Casey Wasserman, the embattled mogul who is the face of the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics, is preparing to sell his talent agency, a surprising fall for a prominent figure in the worlds of sports and music.
In a memo to his staff on Friday, Wasserman acknowledged that his appearance in a batch of recently released documents related to late sex trafficker Jeffrey Epstein and his partner, Ghislaine Maxwell, had “become a distraction.”
Wasserman wrote in his memo that he was “heartbroken that my brief contact with them 23 years ago has caused you, this company and your customers so much hardship in recent days and weeks.”
Representatives for Wasserman did not immediately respond to requests for comment.
“I am deeply sorry that my past personal mistakes have caused you so much discomfort,” Wasserman wrote to his staff. “It's not fair to you or the customers and partners we represent so vigorously and care so much about.”
Wasserman's decision to divest from the business he founded more than two decades ago represents a notable shift for the mogul, who created one of the most successful sports and music agencies in Hollywood.
She is one of the first major entertainment figures to be ousted for her associations with Epstein after the release of a huge trove of documents in late January.
Following in the footsteps of his legendary grandfather, Lew Wasserman, a Hollywood titan who transformed the MCA studio into a powerhouse that was acquired by Universal Pictures, Casey expanded his sports and talent agency through a series of savvy acquisitions. He created the company's music division after purchasing the Paradigm agency in 2021.
Today, the company has around 4,000 employees and a deep roster of talent. It represents major musical acts including Coldplay, Kendrick Lamar, Ed Sheeran and Tyler, the Creator. The agency's sports division represents women's soccer star Alex Morgan, WNBA players Paige Bueckers, Breanna Stewart and Brittney Griner, NBA player Klay Thompson and swimmer Katie Ledecky.
Wasserman faced growing pressure within his company to resign following the disclosure of the sexually charged emails with Maxwell.
Over the past two weeks, artists like Chappell Roan and athletes like soccer star Abby Wambach announced they were leaving Wasserman's eponymous Los Angeles-based talent agency.
“I know what I know and I follow my instincts and my values,” Wambach wrote on Instagram. “I will not participate in any trade deals under his leadership… He should go, so more people like me don't have to.”
Talent and agents were said to be furious about Wasserman's past communications with Maxwell, and had planned to resign if he stayed, sources told The Times earlier this week.
Some experts speculated that Wasserman could spin off his music division, which faced much more internal pressure from agents and public criticism from artists, and maintain his long-standing sports agency while running LA28. However, his associations with Epstein and Maxwell proved unsustainable for him in the company that bears his name.
Wasserman told his staff that Mike Watts, a longtime company executive, would assume day-to-day management of the company while he begins the sales process.
The Wall Street Journal first reported on Wasserman's staff memo.
Wasserman plans to remain in his position at the head of the LA28 Olympic Committee, which has supported him.
In a recent statement, LA28 noted that the saucy emails with Maxwell were sent after a humanitarian mission to Africa two decades “before Mr. Wasserman or the public knew of Epstein and Maxwell's deplorable crimes… This was his only interaction with Epstein.”
“The Executive Committee of the Board has determined that, based on these facts, as well as the strong leadership he has demonstrated over the past ten years, Mr. Wasserman should continue to lead LA28 and deliver a safe and successful Games,” concluded LA28.
The messages to Maxwell were part of a massive trove of Epstein-related documents that the Justice Department made public this month.
In them, Wasserman wrote to Maxwell, who now serves a long prison sentence for child sex trafficking, “I thought we would start at that place you know and then continue with the massage concept in your bed… and then again in the morning… I'm not sure if or when we would stop.”
She responded: “Umm, all that rubbing, are you sure you can handle it? The thought, frankly, leaves me a little breathless. There are some points that apparently drive a man crazy. I suppose I could practice them on you and you could tell me if they work or not.”
Wasserman issued a statement saying: “I deeply regret my correspondence with Ghislaine Maxwell that took place more than 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 took a humanitarian trip as part of a Clinton Foundation delegation in 2002 on Epstein's plane. I deeply regret having any association with any of them.”
After the disclosure of Epstein's latest documents, lawyers, art museum executives, a former ambassador of the United Kingdom and National Security Advisor of Slovakia They have resigned, apologized or stepped down from senior positions. Britain's King Charles III stripped his brother Andrew of his princely title and position in the royal family after earlier revelations of his involvement.
