the couple, with an anonymous insider telling The Sun that Braun feels the many men competing for Sweeney's attention are 'incredibly disrespectful.'

But while Sweeney's status as a high-profile sex symbol is clearly making Braun nervous, it seems like she might actually be enjoying the drama it brings to their relationship. "She likes seeing him get a little jealous," the source explained. "To her, it shows he cares and is fully invested."

Jealousy is an obvious red flag in a relationship, but so is intentionally trying to elicit that feeling in one's partner. According to Psychology Today, people will often try to manipulate their partner to feel jealous if they don't feel secure in the relationship. If Sweeney is engaged in that kind of behavior, it might suggest that she isn't getting her needs for stability and security met in other, healthier ways, and also that she tends to rely on toxic relationship strategies.