LA28 Olympics organizers called a meeting Wednesday to discuss chairman Casey Wasserman’s future with the committee, deciding that he “should continue to lead” the org despite growing outcry over his appearance in the Epstein files.
“The Executive Committee of the Board has determined that based on these facts, as well as the strong leadership he has exhibited over the past 10 years, Mr. Wasserman should continue to lead LA28 and deliver a safe and successful Games,” the board, which consists of figures like Jeffrey Katzenberg, Jeanie Buss, Kevin McCarthy and Jessica Alba, said in a statement Wednesday. O’Melveny & Myers LLP provided outside council for the decision.
The session came amid growing calls for Wasserman to step down from LA28 after the entertainment mogul’s history with Ghislaine Maxwell was laid bare with racy emails in last week’s Epstein files release. Personal ties to the late sex offender Jeffrey Epstein’s crimes were not immediately evidenced in the email drop.
His namesake agency Wasserman has also seen several high-profile clients cut ties with their representation, including Grammy winner Chappell Roan and as of Wednesday morning musician Weyes Blood and soccer star Abby Wambach, among others. Indie rock outfit Wednesday said earlier this week they are “extracting” themselves from Wasserman over his Epstein ties. And last week, the frontwoman for the band Best Coast, Bethany Cosentino, called on Wasserman to step down from the agency over his emails to Maxwell.
Internal turmoil at the agency additionally saw an effort for Wasserman to buy a number of agents out or remove himself as CEO, TheWrap exclusively reported Sunday.
A group of music agents at Wasserman are demanding that the founder and CEO step down from the company, according to two individuals who spoke to TheWrap — among them music agents Duffy McSwiggin, SVP of Music at Wasserman, and senior agent Marty Diamond. The agents have presented Wasserman with an ultimatum to sell them the music business and leave or they will leave the agency themselves, according to the individuals. Wasserman, originally a sports-focused agency, acquired the music business from Paradigm in 2021.
The Wall Street Journal first reported the news of Wednesday’s LA28 meeting.
Read the board’s full statement following that meeting, first shared by Deadline, below:
LA28 takes allegations of misconduct seriously, and our Board is committed to thoroughly reviewing any concerns related to the organization’s leadership.
With the assistance of outside counsel at O’Melveny & Myers LLP, a review was conducted of Mr. Wasserman’s past interactions with Jeffrey Epstein and Ghislaine Maxwell. Mr. Wasserman fully cooperated with the review.
We found Mr. Wasserman’s relationship with Epstein and Maxwell did not go beyond what has already been publicly documented.
Twenty-three years ago, before Mr. Wasserman or the public knew of Epstein and Maxwell’s deplorable crimes, Mr. Wasserman and his then-wife flew on a humanitarian mission to Africa on Epstein’s plane at the invitation of the Clinton Foundation. This was his single interaction with Epstein. Shortly after, he traded the publicly-known emails with Maxwell.
The 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.
