Orville Peck, a country music artist nominated for a Juno award, has decided to part ways with his talent agency following revelations that the agency’s founder, Casey Wasserman, was linked to convicted sex trafficker Ghislaine Maxwell in emails over 20 years ago. Peck announced his departure from Wasserman talent agency on Instagram, expressing gratitude to his team whom he has collaborated with for nearly a decade.
The decision to leave the agency comes after other musicians like Chappell Roan and the indie-rock band Wednesday also left, attributing their departures to Wasserman’s association with the agency. Wasserman’s flirtatious emails to Maxwell were disclosed in the files, prompting his apology for the exchanges, clarifying that the interactions occurred before Maxwell’s criminal activities were exposed.
Maxwell is currently serving a prison sentence for involvement in child sex trafficking connected to Jeffrey Epstein. Grammy- and Juno-winning artist Allison Russell showed support for Peck by reposting his announcement on her Instagram story with heartfelt emojis. Roan emphasized the importance of artists having representation that aligns with their values and prioritizes their well-being.
Additionally, North Carolina’s Wednesday band shared their decision to part ways with Wasserman on social media, stating that continuing the association contradicted their values. Several Canadian musicians, such as Daniel Caesar and Shawn Mendes, are also under Wasserman’s representation.