Wasserman Puts Agency Up for Sale After Epstein Files Emails Surface

Casey Wasserman put one of Hollywood’s biggest sports-marketing and talent-management firms up for sale after 2003 emails between him and Ghislaine Maxwell surfaced in the Epstein files, turning a personal reputational crisis into a test of how much damage elite clients, buyers and employees will tolerate.

Wasserman informed staff on Feb. 13, 2026, that he would sell the company because he had become a distraction. The decision came after weeks of intensifying scrutiny over the emails, which renewed attention on Wasserman’s ties to Maxwell even though he has not been accused of wrongdoing in connection with the disclosures. Wasserman, who also chairs the organizing committee for the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics, said he “deeply regrets” the emails.

The fallout spread quickly through the agency’s roster. Chappell Roan, Abby Wambach and Bethany Cosentino were among the artists and clients reported to be distancing themselves from the firm or calling for Wasserman to resign. Variety reported that the company’s music division faced a decision about its future as the backlash widened, underscoring how quickly reputational risk can become a valuation problem when talent begins to question the stability of a buyer’s brand.

The agency tried to draw a harder line between the business and its founder. Formerly known as Wasserman, it rebranded as The Team on March 9, 2026, and Wasserman’s name was removed from the company’s website and about page. Providence Equity, the private-equity owner, said it was “fully committed” to supporting the company through the transition and to keeping the business intact, including its music, sports, marketing and entertainment operations. The planned sale is expected to include Brillstein Entertainment Partners, which Wasserman acquired in 2023.

The episode has become a broader stress test for the networks that still shape Hollywood power. The company employs roughly 4,000 people, and its fate now carries implications far beyond one founder’s emails, touching client confidence, employee retention and whether a familiar name still carries a premium in a market where brand damage can move faster than deal terms. LA28’s executive committee said Wasserman should continue leading the Olympic effort, but the agency’s sale suggests the market is already pricing in a new reality, one in which legal exposure may be secondary to the harder-to-measure cost of being associated with scandal.