Note: This article contains descriptions of alleged sexual misconduct.

Bethany Cosentino has shared an open letter calling on Casey Wasserman—the founder and CEO of her agency, Wasserman—to step down after his name and old emails appeared in the Jeffrey Epstein files. The documents, released by the Justice Department on January 30, contain intimate messages exchanged by Wasserman and Ghislaine Maxwell, Epstein’s longtime companion, throughout 2003, per The New York Times. In 2021, a New York court convicted Maxwell of conspiring with Epstein to recruit and sexually traffic minor girls; she is currently serving a 20-year sentence in federal prison.

Wasserman Music has represented Cosentino and her band Best Coast since 2021. In her statement, Cosentino demanded Wasserman change its name, and said she has requested to remove both her and Best Coast’s names from the agency’s website. “Ghislaine Maxwell is not a neutral character in a messy story—she is a convicted sex trafficker who helped facilitate the abuse of minors,” Cosentino wrote. “I did not consent to having my name or my career tied to someone with this kind of association to exploitation.” (Pitchfork has reached out to Wasserman, his agency, and Cosentino for comment.)

Cosentino described her statement as a “refusal to continue lining the pockets of people so closely tied to shady business and toxic, deeply harmful people.” She added: “Artists are not interchangeable assets. We are people. Many of us are women. Many of us, myself included, are survivors. We deserve systems that let us work without asking us to compromise our values in exchange for opportunity.”

In his own statement to the press, shared on February 1, Wasserman said: “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.”

Per Variety, Wasserman’s communication with Maxwell included an email where Maxwell offers to give Wasserman a massage, and another where Wasserman writes to her: “I think of you all the time. So, what do I have to do to see you in a tight leather outfit?” The files indicate that Wasserman and Maxwell remained in contact after a September 2002 flight to Africa, which former president Bill Clinton reportedly organized to conduct HIV research. A 2003 Vanity Fair report noted that Epstein, Maxwell, Wasserman, billionaire Ron Burkle, Kevin Spacey, and Chris Tucker were among those on board.

Wasserman founded his eponymous talent management company in 2002, and launched Wasserman Music in 2021. Wasserman Group oversees hundreds of high-profile musicians and sports players; artists currently on the roster include Kendrick Lamar, Coldplay, Skrillex, Chappell Roan, Animal Collective, Wet Leg, the Knife, and Geese. Wasserman is also the chairman of the planned 2028 Summer Olympics in Los Angeles. During a press conference on February 4, International Olympic Committee President Kirsty Coventry said she had “nothing to add” to Wasserman’s statement on the files, per the Los Angeles Times.

In 2024, Billie Eilish and her brother Finneas left Wasserman Music for WME shortly after a Daily Mail report alleged Wasserman had engaged in inappropriate relationships with multiple female subordinates. Wasserman and his company did not comment on the allegations at the time.

Read Cosentino’s full statement below.

My name is Bethany Cosentino. I am a singer/songwriter, an activist, a mother, and the frontwoman of the band Best Coast. I have been represented by Wasserman Music since its expansion into music in 2021.

It has come to my attention that the founder and CEO of my agency, Casey Wasserman, had a documented romantic relationship with Ghislaine Maxwell between the years of 2001 and 2003, and multiple documented connections and communications with Jeffrey Epstein confirmed by emails now part of public record. 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. Staying quiet isn’t something I can do in good conscience – especially in a moment when men in power are so often protected, excused, or allowed to move on without consequence. Pretending this isn’t a big deal is not an option for me.

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. We are tired of being asked to treat proximity to something horrific as an unfortunate situation we should simply move past – especially when the person involved still holds all the power. And we are tired of watching harm minimized or brushed off as “a long time ago,” while the impact of that harm is still very real, especially for women and survivors of sexual assault.

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. I have worked with my agent, Sam Hunt, for over 15 years who has done incredible work in representing me. I am in the Sam Hunt business. I am not in the Wasserman business. I have asked to remove my name and band’s name from the company site. The position Casey Wasserman has put his agents in is inexcusable. This is a call for him to step down and a change of business name be imminent.

Artists are not interchangeable assets. We are people. Many of us are women. Many of us, myself included, are survivors. We deserve systems that let us work without asking us to compromise our values in exchange for opportunity.

I’m speaking out because pretending this is normal isn’t normal. Because people in power can’t keep skating by. And because the artists keeping the lights on at Wasserman deserve support, not to be ignored while men in power are protected. It is important for us as artists to remember: these people work for us, not the other way around.

If you or someone you know has been affected by inappropriate sexual behavior, we encourage you to reach out for support:

RAINN Hotline
http://www.rainn.org
1 800 656 HOPE (4673)

Crisis Text Line
http://www.facebook.com/crisistextline(chat support)
SMS: Text “HERE” to 741-741