Chappell Roan is the latest artist to cut ties with talent agency Wasserman, after founder and CEO Casey Wasserman’s named appeared in the Jeffrey Epstein files.
Roan, who is currently in Australia for Laneway Festival, shared a statement to her Instagram stories on Tuesday (February 10th) confirming her decision stands as of today.
“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,” she wrote.
“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 representative 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.”
Chappell Roan’s Instagram story
Several other artists signed to Wasserman have left recently, amid calls for the CEO to step down after his name appeared in a tranche of Department of Justice documents related to convicted sex trafficker Jeffrey Epstein and accomplice Ghislane Maxwell.
The mogul’s company, which has a large A-list client roster of artists including Ed Sheeran, Coldplay, Imagine Dragons, Kasey Musgraves, Lorde, and Pharrell Williams, has been rocked by the release of the files, which surfaced Wasserman’s suggestive correspondence with Maxwell in 2003, three years before Epstein was first arrested in Florida on a count of soliciting prostitution.
LA-based Best Coast frontwoman Bethany Cosentino is among those who have spoken out, having shared an open letter on social media urging Wasserman to quit. “I’m speaking out because pretending this is normal isn’t normal. Because people in power can’t keep skating by,” she wrote.
Love Music?
Get your daily dose of everything happening in Australian/New Zealand music and globally.
North Carolina rock band Wednesday also made a statement online about their decision to cut ties. “Last week, we were among the hundreds of artists who were appalled to find out about Casey Wasserman’s communications with Ghislaine Maxwell that were made public in the latest release of the Epstein files,” the band wrote.
As did Water From Your Eyes, an experimental rock duo from New York, who said they and their manager, Nik Soelter, have “no interest in being affiliated with Casey Wasserman” and are “waiting to understand what our options are” moving forward.
Per Pitchfork, others affiliated with the agency, such as Beach Bunny, Salute, and a group of music agents at the company, have also threatened to resign.
