Chappell Roan has joined a group of artists walking away from music talent agency Wasserman Group following the revelation of risqué emails exchanged between its founder Casey Wasserman and convicted sex offender Ghislaine Maxwell in the latest tranche of Jeffrey Epstein files released by the Justice Department.
“As of today, I am no longer represented by Wasserman, the talent agency led by Casey Wasserman. I hold my teams to the highest standards and have a duty to protect them as well,” wrote Roan in an Instagram Stories post on Monday, Feb. 9. “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.”
Roan, who has championed for better health insurance and treatment of artists during her 2025 Grammys speech, added on Monday’s announcement that “Artists deserve representation that aligns with their values and supports their safety and dignity.” The musician ended her note by saying the decision “reflects my belief that meaningful change in our industry requires accountability and leadership that earns trust.”
Last week, Best Coast’s Bethany Cosentino, Wednesday, Water From Your Eyes, and Beach Bunny have also denounced the agency’s founder, with some threatening to walk away from the music group completely. The agency also wiped from its website its artist roster as of Sunday night (Feb. 8).
In a previous statement, Wasserman expressed regret over his association with Maxwell and Epstein. “I deeply regret my correspondence with Ghislaine Maxwell, which took place over two decades ago, long before her horrific crimes came to light,” he told The New York Times. “I never had a personal or business relationship with Jeffrey Epstein. 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.”
Reps for Wasserman and Roan did not immediately reply to Rolling Stone‘s requests for comment. Wasserman, the grandson of Hollywood agent Lew Wasserman, has not been charged with anything or accused of any wrongdoing by the Justice Department.
Los Angeles officials have called on Wasserman to resign as chairman of the organizing committee for the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics. “I think Casey Wasserman needs to step down,” L.A. County Supervisor Janice Hahn said in a statement to Rolling Stone. “Having him represent us on the world stage distracts focus from our athletes and the enormous effort needed to prepare for 2028.”
Tension has been building inside Wasserman for days, ever since the agency’s namesake appeared at the 2026 Winter Olympic Games in Milan, as part of his 2028 Olympic duties. But several sources tell Rolling Stone that Wasserman had already been confronted by executive leadership prior to the latest revelation (reports began circulating in 2024) and questioned about the nature of his relationship with Epstein. According to one person privy to the meeting, Wasserman assured his senior staff that “there’s nothing else” that would come out involving his implication or association with the Epstein-Maxwell trials. Then, the emails in the latest Epstein files dropped, leaving his closest associates feeling betrayed, says the source.
The evolution of Wasserman as one of Hollywood’s top agencies, with branches covering music, film, TV, sports, and brands, is itself a dramatic one. In 2021, Wasserman acquired the music business clients of Paradigm, leaving its film, television, and literary agents behind. In bolstering its live-music touring division, which now included Coldplay and Ed Sheeran, Wasserman instantly became a major player. A year later, it added Paradigm’s U.K. music clients to the roster (Roan was signed out of England), along with influential agencies AM Only, CODA and Windish.
But the breakup of Paradigm left some scars. Many agents had been working together for many years, and entered into the Wasserman era with some sadness, if not trepidation. Wasserman “came in as a white knight to save them, and they succeeded,” says one industry insider. Still, artists are fickle when it comes to their agencies, and it’s not uncommon to jump from one shop to another. Billie Eilish was one such defector, moving to WME in 2024 (which had represented the singer in film and TV since 2023), citing a desire to have all her projects at one agency. In exiting, she and brother Finneas said in a statement from their rep that they were “grateful to their former live booking agents at Wasserman.”
“It was a Frankenstein company, made up of many different units and silos,” says the insider of Wasserman. Compared to WME and CAA, and even UTA in recent years, its weakness in film and TV has limited the agency’s impact in Hollywood, despite having giants of music, like Dave Matthews Band and Phish, on its roster. As for what happens next, Wasserman’s top music agents, which include Marty Diamond, Sam Hunt, Jonathan Levine, Jackie Nalpant and Lee Anderson, could break off to form a new agency; artists could see an opportunity to jump ship to a rival agency; or Wasserman could step down, allowing for name change and a fresh start. “It’s all up in the air,” says the insider.
