Bethany Cosentino Of Best Coast Calls On Wasserman Ceo To Step Down, Artists Leave Agency

Emails between the CEO of talent agency Wasserman Group, Casey Wasserman, and Ghislaine Maxwell appeared in the latest release of the Epstein files. On February 5, Bethany Cosentino of Best Coast posted an open letter on Instagram calling for Wasserman to step down, that the agency change its name, and that her name and Best Coast’s be removed from the website. Her statement reads in part, ”Ghislaine Maxwell is not a neutral character in a messy story — she is a convicted sex trafficker who helped facilitate the abuse of minors. 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. Casey's response, that these emails are 'deeply regretted,' 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. 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. This letter is my public refusal to accept that this is 'just how things are.' It is a refusal to continue lining the pockets of people so closely tied to shady business and toxic, deeply harmful people. I do not want my name on the website of a man who was ever a personal friend of an accomplice to a literal pedophile, or associated with Jeffrey Epstein himself.” Cosentino is referencing the statement that Wasserman sent out to multiple news outlets (including The Athletic) which reads in part, “I deeply regret my correspondence with Ghislaine Maxwell which took place over two decades ago, long before her horrific crimes came to light. 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.” Multiple artists on the agency’s roster, including Beach Bunny, Automatic, Alexis Krauss of Sleigh Bells, and Water From Your Eyes have released statements on social media. Wednesday, Sylvan Esso, Chappell Roan, Chelsea Cutler, and Samia have announced that they are leaving the agency. Wednesday’s Instagram post reads in part, ”It’s also important that we acknowledge the team of people we work with at the Wasserman agency as decent and trustworthy people with whom we’ve worked with for several years dating back to a time prior to their connection with Wasserman. Given the circumstances we feel strongly that we need to begin the process of extracting ourselves from Wasserman. Continuing to be represented by a company led by and named after Casey Wasserman goes against our values and cannot continue. For the sake of his staff we hope that he steps down from the company and it is rebranded, but until that happens or we find a new home at a new agency we will not continue to be associated with Wasserman.” Chappell Roan announced her departure from the agency in an Instagram story that reads, ”As of today, I am no longer represented by Wasserman, the talent agency led by Casey Wasserman. 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. I have a deep respect and appreciation for the agents and staff who work tirelessly for their artists and I refuse to passively stand by. Artists deserve representation 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.” As of today, February 10, the music roster on the Wasserman website has been replaced with a contact form. You can see the posts from the artists in full below.