The 2028 Summer Olympics chief is feeling the heat, and not from the giant torch that just arrived in Los Angeles from Paris.
It’s been two weeks since a devastating tabloid report about Casey Wasserman, the grandson of Hollywood dealmaker Lew Wasserman, accused the talent agency owner of having “serial” relationships with junior employees over the course of several years. The reported abuses — which Wasserman has not commented on — have alarmed stars, political figures and industry insiders as the Paris Games ended last weekend and Los Angeles took over. It has also drawn attention to his company, which represents music powerhouses Kendrick Lamar and Chappelle Rowan and athletes including Megan Rapinoe and Russell Westbrook.
First and foremost for Wasserman is the loss of Billie Eilish, a star client who jumped ship on Tuesday. The “Birds of a Feather” singer and her brother Finneas will now be represented by rival WME across the board.
When the Daily Mail published its August 1 story describing Wasserman as a “serial cheater” — and naming former and current employees he was accused of having sexual relationships with — it referred to him as the “mastermind” behind the careers of Eilish and bands like Coldplay. Three high-profile sources told Eilish and her team they were “appalled” by their inclusion in the story. diverse.
Two sources familiar with the matter said Eilish had little personal knowledge of Wasserman himself. She was long represented by Tom Windisch, an agent in the music division of the now-defunct Paradigm talent agency (which Wasserman acquired and renamed in 2021). The star and her advisers had no interest in becoming involved with the agency after the report, the sources added.
“While grateful to their former direct booking agents at Wasserman, Billie Eilish and Finneas O’Connell have chosen to work with the same agency, WME, for their film, television and music portfolio moving forward,” a spokesperson for Eilish said. diverseWasserman did not comment on the matter.
Three sources said Eilish and her team wanted to pull out of Wasserman’s client list immediately after the Daily Mail report, but her involvement in the closing ceremony of the Paris Olympics complicated matters. Not only was Wasserman’s name on the door at the company representing her, but Eilish was also being recruited to perform alongside the Red Hot Chili Peppers and Snoop Dogg for NBC’s closing ceremony. In what one insider called the “handover piece,” cameras moved from Paris to pre-taped concert performances on the beaches of Long Beach, California. Two days after Eilish’s performance aired, WME acquired the rest of her business.
Multiple sources within LA28, a nonprofit organization, were upset by the Daily Mail report, sources said. The story specifically named Patricia Fu, a former aide to NBCUniversal CEO Ron Meyer who later ran Wasserman’s office, as one of the employees who had an affair with him. Fu denied the affair with Wasserman to the Daily Mail. She spent nearly eight years working for Wasserman as his assistant before being named vice president of host city relations for LA28 in 2019, according to her LinkedIn page. Tax documents, according to the Daily Mail, revealed that Fu earns $350,000 a year.
A source close to Wasserman said Fu, a native of Inglewood, California, worked as a volunteer during Los Angeles’s bid process to host the Olympics. After the city won the bid, she and two other Wasserman employees were hired as full-time employees of LA28. The three’s compensation was reviewed by an independent consultant and approved by LA28’s board of directors, the source said.
An LA28 spokesperson did not comment on the matter, but confirmed that the organisation would not conduct an internal investigation into the Daily Mail report.
Over the decades he spent among the Los Angeles elite, Wasserman has maintained a carefully curated public profile. A Democratic supporter like his grandfather, Wasserman was more likely to be photographed on David Geffen’s yacht, The Rising Sun, than on any red carpet. Wasserman recently parted ways with his communications adviser of nearly 20 years, Melissa Zuckerman, who resigned in May.
His appearance this year has been particularly notable. His dazzling appearance at the Met Gala in May, which cost about $750,000 for a table according to a source who wrote a similar check, secured a table for Wasserman and his girlfriend Jenny Chandler to rub shoulders with models, movie stars and Anna Wintour.D The Gatsby-themed Christmas party at the Barker Hangar in Santa Monica was widely covered for its indulgence in luxury—including a re-creation of the famous Beverly Hills restaurant Nate & Al’s, though the pop-up was named after Wasserman and his grandfather (“Lewin & Casey”). Imagine Dragons, a Wasserman client, performed. Bob Iger, Bill Clinton and Nancy Pelosi were all in attendance.
