Thousands of Activists Sign Petition to Remove Casey Wasserman as Chairman of LA28

Women-led gender-justice organization UltraViolet demanded that Casey Wasserman be removed as chairman of LA28 in a petition signed by thousands of activists, the organization said Wednesday.

The petition called for the founder of his eponymous agency to step down from his post ahead of the 2028 Olympics. The petition, which launched Wednesday, had surpassed 5,250 signatures in just a few hours.

“We urge you to remove Casey Wasserman as Chair immediately,” the petition reads. “A person who enabled Jeffrey Epstein’s child abuse network shouldn’t lead the 2028 Olympics Committee. We don’t want someone who enabled one of the most notorious pedophiles of our time representing the U.S. on a world stage.”

This statement echoed sentiments shared by L.A. Mayor Karen Bass calling for the entertainment mogul’s removal after suggestive emails were leaked between him and convicted child sex trafficker Ghislaine Maxwell.

“No one who cavorted with Epstein and Maxwell should be allowed to represent us on a world stage like the 2028 Olympics,” said Elisa Batista, campaign director at UltraViolet. “This event is meant to showcase the best our country has to offer, not rehabilitate the reputation of a pedophile-enabler like Wasserman.”

The petition comes after several prominent names left Wasserman’s agency over his ties to Jeffrey Epstein’s confidante, Maxwell. Chappell Roan, Abby Wambach, Orville Peck and Laufey, among others, left the agency completely.

UltraViolet has been a leading voice in the “movement to hold abusers accountable and end gender-based violence,” the organization notes. They also played a key role in exposing the crimes of sexual predators like Harvey Weinstein, Bill O’Reilly and Andrew Tate.

Wasserman announced he will sell his nearly 40% stake in the company last week and that his agency will be renamed. Providence Equity Partners, which currently holds more than 60% of the sports and talent agency, said it supports the sports and talent rep’s leadership transition. People close to the situation told TheWrap that Wasserman has handed over the reins to Mike Watts and left the agency’s day-to-day operations.

The LA28 Olympic organizing committee supported Wasserman last week, deciding that he “should continue to lead” the org despite growing outcry over his appearance in the Epstein files. The board consists of figures like Jeffrey Katzenberg, Jeanie Buss, Kevin McCarthy and Jessica Alba, said in a statement Wednesday. O’Melveny & Myers LLP provided outside council for the decision.

Mayor Bass opposed this take, calling it “unfortunate” and placed blame on the other leadership. Bass also condemned Maxwell’s crimes as “abhorrent.”

Other local politicians, including L.A. County Supervisors Lindsey Horvath and Janice Hahn and Councilmember Hugo Soto-Martínez, followed suit by re-iterating their stances that Wasserman should resign from LA28.

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