Casey Wasserman told employees of his talent agency on Friday that he will sell the company and end his involvement in the business, which has become very controversial since emails he sent back in 2003 appeared in the latest round of the Epstein files.
The boss of the Wasserman agency - which includes a big music division - said in a memo, “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”.
Longtime agency executive Mike Watts will now lead day-to-day operations at the company, an appointment that has been backed by Providence Equity, which became an investor in the Wasserman company in 2022 and which now owns a majority stake in the business.
A Providence spokesperson told Variety, “We believe deeply in the strength of the company and have full confidence in Mike and the leadership team, as well as in the exceptional employees across the organisation”.
Wasserman’s announcement has led to speculation that other major talent agencies may look to buy some or all of his company's operations, including CAA and WME.
Though for now Providence says, “We remain fully committed to investing in the company’s growth, expanding its capabilities across sports, music and entertainment, and supporting the extraordinary talent, brands and properties the company is proud to represent”.
The 2003 emails were between Wasserman and Jeffrey Epstein accomplice and convicted sex trafficker Ghislaine Maxwell. Although flirtatious in nature, the messages did not relate to any criminal conduct. In a previous statement expressing regret about the emails, Wasserman was keen to stress that they were sent “long before Maxwell’s horrific crimes came to light”.
Wasserman’s sports marketing and talent management company entered the music industry in 2021 when it bought the US music division of the Paradigm talent agency, subsequently also acquiring the Paradigm UK music agency, which was originally known as Coda.
After the US government released the latest round of documents from the Epstein files late last month, and Wasserman’s emails with Maxwell came to light, a number of musicians represented by his agency expressed concern publicly. Some called on Wasserman to stand down while others - including Chappell Roan, Bethany Cosentino and Dropkick Murphys - announced they were quitting the agency in protest.
Given it’s usually relatively easy for artists to change booking agents - and if any Wasserman agent was to quit, they could take their rosters with them - it became increasingly urgent for Wasserman to respond in order to stop his agency from collapsing. Which is presumably what motivated last Friday’s memo.
Wasserman is also Chair of the committee overseeing the 2028 Olympic Games in Los Angeles. His colleagues on the board of the games last week said he should retain that role and, in Friday’s memo to his agency’s employees, he said he would now focus on that work.
