Chappell Roan has parted ways with her agency Wasserman following outrage over founder and CEO Casey Wasserman‘s connection to child sex offender Jeffrey Epstein and convicted sex trafficker Ghislaine Maxwell.
“As of today, I am no longer represented by Wasserman, the talent agency led by Casey Wasserman,” Roan wrote on Instagram on Monday (February 9).
“I hold my teams to the highest standards and have a duty to protect them as well,” she continued in the post, which does not explicitly mention Epstein or Maxwell. “No artist, agent or employee should ever be expected to defend or overlook actions that conflict so deeply with our own moral values. I have deep respect and appreciation for the agents and staff who work tirelessly for their artists and I refuse to passively stand by. Artists deserve representation that aligns with their values and supports their safety and dignity. This decision reflects my belief that meaningful change in our industry requires accountability and leadership that earns trust.”
Representatives for Wasserman and Roan did not immediately respond to Billboard‘s requests for comment.
Roan’s statement comes just days after Bethany Cosentino, a member of the band Best Coast and fellow Wasserman signee, called for Wasserman to step down from his agency, saying “pretending this isn’t a big deal is not an option” in an Instagram post. In the days following, other indie artists, including Beach Bunny, Dropkick Murphys, Wednesday and Water From Your Eyes, also spoke out.
On Jan. 30, the Department of Justice released a tranche of more than 3 million additional files related to the Epstein investigation, uncovering additional names of Epstein and Maxwell’s associates and friends. Wasserman appeared in dozens of flirtatious emails with Maxwell in 2003, including one from April 1, 2003 in which he wrote, “Where are you, I miss you. I will be in nyc for 4 days starting april 22…can we book that massage now?”
In another email from March 16, 2003, Wasserman wrote to Maxwell: “So what do I have to do to see you in a tight leather outfit?”
A connection between Wasserman and Epstein was first documented more than two decades ago, several years before Epstein’s crimes became known, in an article for New York, which reported that Wasserman and his then-wife, Laura Ziffren, flew on Epstein’s plane for an AIDS-related mission in Africa in 2002 which also featured famous names like President Bill Clinton, Chris Tucker and Kevin Spacey.
On Jan. 31, Wasserman sent a statement to The Hollywood Reporter, saying: “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.”
In addition to his role helming his talent agency, which is home to artists like Ed Sheeran, Coldplay, SZA, Noah Kahan, Lorde and Kenny Chesney, Wasserman is also serving as chair of the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics organizing committee. Since the release of these files, several local politicians have called for Wasserman to step down from the post.
