Casey Wasserman Sells Talent Agency Following Emails with Ghislaine Maxwell Exposed
Hollywood talent agent Casey Wasserman, whose clients include stars such as Chappell Roan, Ed Sheeran, and Kendrick Lamar, announced Friday he will sell his talent and marketing agency after suggestive emails with Ghislaine Maxwell—the girlfriend of late financier and sex offender Jeffrey Epstein—were exposed in the recent dump of documents by the Department of Justice.
In a memo to employees, Wasserman stated he felt he had “become a distraction” to the agency’s work and that the company was impacted by his “past personal mistakes.” He apologized for causing discomfort, saying it was “not fair to you, and it’s not fair to the clients and partners we represent so vigorously and care so deeply about.”
Wasserman confirmed longtime executive Mike Watts will take over leadership of the agency while he continues serving as chairman for the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics. His decision follows pressure from high-profile talent—including Roan, the Dropkick Murphys, and soccer legend Abby Wambach—leaving the agency’s services.
The agency’s board determined that Wasserman’s relationship with Maxwell “did not go beyond what has already been publicly documented.” Wasserman, grandson of famed Hollywood dealmaker Lew Wasserman, founded his self-named talent agency over 20 years ago and built it into one of the nation’s largest sports-marketing firms with approximately 4,000 employees.
Epstein documents revealed that in 2002, Wasserman and his then-wife traveled on Epstein’s private jet to Africa for HIV/AIDS project sites, accompanied by Maxwell, Epstein, former President Bill Clinton, and others. A 2020 report indicated an emergency physician on the trip described several young women aboard the flight—among them a model, ballerina, and masseuse—for reasons he did not understand.
Wasserman acknowledged participating in the 2002 trip after communications with Maxwell were disclosed but insisted he “never had a personal or business relationship with Jeffrey Epstein.” In his memo, he regretted the emails and described the 2002 journey as “years before their criminal conduct came to light,” adding 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.”
