Chappell Roan Leaves Wasserman Music Amid Casey Wasserman Epstein Ties

Chappell Roan today (Feb. 9) announced she is no longer represented by Wasserman Music amid Wasserman founder and CEO Casey Wasserman’s appearance in the Epstein files published by the U.S. Department of Justice last Friday.

“As of today, I am no longer represented by Wasserman, the talent agency led by Casey Wasserman,” Roan wrote in a statement posted to her Instagram stories. “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. 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.”

What’s Next For Wasserman Music? Pressure Mounts For Leadership Change Following Ties To Epstein

Roan has been repped by Wasserman’s Kiely Mosiman and Jackie Nalpant. She is currently on tour in Australia, headlining Laneway Festival in New Zealand and Australia. Her 2025 touring featured a fall trek, “Visions of Damsels & Other Dangerous Things,” a pop-up run that featured four nights at Forest Hills Stadium in New York City, two nights at Kansas City, Missouri’s Museum and Memorial Park, and two nights at Brookside at the Rose Bowl in Pasadena, California.

According to sources familiar with the matter, many of the company’s music agents were blindsided by the release of the emails. The agency is in active talks of next steps.

Wasserman corresponded with Ghislaine Maxwell, with one exchange dated on March 14, 2003, “So what do I have to do to see you in a tight leather outfit?” In addition to his role as CEO of Wasserman, Casey Wasserman is serving as chairman of the 2028 Los Angeles Olympic Games.

Maxwell is currently serving a 20-year prison sentence for child sex trafficking due to her partnership with Jeffrey Epstein. 

In light of the email’s release, Wasserman released a statement saying, “I deeply regret my correspondence with Ghislaine Maxwell which took place over two decades ago, long before her horrific crimes came to light.” Wasserman emphasized he had “never had a personal or business relationship with Jeffrey Epstein.” Wasserman also shared in his statement that he had flown on Epstein’s private jet as part of a 2002 humanitarian trip with a Clinton Foundation delegation. “I am terribly sorry for having any association with either of them,” Wasserman said in his statement.

Wasserman acquired Paradigm Talent Agency’s North American live music representation business in April 2021, becoming Wasserman Music.

Following the news of Wasserman’s appearance in the files, several artists represented by Wasserman Music have taken to social media to express their concern. Bethany Cosentino of Best Coast also wrote a statement on Instagram on Friday. 

“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,” Bethany Cosentino of Best Coast said in a statement. “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.” 

Cosentino emphasized her loyalty to her current agent, Wasserman Music EVP and Managing Executive Sam Hunt. 

“I have worked with my agent, Sam Hunt, for over 15 years who has done incredible work in representing me,” she wrote. “I am in the Sam Hunt business. I am not in the Wasserman business. I have asked to remove my name and band’s name from the company site. The position Casey Wasserman has put his agents in is inexcusable. This is a call for him to step down and a change of business name to be imminent.” 

Syvan Esso also took to Instagram to share a statement, writing, “We, along with many other musicians, are leaving the Wasserman Agency. The revelations about Casey Wasserman are so reprehensible that we can no longer allow our work to have any association with him or his name. We have been with our amazing agent for our entire career (since way before Wasserman acquired their former company in 2021), but she is just one of the hundreds of brilliant agents, assistants, and other employees whose lives have been completely upended by both his behavior and his inability to be accountable for his actions. We don’t know yet where we’ll be next, but it will not be anywhere he is.”

Last year, Billie Eilish left the agency for WME, which was already representing her and her brother, Finneas O’Connell, in film and television. While the timing lined up with revelations over Wasserman’s alleged extramarital affairs, WME told Pollstar, “While grateful to their former live booking agents at Wasserman, Billie Eilish and Finneas O’Connell have opted to have film, TV and music handled by the same agency, WME, moving forward.”

As this story was going to press, Wednesday also announced on Instagram there too are intending to leave the agency.

Though it remains to be seen how this all plays out, several sources said that artists more often than not feel a loyalty to their individual agents and not necessarily the company they work for.