Artist splits with agency amid Epstein files fallout
By: James Powel
USA today
..... Grammy Award-winning singer-songwriter Chappell Roan announced that she has dropped Wasseerman, the sports and entertainment agency led by CEO Casey Wasserman, amid fallout after the executive was mentioned in the latest batch of files from the investigation of late financier and sex offender Jeffrey Epstein.
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"No artist, agent or employee should be expected to defend or overlook actions that conflict so deeply with our own moral values," Roan said on her Instagram story on February 9. "I have deep respect and appreciation for the agents and staff who work tirelessly for their artists and I refuse to stand by."
..... Roan noted that "artists deserve representation that aligns with their values" and the decision "reflects my belief that meaningful change in our industry requires accountability and leadership that earns trust."
..... The agency, founded by the51-yar-old Wasserman, counts Adam Sandler, Brad Pitt and Katie Ledecky among its suits of high-profile clients across sports and entertainment USA Today reached out to Wasserman for a response and to Roan's business representatives for further comment.
..... In a January 31 [2026] statement, Wasserman acknowledged what appears to be a series of flinty and sexually suggestive emails he enchanted in 2003 with Ghisline Maxwell, who was sentenced to 20 years in prison in 2022 for her role in a scheme to sexually exploit and abuse multiple minor girls with the disgraced financier over the course of decade.
..... "I never had a personal or business relationship with Jeffery Epstein," Wasserman said in a statement. "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."
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He has not been charged in the criminal cases against Epstein and Maxwell.
..... Roan's decision comes as other artists in the agency have left the firm or demanded that Wasserman leave.
..... Best Coast singer Bethany Cosentino published an open letter on Instagram February 5, [2026] demanding Wasserman's resignation, saying "the position Casey Wasserman had put his agents in is inexcusable."
..... The band Beach Bunny posted a statement to social media on February 8, [2026] arguing that Wasserman;s actions are "abhorrent and disturbing on every level."
..... And the band Wednesday [02/04/2026]
announced its departure form Wasserman in a February 9 [2026] statement.
..... "Last week [02/04/2026] we were among the hundreds of artists who were aghast to find out about Casey Wasserman's miscommunications with Ghislaine Maxwell that were made public in the latest release of the Epstein files," the statement on Instagram reads. "We find Casey's attempts to deflect and dismiss this situation deeply troubling."
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Los Angeles County Supervisor Janice Hahn, California state Senator Lena Gonzalez, and a trio of city council members were among those who called for Wasserman to resigned as chairman of the LA28 Olympics committee, the Los Angeles Times reported earlier this month. [02/2026]
..... Maxwell was found guilty in 2021 by a jury in New York on changes including sex trafficking of a minor. She was arrested in 2020 after being accused by federal prosecutors of recruiting and grooming girls for sexual encounters with Epstein between 1994 and 2004, Reuters reported.
..... The U.S. Justice Department's release of millions of internal documents related to Epstein has shown his ties to many prominent people - both before and after he pleaded guilty in 2008 to prostitution charges, including soliciting an underage girl.
..... His 2019 death in a Manhattan jail cell was ruled a suicide.
..... Contributing: Mark Giannott, USA Today; Reuters