Following an exodus of talent who have left the Wasserman Group talent agency after emails between founder Casey Wasserman and Jeffrey Epstein associate Ghislaine Maxwell were revealed in the Justice Department’s latest tranche of documents, pressure for the founder to step down came to a boiling point. On Friday, Wasserman announced that he was selling the company as he had become a “distraction” to the business he founded 24 years ago.
In a memo sent to Wasserman agency employees and reviewed by Rolling Stone, the founder apologized for his “past personal mistakes have caused you so much discomfort.” He continued, “It’s not fair to you, and it’s not fair to the clients and partners we represent so vigorously and care so deeply about.” He acknowledged the “pain experienced by the victims of Jeffrey Epstein and Ghislaine Maxwell is unimaginable,” and reiterated claims that his interactions with Epstein were limited a humanitarian trip as part of a delegation with the Clinton Foundation in 2002 and “a handful of emails that I deeply regret sending.”
In the recent batch of Epstein files, salacious emails exchanged between Wasserman and Maxwell years ago were uncovered. In one of the messages, Wasserman asked Maxwell, “What do I have to do to see you in a tight leather outfit?” In a separate message dated April 1, 2003, he asked, “Where are you, I miss you. I will be in nyc for 4 days starting april 22…can we book that massage now?”
Maxwell wrote back, “All that rubbing – are you sure you can take it?” and, “There are a few spots that apparently drive a man wild – I suppose I could practise them on you.” Maxwell mentioned being in Brazil and asked Wasserman if he had ever been. He responded, “Never…take me!”
Maxwell was later convicted of conspiring with Epstein to sexually abuse minors between 1994 and 2004.
In his memo on Friday, Wasserman wrote, “I’m heartbroken that my brief contact with them 23 years ago has caused you, this company, and its clients so much hardship over the past days and weeks.” The founder praised the agency’s 4,000 employees, calling them “the absolute best in the business” and said their clients “expect – and deserve – world-class representation.”
He then announced, “At this moment, I believe that I have become a distraction to those efforts. That is why I have begun the process of selling the company, an effort that is already underway.” In the interim, Mike Watts will assume day-to-day control of the business, said Wasserman — who at this time still serves as the chairman and president of the LA28 Olympic committee — before adding he will devote his “full attention to delivering Los Angeles an Olympic Games in 2028 that is worthy of this outstanding city.” The LA28 executive committee said on Wednesday that Wasserman will continue leading preparations for the Summer Games despite calls for him to step down.
Before signing off, he added, “I’m beyond proud of what this company has accomplished to date and excited to watch its next chapter.”
Over the past week, Chappell Roan, Best Coast’s Bethany Cosentino, Weyes Blood, Chelsea Cutler, Wednesday, Water From Your Eyes, Orville Peck, and Beach Bunny have cut ties with the Wasserman Group. “I hold my teams to the highest standards and have a duty to protect them as well,” Roan told fans in her announcement. “No artist, agent, or employee should ever be expected to defend or overlook actions that conflict so deeply with our own moral values.”
