Note: This article contains descriptions of alleged sexual misconduct.
Bethany Cosentino has shared an open letter calling on Casey Wasserman—the founder and CEO of her agency, Wasserman—to step down after his name and old emails appeared in the Jeffrey Epstein files. The documents, released by the Justice Department on January 30, contain intimate messages exchanged by Wasserman and Ghislaine Maxwell, Epstein’s longtime companion, throughout 2003, per The New York Times. In 2021, a New York court convicted Maxwell of conspiring with Epstein to recruit and sexually traffic minor girls; she is currently serving a 20-year sentence in federal prison.
Wasserman Music has represented Cosentino and her band Best Coast since 2021. In her statement, Cosentino demanded Wasserman change its name, and said she has requested to remove both her and Best Coast’s names from the agency’s website. “Ghislaine Maxwell is not a neutral character in a messy story—she is a convicted sex trafficker who helped facilitate the abuse of minors,” Cosentino wrote. “I did not consent to having my name or my career tied to someone with this kind of association to exploitation.” (Pitchfork has reached out to Wasserman, his agency, and Cosentino for comment.)
Cosentino described her statement as a “refusal to continue lining the pockets of people so closely tied to shady business and toxic, deeply harmful people.” She added: “Artists are not interchangeable assets. We are people. Many of us are women. Many of us, myself included, are survivors. We deserve systems that let us work without asking us to compromise our values in exchange for opportunity.”
In his own statement to the press, shared on February 1, Wasserman said: “I deeply regret my correspondence with Ghislaine Maxwell which took place over two decades ago, long before her horrific crimes came to light. I never had a personal or business relationship with Jeffrey Epstein. As is well documented, I went on a humanitarian trip as part of a delegation with the Clinton Foundation in 2002 on the Epstein plane. I am terribly sorry for having any association with either of them.”
Per Variety, Wasserman’s communication with Maxwell included an email where Maxwell offers to give Wasserman a massage, and another where Wasserman writes to her: “I think of you all the time. So, what do I have to do to see you in a tight leather outfit?” The files indicate that Wasserman and Maxwell remained in contact after a September 2002 flight to Africa, which former president Bill Clinton reportedly organized to conduct HIV research. A 2003 Vanity Fair report noted that Epstein, Maxwell, Wasserman, billionaire Ron Burkle, Kevin Spacey, and Chris Tucker were among those on board.
Wasserman founded his eponymous talent management company in 2002, and launched Wasserman Music in 2021. Wasserman Group oversees hundreds of high-profile musicians and sports players; artists currently on the roster include Kendrick Lamar, Coldplay, Skrillex, Chappell Roan, Animal Collective, Wet Leg, the Knife, and Geese. Wasserman is also the chairman of the planned 2028 Summer Olympics in Los Angeles. During a press conference on February 4, International Olympic Committee President Kirsty Coventry said she had “nothing to add” to Wasserman’s statement on the files, per the Los Angeles Times.
In 2024, Billie Eilish and her brother Finneas left Wasserman Music for WME shortly after a Daily Mail report alleged Wasserman had engaged in inappropriate relationships with multiple female subordinates. Wasserman and his company did not comment on the allegations at the time.
