Thousands of Activists Join Music Heavyweights and L.A. Mayor Bass: Epstein-Enabler Casey Wasserman Has No Business Leading 2028 Olympics Committee

For Immediate Release: February 18, 2026
Contact: media@fwdshift.com

The petition to the organizing committee of the Los Angeles 2028 Olympics demands that Wasserman be removed from his role as chairman. 

UltraViolet, a leading national women-led gender-justice organization responsible for numerous impactful victories against sexual predators like Harvey Weinstein, R Kelly, and Bill O’Reilly, released the following statement after the launch of a petition demanding talent mogul Casey Wasserman be removed as chairman of the Los Angeles 2028 Olympics Committee for his connections to serial child predators Jeffrey Epstein and 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.”

Wasserman was among a string of powerful men named in the Epstein files. Recent releases by the U.S. Justice Department reveal his intimate relationship with Epstein and Maxwell, as Wasserman helped them find the best places to stay in Los Angeles while in town. It was Maxwell, in particular, who Wasserman wrote, telling her that he missed her and “…can we book that massage now?”—a chilling request given Maxwell’s role as lead recruiter of Epstein’s victims. Maxwell would scour colleges, art schools, spas, fitness centers, and resorts in and around Palm Beach County, under the pretense that she was hiring young women and girls to give massages to wealthy and powerful men. In reality, these supposed lucrative gigs often turned into harrowing, traumatic experiences, with Epstein and other men frequently sexually assaulting Maxwell’s young recruits.

All told, Epstein and Maxwell groomed, trafficked and sexually abused at least 1,000 survivors.

“Epstein and Maxwell actually left behind countless shattered lives: At least three Epstein survivors have committed suicide or died from drug overdoses, and hundreds of now-adult women to this day are grappling with trauma and picking up the pieces of their lives,” Batista said. “These heinous crimes were made possible by rich and powerful people like Wasserman lending Epstein and Maxwell social and professional credibility.”

News of Wasserman’s ties to Epstein and Maxwell has caused celebrity clients to leave the Wasserman Agency in droves (most recently Grammy-award musician Chappell Roan and soccer star Abby Wambach)—it’s also brought scrutiny on the talent mogul’s role as chairman of the Los Angeles 2028 Olympic Committee. This week, Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass called for Wasserman to “step down” from the committee. And while Bass herself may not have the power to remove Wasserman, the Olympics executive committee does.

“We cannot wait for or depend upon Epstein enablers like Wasserman to grow a conscience or take actual responsibility for their actions. Accountability starts with us and our efforts,” Batista said. “Any excuses for keeping Wasserman on the board are empty and a slap in the face to survivors everywhere.”

UltraViolet has been a leading voice in the movement to hold abusers accountable and end gender-based violence, fighting alongside survivors and achieving victories against sexual predators like Harvey Weinstein, Bill O’Reilly, and Andrew Tate. At a time of heightened backlash against survivors and political attacks on the rights and freedoms of women across the country, efforts to hold powerful men accountable are more crucial than ever.

The organization’s latest petition demands that the Olympics executive committee do the right thing and drop Wasserman.

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UltraViolet Education Fund is a women-led gender justice 501c3 organization, with an online community of hundreds of thousands of members nationwide. We combine organizing, technology, creative campaigning, and people power to win real-world changes for women and gender-expansive people.