No longer at Wasserman.
Photo-Illustration: Vulture; Photos: Getty Images (Dana Jacobs, Taylor Hill)
A cavalcade of celebrities are leaving the Wasserman Agency over its CEO Casey Wasserman’s connections in the released Epstein emails and files. Wasserman, who is also the chairman of the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics, is seen in the files flirting with Ghislaine Maxwell via email between 2001 and 2003. “I think of you all the time. So, what do I have to do to see you in a tight leather outfit?” he asked Maxwell, who was later convicted of child sex trafficking, in one message. Now, some of the artists that the Wasserman Agency represents are leaving. Others are calling for him to step down. Vulture reached out to the Wasserman Agency for comment but did not hear back.
“I deeply regret my correspondence with Ghislaine Maxwell which took place over two decades ago, long before her horrific crimes came to light,” Wasserman said in a February 1 statement to the New York Times. “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.”
According to independent journalist Alissa Walker, 11 Los Angeles officials have asked for Wasserman to step down from the step down from the Olympics committee — including controller Kenneth Mejia and Councilwoman Nithya Raman, who recently announced her run for mayor. “I think Casey Wasserman needs to step down,” L.A. County supervisor Janice Hahn told the LA Times. “Having him represent us on the world stage distracts focus from our athletes and the enormous effort needed to prepare for 2028.” The Los Angeles Olympics 2028 Executive Board released a statement in support of Wasserman.
Below, all the artists departing Wasserman, or calling Casey out specifically, over his relationship to powerful, terrible people.
Dropkick Murphys are shipping up to new reps. The band released a statement on Instagram stories indicating that they’d left Wasserman. “We love our agents. They are great partners. We signed with them years before they merged with Wasserman.,” they said. “It saddens us to part ways with them, but the namesake of the agency is in the Epstein files so…We GONE.”
Indie-rock band Beach Bunny called on Wasserman to resign from the Agency in a February 9 post. “We are demanding for Wassermann to remove himself and his name from the agency, ‘deep regrets’ are not enough,” they wrote.
Bethany Cosentino, a member of the indie band Best Coast, was the first artist to leave the agency due to Wasserman. “It has come to my attention that the founder and CEO of my agency, Casey Wasserman, had a documented romantic relationship with Ghislaine Maxwell between the years of 2001 and 2003, and multiple documented connections and communications with Jeffrey Epstein confirmed by emails now part of public record,” she wrote on Instagram on February 6. She added, “Staying quiet isn’t something I can do in good conscience – especially in a moment when men in power are so often protected, excused, or allowed to move on without consequence. Pretending this isn’t a big deal is not an option for me.”
The alternative-pop singer Chelsea Cutler left Wasserman on February 10. “While I am grateful for my day-to-day team at the agency, I cannot in good conscience be a complicit participant and remain silent witnessing their unethical actions,” she wrote on Instagram. “It is our responsibility as artists to take any possible opportunity to exercise our personal agency and stand for what we believe in.”
Alexis Krauss of the band Sleigh Bells posted a lengthy explanation as to her choice not to leave Wasserman. “Would I love to just leave Wasserman Music?” she asked, per Pitchfork. “Yes I would. Can we? No, because I love and respect our agent and I trust him to make the decision that is best for himself, his family, and his artists. The agents at Wasserman are not the villains.”
Gay country star Orville Peck confirmed his departure on February 11. “My heartfelt thanks goes out to my personal team, some of whom I have respected, trusted and worked with for close to a decade,” he wrote in an Instagram post. “I 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.”
Best New Artist winner Chappell Roan left the Wasserman Agency on February 9. “I hold my teams to the highest standards and have a duty to protect them as well,” she wrote on her Instagram Story. “No artist, agent or employee should ever be expected to defend or overlook actions that conflict so deeply with our own moral values.”
DJ and electronic music producer Salute confirmed on X that they’re out: “i’m looking to leave wassermann btw and if you’re on their roster you should chat to your agent about doing the same,” they wrote on February 7.
Electronic-music act Sylvan Esso left Wasserman as well. “We have been with our amazing agent for our entire career (since way before Wasserman acquired their former company in 2021), but she is just one of hundreds of brilliant agents, assistants and other employees whose lives have been completely upended by both his behaviour and his inability to be accountable for his actions,” the group wrote on Instagram stories.
Olympian and podcaster Abby Wambach confirmed that she left Wasserman on February 11. “I know what I know, and I am following my gut and my values,” she wrote. “I will not participate in any business arrangement under his leadership. I also need to say this: I’m grateful to my agent who I’ve known for almost 20 years and trust. Casey should resign.”
The alternative band Water From Your Eyes posted about their connection to Wasserman on February 10, though they did not officially depart Wasserman. The band and their manager have “no interest in being affiliated with Casey.” “We trust our booking agents and are waiting to understand what our options are,” they wrote.
Indie-rock duo Wednesday posted that they are leaving Wasserman on February 10. “Given the circumstances we feel strongly that we need to begin the process of extracting ourselves from Wasserman,” they wrote. “Continuing to be represented by a company led by and named after Casey Wasserman goes against our values and cannot continue.”
Indie-pop star Weyes Blood confirmed that she will no longer work with Wasserman in a February 11 Instagram Story. “I have immense respect and affection for my booking agents, who are unfairly bearing the impact of the situation over at my booking agency, Wasserman,” she wrote. “As I continue conversations with them about their futures, I want to be unequivocally clear: I will not be remaining with Wasserman.”
Frontowman of Bully Alicia Bognanno said on Intagram that cutting ties with Wasserman was an “Easy decision.” And that there was no amount of money that could keep her or her band on the roster: “I’ve worked at a gas station before and I’ll do it again if I need to.”
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