Laufey has left Wasserman amid the tumult of Casey Wasserman‘s inclusion in the Epstein Files, multiple sources tell The Hollywood Reporter.
It’s unclear whether the Grammy-winning Icelandic jazz pop singer is leaving due to the scandal or if she was already planning a departure before the controversy had surfaced in the past few weeks. One source told THR of her impending departure before Wasserman announced his plans to sell his agency on Friday night.
Laufey is currently on tour in Europe and hasn’t released any comment about the agency since the controversy began. Laufey is managed by Foundations, the same management firm for superstar Chappell Roan, who remains the biggest act to leave the agency amid the fallout.
Regardless of the rationale, any further losses for Wasserman hurt the company, which is looking to retain as much value as possible while it’s currently up for sale. And while it’s commonplace for artists to look for new representation even in a normal climate, Wasserman would ideally need to retain as many of its acts as it can given that it will likely be harder to bring on new clients amid the chaos.
Reps for Laufey didn’t respond to multiple requests for comment.
Dozens of acts including Roan, Orville Peck, John Summit and Wednesday announced they’d either left or threatened to leave the agency over Wasserman’s inclusion in the Epstein Files, where 20-year-old flirty emails between him and Ghislaine Maxwell had surfaced. On the sports side, retired soccer star Abby Wambach also confirmed she was leaving.
“No artist, agent or employee should ever be expected to defend or overlook actions that conflict so deeply with our own moral values,” Roan said last week on social media.
In a memo obtained by THR on Friday night, Wasserman confirmed his intent to sell his eponymous agency, telling staffers that he had “become a distraction” from his company’s daily operations. He called his interactions with Epstein and Maxwell “limited.”
“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,” Wasserman said. “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.”
Wasserman said his focus would turn full-time to his work as chair of the organizing committee for the 2028 Olympics in Los Angeles. Last week, the board confirmed it would continue to back Wasserman, though on Monday, LA mayor Karen Bass said Wasserman should step down from his post.
“The board made a decision. I think that decision was unfortunate,” Bass said. “I don’t support the decision. I do think that we need to look at the leadership.”