Casey Wasserman to sell talent agency after Epstein fallout

Prominent US agent Casey Wasserman is selling his talent company after documents linking him to Jeffrey Epstein and Ghislaine Maxwell were published in the US.

Several high-profile clients, including singer Chappell Roan, quit the firm this week after it emerged he flew on Epstein's private plane and exchanged flirtatious emails with Maxwell in 2003.

Wasserman said in an company-wide email sent on Friday that he had "become a distraction" as he announced he has begun the process to sell the major LA-based agency.

The 51-year-old, who has also resisted calls to stand down from his role as chair of the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics, previously said he had no "personal or business relationship" with Epstein.

"I'm deeply sorry that my past personal mistakes have caused you so much discomfort," Wasserman wrote to the agency's 4,000 employees in the email, which was obtained by the BBC.

He continued: "It's not fair to you, and it's not fair to the clients and partners we represent so vigorously and care so deeply about."

Wasserman said he "deeply regrets" his discussions with Maxwell, who is serving a 20-year prison sentence for facilitating the sexual abuse of teenage girls by Epstein.

He said his email exchanges with Maxwell "took place over two decades ago, long before her horrific crimes came to light".

Wasserman has not been accused of wrongdoing by any of Epstein's victims and the appearance of his name in the files does not imply criminal activity of any kind.

Earlier this week, LA28 said Wasserman would remain chairman of the 2028 games after organisers reviewed his past interactions with Maxwell.

They found his relationship did not go further than the exchanges that had already been documented and that he had fully co-operated with an investigation.

The LA28 board said in a statement that Wasserman and his then-wife flew on a humanitarian mission to Africa on Epstein's plane at the invitation of the Clinton Foundation in 2003.

The board said the journey was long before "Wasserman or the public knew of Epstein and Maxwell's deplorable crimes".

"This was his single interaction with Epstein. Shortly after, he traded the publicly-known emails with Maxwell," the statement continued.

A number of stars have have walked away from Wasserman's agency in recent days.

Chappell Roan announced that she would no longer be working with Wasserman in an Instagram post on Tuesday.

She said: "No artist, agent or employee should ever be expected to defend or overlook actions that conflict so deeply with our own moral values."

Roan did not specifically mention the Epstein-related documents in her statement.

Other musical artists have announced their plans to exit Wasserman's agency, including country music singer-songwriter Orville Peck, North Carolina-based rock band Wednesday, and singer-songwriter Weyes Blood.

Former US football player Abby Wambach also said she was leaving the agency, saying: "I know what I know and I am following my gut and values. I will not participate in any business arrangement under his leadership."