Chappell RoanArtists such as Chappell Roan, the Dropkick Murphys, Best Coast’s Bethany Cosentino, and more are among the acts who have announced their departure from talent agency Wasserman Music after the company’s namesake was linked to emails in the recently-released Epstein files.
Los Angeles-born Casey Wasserman founded the eponymous Wasserman Group in 1998, focusing on talent management and marketing in the world of sport. Wasserman Music was founded in 2021, and currently boasts a substantial roster, including myriad international names such as Coldplay, Ed Sheeran, and Lorde.
Last week, however, the latest batch of files related to disgraced financier and convicted sex trafficker Jeffrey Epstein were released by the US Department Of Justice. These files included correspondence from Wasserman and Ghislaine Maxwell, a convicted child sex trafficker and accomplice of Epstein.
While Wasserman has not been accused of any inappropriate or illegal behaviour, the correspondence – which dates back to 2003 – between him and Maxwell was met with surprise and concern from the entertainment industry.
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In the wake of the correspondence coming to light, Wasserman issued a statement to the New York Times. “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.
Additionally, he outlined he “never had a personal or business relationship with Jeffrey Epstein,” pointing out that he had, however, gone 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,” he concluded.
However, Wasserman’s regret was not enough for a number of the acts on the Wasserman Music roster, who have since announced that they have departed the company in the wake of this correspondence coming to light.
The most notable of these is Chappell Roan, who took time out of her current visit to Australia for the Laneway Festival, to announce the news.
“As of today, I am no longer represented by Wasserman, the talent agency led by Casey Wasserman,” Roan wrote in an Instagram Story.. “I 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.
“I have deep respect and appreciation for the agents and staff who work tirelessly for their artists and I refuse to passively stand by,” she continued. “Artists deserve representation that aligns with their values and supports their safety and dignity. This decision reflects my belief that meaningful change in our industry requires accountability and leadership that earns trust.”
The first artist to lead those in the mass exodus from Wasserman Music was Bethany Cosentino, the frontwoman of indie outfit Best Coast, who has been with the company since 2021.
“As an artist represented by Wasserman, I did not consent to having my name or my career tied to someone with this kind of association to exploitation,” Consentino wrote on social media over the weekend.
“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.”
Consentino added:
Artists are tired of swallowing scandals like this. We 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. We are tired of being asked to treat proximity to something horrific as an unfortunate situation we should simply move past — especially when the person involved still holds all the power. And we are tired of watching harm minimized or brushed off as ‘a long time ago,’ while the impact of that harm is still very real, especially for women and survivors of sexual assault.
Other acts exiting Wasserman Music include Wednesday, who noted that “continuing to be represented by a company led by and named after Casey Wasserman goes against our values and cannot continue,” and the Dropkick Murphys, who stated that “It saddens us to part ways with [our agents], but the namesake of the agency is in the Epstein files so…we GONE.”
As Billboard points out, further acts such as Orville Peck, Sylvan Esso, Alexis Krauss of Sleigh Bells, and Rachel Brown of Water From Your Eyes have also cut ties with Wasserman Music.
