Casey Wasserman is planning to sell his namesake agency amid escalating fallout over his mentions in the newly released Epstein files.
On Friday (February 13), the CEO and founder of the sports and music agency put the agency on the market, informing staff of the move in an internal memo that pointed to the ongoing controversy and recent client departures, according to a report from The Wall Street Journal.
In the memo, Wasserman wrote: “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.”
He added that Wasserman president Mike Watts would assume day-to-day control of the business, while he focuses on his role leading the Los Angeles 2028 Olympic and Paralympic Games organising committee.
“First and foremost, I want to apologize to you,” Wasserman wrote to employees. “I’m deeply sorry that my past personal mistakes have caused you so much discomfort. 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.”
The decision follows a spell of intense scrutiny after the release of three million new documents relating to Jeffrey Epstein, which were made public on January 30 by the Department of Justice (DOJ).
It marks the latest in a slew of material released under the Epstein Files Transparency Act, a law intended to reveal information collected during two decades of investigations involving the late convicted paedophile.
Epstein was arrested in July 2019 for sex trafficking and was found dead in his jail cell in August of that year, with authorities later determining that he hanged himself. Following his death, a sustained campaign emerged, pushing for the full publication of all documents and photos that would reveal the high-profile names he associated with.
The newly unsealed files saw the release of email exchanges between Wasserman and Ghislaine Maxwell, who was convicted of sex trafficking in December 2021, as well as other similar charges relating to procuring underage girls for Epstein.
Wasserman has maintained that his interactions were limited and occurred before Maxwell’s criminal conduct became public.
In 2002, Wasserman and his then-wife had flown on Epstein’s private jet to visit HIV/AIDS project sites in Africa with Maxwell, Epstein, former President Bill Clinton and others. Per WSJ, one of the attendees on the trip later told federal agents in a 2020 interview that several young women – including a masseuse, a model and a ballerina – were also on the trip, for reasons he couldn’t understand.
The documents released recently by the Justice Department included flirtatious email exchanges from 2003 between Wasserman and Maxwell, for which Wasserman issued an apology after they were disclosed.
He acknowledged the 2002 flight, but said he had “never had a personal or business relationship with Jeffrey Epstein.” In the Friday memo to staff, he said he regretted sending the emails and that the trip was “years before their criminal conduct came to light.”
In Friday’s memo, he reiterated that position, writing that his contact “consisted of one humanitarian trip to Africa and a handful of emails that I deeply regret sending”.
He also stated he was “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 fallout has already had a measurable impact across the business, with Weyes Blood, Orville Peck and Chelsea Cutler among the latest names to leave the agency.
They join a host of artists making an exodus from Wasserman, including Chappell Roan, Water From Your Eyes, Wednesday, Beach Bunny, Dropkick Murphys, Gigi Perez, Lily Seabird and Sylvan Esso. And now, they’ve been joined by Weyes Blood, Peck, Cutler, Bully and Local Natives.
Best Coast’s Bethany Cosentino was among the first to urge Wasserman to step down while requesting the removal of the band’s name from the company’s website, while Sleigh Bells’ Alexis Krauss said that she’d “love” to leave Wasserman over the news but explained that the duo can’t afford to stop working with large companies like it.
For help, advice or more information regarding sexual harassment, assault and rape in the UK, visit the Rape Crisis charity website. In the US, visit RAINN.
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