Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass doesn’t agree with the 2028 Olympic Committee’s decision to keep Casey Wasserman on as the chairman, after it was discovered that he is in the Epstein files. “I cannot fire him,” Mayor Bass told CNN on Monday night. “I do have an opinion. My opinion is that he should step down.” Only the Los Angeles committee board can make decisions about its members, and they agreed to keep Wasserman on board. In the emails, it was discovered he had a flirtatious relationship with Ghislaine Maxwell, who was Jeffrey Epstein’s accomplice in his crimes. “We found Mr. Wasserman’s relationship with Epstein and Maxwell did not go beyond what has already been publicly documented,” the board shared in a statement on February 11. “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.”
“The board made a decision,” Bass concluded. “I think that decision was unfortunate. I don’t support the decision. I do think that we need to look at the leadership. However, my job as mayor of Los Angeles is to make sure that our city is completely prepared to have the best Olympics that has ever happened in Olympic history.”
Casey Wasserman, the chairman of the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics organizing committee, is selling his eponymous talent agency in the wake of the release of emails between himself and Ghislaine Maxwell.Wasserman’s emails with Maxwell were revealed by his appearance in recently released government files on Jeffrey Epstein. Wasserman, whose agency represents some of the top pop music artists in the world, has not been accused of any wrongdoing.The recently released documents revealed that in 2003 he swapped flirtatious emails with Maxwell, who would years later be accused of helping Epstein recruit and sexually abuse his victims. Wasserman said in a Friday evening memo to his staff that he has begun the process of selling the company, according to a company spokesperson who provided the memo to The Associated Press.Wasserman’s memo to staff said that he felt he had become a distraction to the company’s work.”During this time, Mike Watts will assume day-to-day control of the business while I devote my full attention to delivering Los Angeles an Olympic Games in 2028 that is worthy of this outstanding city,” the memo stated.The memo arrived days after the LA28 board’s executive committee met to discuss Wasserman’s appearance in the Epstein files. The committee said it and an outside legal firm conducted a review of Wasserman’s interactions with Epstein and Maxwell with Wasserman’s full cooperation.The committee said in a statement: “We found Mr. Wasserman’s relationship with Epstein and Maxwell did not go beyond what has already been publicly documented.” The statement also said Wasserman “should continue to lead LA28 and deliver a safe and successful games.”Wasserman has said previously that he flew on a humanitarian mission to Africa on Epstein’s private plane at the invitation of the Clinton Foundation in 2002. Exchanges between Wasserman and Maxwell in the files include Wasserman telling Maxwell: “I think of you all the time. So, what do I have to do to see you in a tight leather outfit?”His agency, also called Wasserman, has lost clients over the Maxwell emails. Singer Chappell Roan and retired U.S. women’s soccer legend Abby Wambach are among them.Wasserman said in his memo to staff that his interactions with Maxwell and Epstein were limited and he regrets the emails.”It was years before their criminal conduct came to light, and, in its entirety, consisted of one humanitarian trip to Africa and a handful of emails that I deeply regret sending. And 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,” the memo said.
LOS ANGELES —
Casey Wasserman, the chairman of the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics organizing committee, is selling his eponymous talent agency in the wake of the release of emails between himself and Ghislaine Maxwell.
Wasserman’s emails with Maxwell were revealed by his appearance in recently released government files on Jeffrey Epstein. Wasserman, whose agency represents some of the top pop music artists in the world, has not been accused of any wrongdoing.
The recently released documents revealed that in 2003 he swapped flirtatious emails with Maxwell, who would years later be accused of helping Epstein recruit and sexually abuse his victims. Wasserman said in a Friday evening memo to his staff that he has begun the process of selling the company, according to a company spokesperson who provided the memo to The Associated Press.
Wasserman’s memo to staff said that he felt he had become a distraction to the company’s work.
“During this time, Mike Watts will assume day-to-day control of the business while I devote my full attention to delivering Los Angeles an Olympic Games in 2028 that is worthy of this outstanding city,” the memo stated.
The memo arrived days after the LA28 board’s executive committee met to discuss Wasserman’s appearance in the Epstein files. The committee said it and an outside legal firm conducted a review of Wasserman’s interactions with Epstein and Maxwell with Wasserman’s full cooperation.
The committee said in a statement: “We found Mr. Wasserman’s relationship with Epstein and Maxwell did not go beyond what has already been publicly documented.” The statement also said Wasserman “should continue to lead LA28 and deliver a safe and successful games.”
Wasserman has said previously that he flew on a humanitarian mission to Africa on Epstein’s private plane at the invitation of the Clinton Foundation in 2002. Exchanges between Wasserman and Maxwell in the files include Wasserman telling Maxwell: “I think of you all the time. So, what do I have to do to see you in a tight leather outfit?”
His agency, also called Wasserman, has lost clients over the Maxwell emails. Singer Chappell Roan and retired U.S. women’s soccer legend Abby Wambach are among them.
Wasserman said in his memo to staff that his interactions with Maxwell and Epstein were limited and he regrets the emails.
“It was years before their criminal conduct came to light, and, in its entirety, consisted of one humanitarian trip to Africa and a handful of emails that I deeply regret sending. And 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,” the memo said.
Providence Equity is aiming to calm the waters within the Wasserman agency after Friday night’s surprise news that the firm will be put up for sale and founder Casey Wasserman will leave amid the furor over his appearances in the Epstein files.
Casey Wasserman’s position as a leader in media and sports has been rocked by revelations as part of the Justice Department’s Epstein files disclosures that Wasserman had an intimate relationship with Ghislaine Maxwell in 2003, years before she was convicted of sex trafficking through her long association with convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein.
Wasserman’s appearance in the Epstein files document dump, despite the consensual nature of his exchanges with Maxwell, has set off a firestorm among some of the clients represented by Wasserman’s sports, marketing and entertainment units. As the leader of Los Angeles’ Olympics organizing body, LA28, Casey Wasserman has also come under pressure from Southern California political and civic leaders to step down from his Olympics post. This controversy comes about 18 months after he weathered a tabloid-driven scandal revolving around accusations that he engaged in inappropriate office relationships.
Rhode Island-based Providence Equity became an investor in the Wasserman agency in late 2022 and now owns a majority of the firm, which encompasses management heavyweight Brillstein Entertainment Partners. Now, as Casey Wasserman leaves, Providence is understood to be committed to keeping the company intact while it considers options for the long haul. That includes M&A possibilities to enhance and expand its operations.
On Friday night, Casey Wasserman named Wasserman president Mike Watts as the company’s interim leader during the transition. On Saturday, Providence pledged its support for Watts and its faith in the agency’s future.
“We believe deeply in the strength of the company and have full confidence in Mike and the leadership team, as well as in the exceptional employees across the organization,” a Providence Equity spokesman said. “We remain fully committed to investing in its growth, expanding its capabilities across sports, music, and entertainment, and supporting the extraordinary talent, brands and properties the company is proud to represent.”
The Friday night surprise sent plenty of talent reps at rival firms pouring over Wasserman’s imprints to look for opportunities. There was much speculation about whether the industry’s largest firms — CAA, WME, UTA — will contend for any parts of Wasserman, or whether another monied player will jump in with Providence.
Multiple high-ranking agents were still reeling Saturday over Wasserman’s decision to divest in his company. Others were incredulous that Wasserman used his parting memo to his staff as an attempt to solidify his Olympics gig.
“It’s like a child deciding which toy he’ll give up as punishment,” said one veteran motion picture talent agent. Yet Wasserman’s favor to stay atop LA28 was sealed earlier this week when the board issued a statement of support. His biggest advocate on the LA28 board, multiple sources said, is former DreamWorks chief Jeffrey Katzenberg — a mogul with plenty of local political connections who seems “hellbent” on breaking the fall for Wasserman, one source observed.
“He hasn’t violated any law that we know of,” said a top Hollywood dealmaker, speaking on the condition of anonymity. “But when you couple this with the scandal from a year ago, you see a pattern of behavior. The sleaze factor is too high, and no client wants to be near that.”
Leadership in Wasserman’s sports, music and talent management businesses were previously reported to be negotiating directly with Casey Wasserman’s capital partner Providence, in an effort to rescue the assets as one bundle. While Wasserman’s music artists were largely responsible for pressuring him to step away, the actor-heavy Brillstein Entertainment Partners would inevitably have come under scrutiny. It’s only been a year since Emma Stone moved to Brillstein with manager Doug Wald. Much less for Sydney Sweeney, whose longtime talent agent, Jennifer Millar, made the pivot to management and relocated to Brillstein in December. There’s no doubt that female stars the stature of Stone and Sweeney would have felt the heat had Casey Wasserman not bowed out.
Bethany Cosentino, the frontwoman of L.A. band Best Coast, has called on Casey Wasserman — the founder and CEO of her agency, Wasserman Music — to step down over his appearance in the Epstein files.
In an open letter posted to Instagram on Thursday night, Cosentino — who has been represented by Wasserman since its expansion into music in 2021 — pointed out Wasserman’s 2003 correspondence with Ghislaine Maxwell, who was found guilty of child sex trafficking in connection to Epstein and sentenced to 20 years in prison in 2022.
“As an artist represented by Wasserman, I did not consent to having my name or my career tied to someone with this kind of association to exploitation,” she wrote. “Staying quiet isn’t something I can do in good conscience — especially in a moment when men in power are so often protected, excused, or allowed to move on without consequence. Pretending this isn’t a big deal is not an option for me.”
Wasserman’s emails to Maxwell were flirtatious in nature — with one email asking, “So, what do I have to do to see you in a tight leather outfit?” — but did not point to any wrongdoing. After the emails came to light earlier this week, Wasserman — who is also the chairman of the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics committee — issued an apology.
“I deeply regret my correspondence with Ghislaine Maxwell which took place over two decades ago, long before her horrific crimes came to light,” Wasserman said. “I never had a personal or business relationship with Jeffrey Epstein. As is well documented, I went on a humanitarian trip as part of a delegation with the Clinton Foundation in 2002 on the Epstein plane. I am terribly sorry for having any association with either of them.”
However, Cosentino said that this is not enough. “Regret without accountability is just damage control — an attempt to move on while the rest of us are expected to sit with the discomfort of our careers being publicly tied to him,” she wrote. “Artists are tired of swallowing scandals like this. We are tired of learning, over and over, that men who control access, resources, money and so-called safety in our industry are given endless grace. We are tired of being asked to treat proximity to something horrific as an unfortunate situation we should simply move past — especially when the person involved still holds all the power. And we are tired of watching harm minimized or brushed off as ‘a long time ago,’ while the impact of that harm is still very real, especially for women and survivors of sexual assault.”
Cosentino said that she has asked to remove her and Best Coast’s name from the Wasserman Music website and demanded for him to step down and for the business to change its name. Representatives for Wasserman and Wasserman Music did not immediately respond to Variety‘s request for comment on Cosentino’s letter.
“I’m speaking out because pretending this is normal isn’t normal,” she continued. “Because people in power can’t keep skating by. And because the artists keeping the lights on at Wasserman deserve support, not to be ignored while men in power are protected. It is important for us as artists to remember: these people work for us, not the other way around.”
L.A. County Supervisor Janice Hahn, who is on the 2028 Olympics committee, has also called for Wasserman to resign from his position as chairman. “Having him represent us on the world stage distracts focus from our athletes and the enormous effort needed to prepare for 2028,” she told the L.A. Times.
The latest drop of the Epstein Files has revealed emails between the current chair of the Olympics and Ghislaine Maxwell
The most recent drop of investigative files from Jeffrey Epstein’s case is stirring controversy as Los Angeles prepares for the 2028 Olympic Games. Provocative emails between the Chair of the LA28 Olympics, Casey Wasserman, and Ghislaine Maxwell, Epstein’s accomplice, were released on Friday.
In the emails between Wasserman and Maxwell, sent in March and April of 2003, the two carried on in flirtatious exchanges and discussed traveling to each other’s respective cities.
“So what do I have to do to see you in a tight leather outfit?” Wasserman wrote.
Wasserman, the CEO of Wasserman, a sports marketing and talent agency, was married to Laura Ziffren at the time the emails were sent. Aside from the emails, Wasserman’s name can also be found on flight logs from Epstein’s private aircraft.
Following the release from the Department of Justice, Wasserman stated he regrets the communications with Maxwell, saying he never had any ties to Epstein aside from a “well-documented” humanitarian trip in which he used his private plane.
“I deeply regret my correspondence with Ghislaine Maxwell which took place over two decades ago, long before her horrific crimes came to light,” Wasserman stated.
L.A. County Supervisor Janice Hahn is now calling for the resignation of Wasserman.
“Having him represent us on the world stage distracts focus from our athletes and the enormous effort needed to prepare for 2028,” the 4th District supervisor stated.
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Wasserman is not the only high-profile name from the Epstein files with a role in the 2028 Olympic Games. President Donald Trump signed an executive order on Aug. 5, 2025, establishing the White House Task Force of the 2028 Summer Olympics and naming himself chair.
In response, Wasserman publicly gifted Trump a full set of original 1984 Olympic Medals to commemorate the president’s new position. The 1984 Summer Olympics, during Ronald Reagan’s presidency, were the last time the Olympic Games were held in Los Angeles.
“Can I say that I won them athletically?” Trump joked during the White House ceremony, in which Wasserman laughed and responded, “Yes, sir.”
WASHINGTON — In past Olympic Games held on American soil, sitting presidents have served in passive, ceremonial roles. President Trump may have other plans.
An executive order signed by Trump on Tuesday names him chair of a White House task force on the 2028 Games in Los Angeles, viewed by the president as “a premier opportunity to showcase American exceptionalism,” according to a White House statement. Trump, the administration said, “is taking every opportunity to showcase American greatness on the world stage.”
At the White House, speaking in front of banners adding the presidential seal to the logo for LA28, Trump said he would send the military back to Los Angeles if he so chose in order to protect the Games. In June, Trump sent the National Guard and U.S. Marines to the city amid widespread immigration enforcement actions, despite widespread condemnation from Mayor Karen Bass and other local officials.
“We’ll do anything necessary to keep the Olympics safe, including using our National Guard or military, OK?” he said. “I will use the National Guard or the military. This is going to be so safe. If we have to.”
Trump’s executive order establishes a task force led by him and Vice President JD Vance to steer federal coordination for the Games. The task force will work with federal, state and local partners on security and transportation, according to the White House.
Those roles have been fairly standard for the federal government in past U.S.-hosted Olympic Games. But Trump’s news conference could present questions about whether a president with a penchant for showmanship might assume an unusually active role in planning the Olympics, set to take place in the twilight of his final term.
There is ample precedent for military and National Guard forces providing security support during U.S.-hosted Olympic Games. But coming on the heels of the recent military deployment to Los Angeles, Trump’s comments may prove contentious.
French President Emmanuel Macron was a key figure in preparations for last year’s Paris Games, including expressing his vocal support for the ambitious Olympic opening ceremony plan to parade athletes down the Seine River on boats. Many officials were concerned about potential threats along the 3.7-mile stretch, but authorities responded by increasing security measures that included up to 45,000 police officers and 10,000 soldiers.
The task force, to be housed within the Department of Homeland Security, will “assist in the planning and implementation of visa processing and credentialing programs for foreign athletes, coaches, officials, and media personnel,” the executive order said. City officials have expressed concern that the president’s border policies could deter international visitors and complicate visa processing for Olympic teams.
Tensions with L.A.
More concentrated involvement from Trump could spell further strain with Los Angeles city officials, who sought to make nice in the wake of devastating January fires, but have fiercely bucked Trump’s recent immigration offensive. Trump swiped at Bass during his remarks on Tuesday, calling her “not very competent” and criticizing the pace of city permitting for fire rebuilding.
“We’ve had a productive working relationship with the federal government since Los Angeles was awarded the Games in 2017 and we will continue preparing with all partners to host the best Games in history – Games that will benefit the entire nation for decades to come,” Bass spokesperson Zach Seidl said.
Known for her coalition-building skills, Bass is not, by nature, a public brawler. In the aftermath of the Palisades fire, she appeared determined to preserve her fragile relationship with the president — and the billions of dollars of federal aid her city was depending on — responding diplomatically even as he publicly attacked her.
But that determined cordiality crumbled when masked immigration agents and military personnel descended on the city. With troops stationed in the city and U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement and other federal authorities arresting undocumented immigrants at courthouses, car washes and Home Depot parking lots, Bass took on Trump forcefully.
At news conferences and in interviews, she accused the president of waging “an all-out assault on Los Angeles,” inciting chaos and fear and using the city as “a test case for an extremist agenda.”
Casey Wasserman, chairman of LA28, attended the White House event, thanking Trump for “leaning in” to planning for an Olympics that was awarded to Los Angeles during his first term.
“You’ve been supportive and helpful every step of the way,” Wasserman said, noting that the Games would amount to hosting seven Super Bowls a day for 30 days. “With the creation of this task force, we’ve unlocked the opportunity to level up our planning and deliver the largest, and yes, greatest Games for our nation, ever.”
Wasserman will also have a delicate political balancing act, managing a Games in a deep-blue city with a famously mercurial Republican president in office.
President Trump holds a full set of medals from the 1984 Olympics in Los Angeles during Tuesday’s event at which he announced an executive order regarding federal involvement in the 2028 Los Angeles Games.
(Julia Demaree Nikhinson / Associated Press)
A Hollywood scion and sports and entertainment mogul, Wasserman has long been a prominent Democratic donor known for his close relationship with the Clintons.
But in recent months he has diversified his giving, with hefty donations to the National Republican Senatorial Committee, the National Republican Congressional Committee and House Speaker Mike Johnson’s leadership fund. Wasserman has publicly praised Trump’s commitment to the Games and traveled to Mar-a-Lago in January to meet with the incoming president.
Presidents have long played a role in the Games. In 1984, Ronald Reagan formally opened the Summer Olympics in Los Angeles, becoming the first American president to do so. Reagan attended several Olympic events, but repeatedly emphasized the federal government’s role was focused on security, according to the White House Historical Assn.
The Olympic Charter requires the host country’s head of state to officially open the Games, but before Reagan, the duty had been fulfilled by local political leaders or vice presidents representing the president.
Ever-tightening security
The federal government has historically provided significant funding when the Games are hosted on U.S. soil, with financial support going toward both security and infrastructure.
Leading up to the 1996 Games in Atlanta, the federal government spent $227 million on security and transportation, playing “very much a junior partner” to the Olympic Committee, then-Vice President Al Gore said at the time. Still, a bombing at the Centennial Olympic Park during the Games that summer shook the security establishment.
The 2002 Winter Olympics in Salt Lake City were the first Games to be classified as a “National Special Security Event,” the government’s highest security rating for any event that designates the U.S. Secret Service as the lead agency for implementing security. That standard has remained in place for U.S.-held Olympic Games ever since. The Secret Service will also lead security coordination for the 2028 Games.
The federal government was particularly involved in the Salt Lake City Games, which were held just months after the 9/11 attacks.
Los Angeles leaders are actively involved in the security planning, and are currently in negotiations with LA28 for the use of the city’s police, traffic officers, and other employees during the Olympics and Paralympics.
Security, trash removal, traffic control, paramedics and more will be needed during the 17-day Olympics and the two-week Paralympics the following month.
Under the2021 Games agreement between LA28 and the city, LA28 must reimburse Los Angeles for any services that go beyond what the city would provide on a normal day. The two parties must agree by Oct. 1, 2025, on “enhanced services” — additional city services needed for the Games, beyond that normal level — and determine rates, repayment timelines, audit rights and other processes.
Overtime for Los Angeles police officers, and any other major expenses, would be acutely felt by a city government that recentlyclosed a nearly $1-billion budget deficit, in part by slowing police hiring.
Wilner reported from Washington, Wick and Nguyen from Los Angeles. Times staff writer Dakota Smith contributed to this report.