Who is Casey Wasserman? Mogul, LA 2028 Olympics chair to sell talent agency after Epstein files controversy

Casey Wasserman announced on Friday that he was selling the company as he had become a “distraction” to the business he founded 24 years ago, The Rolling Stone reported.

The announcement came after the revelation in the recently-released Epstein Files about emails exchanged between the founder of the Wasserman Group talent agency, Casey Wasserman, and Jeffrey Epstein associate Ghislaine Maxwell.

What did Wasserman say?

In a memo sent to Wasserman agency employees and reviewed by Rolling Stone, Casey Wasserman apologised for his “past personal mistakes [that] have caused you so much discomfort.”

Wasserman wrote, “I’m heartbroken that my brief contact with them 23 years ago has caused you, this company, and its clients so much hardship over the past days and weeks.”

He continued, “It’s not fair to you, and it’s not fair to the clients and partners we represent so vigorously and care so deeply about.”

He acknowledged the “pain experienced by the victims of Jeffrey Epstein and Ghislaine Maxwell is unimaginable."

Casey Wasserman also reiterated claims that his interactions with Epstein were limited, a humanitarian trip, as part of a delegation with the Clinton Foundation in 2002 and “a handful of emails that I deeply regret sending.”

The founder praised the agency’s 4,000 employees, calling them “the absolute best in the business” and said their clients “expect – and deserve – world-class representation.”

‘I have become a distraction’

As reported by The Rolling Stone, Wasserman announced, “At this moment, I believe that I have become a distraction to those efforts. That is why I have begun the process of selling the company, an effort that is already underway.”

He informed that in the interim, Mike Watts will assume day-to-day control of the business.

Wasserman, the chairman of LA28 Olympic committee

Wasserman still serves as the chairman and president of the LA28 Olympic Committee.

In the memo, he stated that he will devote his “full attention to delivering Los Angeles an Olympic Games in 2028 that is worthy of this outstanding city.”

The LA28 executive committee said on Wednesday that Wasserman will continue leading preparations for the Summer Games despite calls for him to step down.

Who is Casey Wasserman?

Casey Wasserman, 51, is said to be a kingpin in sports and media management.

His name emerged in the most recent batch of files and documents released by the US Department of Justice as part of the investigation related to convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein.

Wasserman is the founder and CEO of Wasserman, a global sports marketing and talent agency with clients such as Adam Sandler, Brad Pitt and Katie Ledecky, The USA Today reported.

He is considered a prominent Democratic Party donor and serves as a trustee for the Clinton Foundation.

Wasserman is also the chairman of the 2028 Los Angeles Olympic Games.

Wasserman graduated from the University of California, Los Angeles in 1996, and started his career in sports and talent management, the report added.

What did Epstein Files reveal?

The recent batch of Epstein files reportedly showed emails exchanged between Wasserman and Maxwell years ago.

According to The Rolling Stone, Wasserman asked Maxwell in one of the messages, “What do I have to do to see you in a tight leather outfit?”

In a separate message dated April 1, 2003, he asked, “Where are you, I miss you. I will be in nyc for 4 days starting april 22…can we book that massage now?”

Maxwell wrote back, “All that rubbing – are you sure you can take it?” and, “There are a few spots that apparently drive a man wild – I suppose I could practise them on you.”

Maxwell mentioned being in Brazil and asked Wasserman if he had ever been. He responded, “Never…take me!”

Maxwell was convicted of conspiring with sex offender Epstein to sexually abuse minors between 1994 and 2004.