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The sports and entertainment executive Casey Wasserman is facing calls to step down from his namesake music agency after his sexually-charged emails surfaced in the Epstein files. With artists like Chappell Roan leaving <\/a>and top agents reportedly demanding a change in leadership, talent managers and touring executives say they expect imminent change \u2014 possibly a sale of the music firm.<\/p>\n One manager for a major Wasserman artist, who is not a Wasserman employee and who spoke to The Times on condition of anonymity to preserve their relationships within the firm, said agents there informed them that Wasserman plans to step down from the music agency and spin it off into a separate company with a new name. <\/p>\n Representatives for Wasserman did not respond to requests for comment. Providence Equity Partners, a private equity group with significant investments in Wasserman, did not return requests for comment on the situation.<\/p>\n Two other high-ranking music executives from outside the company, who also spoke to The Times on condition of anonymity to maintain relationships there, said talent and agents at Wasserman Music are furious, and planning exits if Wasserman stays much longer. The executives believe Wasserman will likely step aside from the music agency and sell that wing of his company. <\/p>\n They saw no signs yet that he would part with his namesake sports agency, which he has helmed for over two decades and whose clients have been less vocally critical. Wasserman is also facing calls from local lawmakers to step down from his role heading the 2028 Olympics in Los Angeles. He has not indicated that he will leave his role with the Olympics committee.<\/p>\n \u201cActs and agents are starting to run out the door. The senior agents there have begged people to give them a minute,\u201d one music executive said. \u201cThey\u2019ve engaged with Casey and [investor group] Providence, to say, \u2018We\u2019re going to have trouble signing artists, we\u2019re going to lose a lot of acts, we\u2019re losing a lot of people. Let us go.\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cI think the most likely thing is they end up splitting off the company,\u201d the executive said.<\/p>\n Wasserman has faced pressure to leave his music agency following revelations of emails with now-convicted child sex trafficker Ghislaine Maxwell, the consigliere of the late Jeffrey Epstein. He has previously admitted to flying with Epstein <\/u><\/a>on the financier\u2019s private plane on a trip to Africa with Maxwell and former President Clinton. <\/p>\n The newly surfaced messages to Maxwell, which he sent two decades ago, came in a tranche of Epstein-related documents recently made public by the Department of Justice.<\/p>\n In them, Wasserman wrote: <\/u><\/a>to Maxwell, who is now serving a lengthy prison sentence<\/u><\/a> for sex trafficking of minors, \u201cI thought we would start at that place that you know of, and then continue the massage concept into your bed \u2026 and then again in the morning \u2026 not sure if or when we would stop.\u201d<\/p>\n She responded<\/u><\/a>: \u201cUmm \u2014 all that rubbing \u2014 are you sure you can take it? The thought frankly is leaving me a little breathless. There are a few spots that apparently drive a man wild \u2014 I suppose I could practise them on you and you could let me know if they work or not?\u201d<\/p>\n Wasserman has said in a statement that \u201cI 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.\u201d<\/p>\n Wasserman previously had a contentious separation from his then-wife, Laura Ziffren. The Daily Mail reported <\/a>separate allegations of inappropriate relationships with employees, and the couple divorced in 2024. Billie Eilish, a flagship act for the agency, left Wasserman soon after those allegations surfaced, though it\u2019s unclear if they played in her decision.<\/p>\n After the documents\u2019 release, major acts like Roan \u2014 the most high-profile act to defect so far \u2014 made clear that Wasserman\u2019s ties to Maxwell and Epstein made it impossible to stay at his agency.<\/p>\n Chappell Roan has left her booking agency, Wasserman Music, over its founder Casey Wasserman\u2019s ties to the late Jeffrey Epstein and convicted child sex trafficker Ghislaine Maxwell.<\/p>\n (Scott A Garfitt \/ Invision \/ AP)<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/figure><\/div>\n \u201cI hold my teams to the highest standards and have a duty to protect them as well. No artist, agent or employee should ever be expected to defend or overlook actions that conflict so deeply with our own moral values,\u201d Roan said, adding that \u201cI have deep respect and appreciation for the agents and staff who work tirelessly for their artists and I refuse to passively stand by. \u2026 This decision reflects my belief that meaningful change in our industry requires accountability and leadership that earns trust.\u201d<\/p>\n Other artists, including the alt-country singer Orville Peck and Best Coast singer and solo artist Bethany Cosentino, left Wasserman or demanded a change in leadership this week as well.<\/p>\n \u201cWe are tired of learning, over and over, that men who control access, resources, money and so-called safety in our industry are given endless grace,\u201d Cosentino said. \u201cWe are tired of being asked to treat proximity to something horrific as an unfortunate situation we should simply move past \u2014 especially when the person involved still holds all the power.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cIn light of the recent findings regarding Casey Wasserman, I have made the decision to no longer be represented by Wasserman talent agency,\u201d Peck wrote on Instagram. \u201cI leave with a huge amount of compassion for the rest of the agents and staff at the agency, who are being left with a situation that impacts all of our work and livelihoods.\u201d<\/p>\n For now, the agency still has high-profile acts including Coldplay, Kendrick Lamar and Ed Sheeran on its roster. But the company recently took down the page on its website listing its talent. Representatives for several top-tier Wasserman acts like Tyler, the Creator declined to discuss plans for their future with the agency.<\/p>\n Outlets including the Wrap<\/a> and Hollywood Reporter<\/a> have reported that top agents including Duffy McSwiggin and Marty Diamond, who represent Joni Mitchell and Coldplay, among others, have led a staff revolt demanding Wasserman leave or sell the firm. (Diamond and McSwiggin could not be reached for comment.)<\/p>\n One outside executive told The Times that the team behind Phish and Dave Matthews Band, two of Wasserman\u2019s lucrative touring acts, could potentially be the next big departure. (Representatives for Phish and Dave Matthews Band, and Michael Greisch, who represents both acts at Wasserman, did not return messages seeking comment.)<\/p>\n Wasserman itself acquired and built its ranks from smaller talent firms like Paradigm starting in 2021. That made the sports exec Wasserman an instant music mogul, but he doesn\u2019t have deep ties beyond that in the music industry. Talent firms like UTA and WME are now \u201coffering jobs to anybody that will run out the door,\u201d one music executive said.<\/p>\n While all the executives interviewed expressed deep sympathy for agents dealing with the fallout from Wasserman\u2019s Epstein connections, the consequences for him are, so far, limited to his business and reputation. <\/p>\n