The Wasserman Exodus Is a Different Kind of Reckoning
What happens when artists, rather than fans, must choose whether to ignore bad behavior.
Talent agency mogul Casey Wasserman has shown up in the latest dump of the Epstein Files. In emails to Ghislaine Maxwell—Jeffrey Epstein’s main accomplice in trafficking underage girls—from 2003, Wasserman wrote, “Where are you, I miss you,” before playfully asking to book a massage. In another email Wasserman, who was married at the time, asks, "So, what do I have to do to see you in a tight leather outfit?” The Department of Justice has not accused Wasserman of any wrongdoing, but his association with Maxwell, who is currently serving 20 years on sex trafficking charges, has led to broad calls for his resignation from his various posts.
Wasserman runs a talent agency employing 4,000 people, and representing many top athletes, actors, and musicians. One could make the argument that his own personal conduct is not a reflection of his employees’ values, and isn’t a reason to leave good agents behind. But precisely because his power is so vast and unchecked, the only people who have the leverage to incite change are those with a public platform: the very artists who make Wasserman money.
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