Casey Wasserman, the embattled sports and entertainment mogul who is the face of the Los Angeles 2028 Olympics, is preparing to sell his namesake talent agency. <\/p>\n
In a letter to his staff on Friday, Wasserman acknowledged that his appearance in a recently-released batch of documents related to the late sex trafficker Jeffrey Epstein and his deputy Ghislaine Maxwell had \u201cbecome a distraction,\u201d and he was \u201cheartbroken 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.\u201d <\/p>\n
Representatives for Wasserman did not immediately return for requests for comment. <\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019m deeply sorry that my past personal mistakes have caused you so much discomfort,\u201d Wasserman wrote to staff. \u201cIt\u2019s not fair to you, and it\u2019s not fair to the clients and partners we represent so vigorously and care so deeply about.\u201d<\/p>\n
Over the last two weeks, artists including Chappell Roan and athletes like soccer star Abby Wambach announced they would leave Wasserman\u2019s eponymous Los Angeles-based talent agency<\/a> that he founded over two decades ago.<\/p>\n \u201cI know what I know, and I am following my gut and my values,\u201d Wambach wrote on Instagram<\/a>. \u201cI will not participate in any business arrangement under his leadership\u2026He should leave, so more people like me don\u2019t have to.\u201d<\/p>\n Wasserman told staff that Mike Watts, a longtime company executive, would assume day-to-day management of the firm while he begins the process of selling it. <\/p>\n Wasserman\u2019s grandfather, Lew Wasserman, was a Hollywood titan who built the studio MCA into a powerhouse that acquired Universal Pictures. Casey Wasserman\u2019s sports and talent agency, also built through a series of savvy acquisitions, has about 4,000 employees . <\/p>\n Wasserman plans to stay in his position leading the LA28 Olympic committee, which has stood by him. In a recent statement, LA28 noted that the racy emails with Maxwell were sent following a humanitarian mission to Africa two decades \u201cbefore Mr. Wasserman or the public knew of Epstein and Maxwell\u2019s deplorable crimes…This was his single interaction with Epstein.\u201d <\/p>\n \u201cThe Executive Committee of the Board has determined that based on these facts, as well as the strong leadership he has exhibited over the past ten years, Mr. Wasserman should continue to lead LA28 and deliver a safe and successful Games.\u201d<\/p>\n The newly-revealed messages to Maxwell were part of a massive trove of Epstein-related documents made public by the Department of Justice.<\/p>\n In them, Wasserman wrote <\/a>to Maxwell, who is now serving a lengthy prison sentence<\/a> for sex trafficking of minors, \u201cI thought we would start at that place that you know of, and then continue the massage concept into your bed \u2026 and then again in the morning \u2026 not sure if or when we would stop.\u201d<\/p>\n