Los Angeles Mayor Calls on LA28 Chairman Casey Wasserman to Step Down Over Epstein Files
Mayor Karen Bass broke with the LA28 board on Monday, publicly stating Casey Wasserman should resign as Olympics chairman after emails with Ghislaine Maxwell surfaced in the Epstein document release.
Feb 17, 2026, 03:35 AM
On a Presidents' Day when most of Los Angeles was enjoying a long weekend, Mayor Karen Bass delivered a political bombshell that could reshape the leadership of the 2028 Summer Olympics. In a televised interview on CNN, Bass called on Casey Wasserman — the entertainment mogul who has spent a decade steering the city's Olympic bid — to step down as chairman of the LA28 organizing committee L.A. Mayor Karen Bass Now Says Casey Wasserman Should “Step Down” From LA28 Amid Epstein Files Backlashhollywoodreporter.com·SecondaryLos Angeles Mayor Karen Bass is calling on Casey Wasserman to step down as chairperson of LA28 after some emails of his surfaced in the Department of Justice’s Jeffrey Epstein document release. During an interview on CNN Monday, the mayor said, “I cannot fire him, but I have an opinion. And my opinion is that he should step down. That’s not the opinion of the board..
"I cannot fire him, but I have an opinion. And my opinion is that he should step down," Bass told CNN anchor Dana Bash, in her most forceful public statement yet on a controversy that has engulfed Wasserman since late January L.A. Mayor Karen Bass Now Says Casey Wasserman Should “Step Down” From LA28 Amid Epstein Files Backlashhollywoodreporter.com·SecondaryLos Angeles Mayor Karen Bass is calling on Casey Wasserman to step down as chairperson of LA28 after some emails of his surfaced in the Department of Justice’s Jeffrey Epstein document release. During an interview on CNN Monday, the mayor said, “I cannot fire him, but I have an opinion. And my opinion is that he should step down. That’s not the opinion of the board.. The remarks represent a sharp departure from the mayor's position just days earlier, when she said decisions on LA28 leadership "must be made by the LA28 Board" L.A. Mayor Karen Bass Now Says Casey Wasserman Should “Step Down” From LA28 Amid Epstein Files Backlashhollywoodreporter.com·SecondaryLos Angeles Mayor Karen Bass is calling on Casey Wasserman to step down as chairperson of LA28 after some emails of his surfaced in the Department of Justice’s Jeffrey Epstein document release. During an interview on CNN Monday, the mayor said, “I cannot fire him, but I have an opinion. And my opinion is that he should step down. That’s not the opinion of the board.. What prompted the reversal remains unclear, though the mounting political pressure from fellow Democrats and at least one challenger for her own office likely factored into the timing.
The crisis traces back to January 30, when the U.S. Department of Justice released a massive trove of documents related to the late financier Jeffrey Epstein. Among them were emails between Wasserman and Ghislaine Maxwell, the convicted sex trafficker and Epstein associate, dating to 2003 L.A. Mayor Karen Bass Now Says Casey Wasserman Should “Step Down” From LA28 Amid Epstein Files Backlashhollywoodreporter.com·SecondaryLos Angeles Mayor Karen Bass is calling on Casey Wasserman to step down as chairperson of LA28 after some emails of his surfaced in the Department of Justice’s Jeffrey Epstein document release. During an interview on CNN Monday, the mayor said, “I cannot fire him, but I have an opinion. And my opinion is that he should step down. That’s not the opinion of the board.. The correspondence, described as "flirtatious" in media reports, predated Epstein's first arrest in Palm Beach by several years, but immediately drew intense public scrutiny given Maxwell's subsequent conviction for recruiting and trafficking underage girls Wasserman Loses LA Mayor’s Support For LA28 Job Over Epstein Files Revelations: “He Should Step Down”deadline.com·SecondaryKaren Bass can’t fire Casey Wasserman as the head of Los Angeles’ 2028 Olympic Games, but she wants the soon-to-be former agency boss out ASAP. “My opinion is, is that he should step down,” LA Mayor Bass said this Presidents’ Day on CNN. “That’s not the opinion of the board,” the reelection seeking incumbent added of the unanimous backing that Wasserman recieved from his handpicked LA Olympics board on February 11..
Wasserman has maintained that his contact with the Epstein circle was limited. He has said he "never had a personal or business relationship with Jeffrey Epstein," aside from a 2002 philanthropic flight to Africa on Epstein's plane alongside former President Bill Clinton and others L.A. Mayor Karen Bass Now Says Casey Wasserman Should “Step Down” From LA28 Amid Epstein Files Backlashhollywoodreporter.com·SecondaryLos Angeles Mayor Karen Bass is calling on Casey Wasserman to step down as chairperson of LA28 after some emails of his surfaced in the Department of Justice’s Jeffrey Epstein document release. During an interview on CNN Monday, the mayor said, “I cannot fire him, but I have an opinion. And my opinion is that he should step down. That’s not the opinion of the board.. The 2003 emails with Maxwell, he has acknowledged, were a mistake he "deeply regrets" L.A. Mayor Karen Bass Now Says Casey Wasserman Should “Step Down” From LA28 Amid Epstein Files Backlashhollywoodreporter.com·SecondaryLos Angeles Mayor Karen Bass is calling on Casey Wasserman to step down as chairperson of LA28 after some emails of his surfaced in the Department of Justice’s Jeffrey Epstein document release. During an interview on CNN Monday, the mayor said, “I cannot fire him, but I have an opinion. And my opinion is that he should step down. That’s not the opinion of the board.. He has not been accused of any criminal wrongdoing, and no allegations have emerged that he participated in or had knowledge of Epstein's or Maxwell's trafficking activities.
The LA28 executive board responded to the initial revelations by commissioning an outside law firm to review Wasserman's interactions with Maxwell and Epstein. On February 11, the board issued a unanimous statement of support, concluding that Wasserman's "relationship with Epstein and Maxwell did not go beyond what has already been publicly documented" L.A. Mayor Karen Bass Now Says Casey Wasserman Should “Step Down” From LA28 Amid Epstein Files Backlashhollywoodreporter.com·SecondaryLos Angeles Mayor Karen Bass is calling on Casey Wasserman to step down as chairperson of LA28 after some emails of his surfaced in the Department of Justice’s Jeffrey Epstein document release. During an interview on CNN Monday, the mayor said, “I cannot fire him, but I have an opinion. And my opinion is that he should step down. That’s not the opinion of the board.. The board determined that his "strong leadership" over the past decade warranted his continuation at the helm of the organizing committee, citing his role in securing the Games for Los Angeles and building the institutional infrastructure needed to deliver them Wasserman Loses LA Mayor’s Support For LA28 Job Over Epstein Files Revelations: “He Should Step Down”deadline.com·SecondaryKaren Bass can’t fire Casey Wasserman as the head of Los Angeles’ 2028 Olympic Games, but she wants the soon-to-be former agency boss out ASAP. “My opinion is, is that he should step down,” LA Mayor Bass said this Presidents’ Day on CNN. “That’s not the opinion of the board,” the reelection seeking incumbent added of the unanimous backing that Wasserman recieved from his handpicked LA Olympics board on February 11..
But Bass made clear Monday that she disagreed with that judgment. "The board made a decision. I think that decision was unfortunate. I don't support the decision. I do think that we need to look at the leadership," she said L.A. Mayor Karen Bass Now Says Casey Wasserman Should “Step Down” From LA28 Amid Epstein Files Backlashhollywoodreporter.com·SecondaryLos Angeles Mayor Karen Bass is calling on Casey Wasserman to step down as chairperson of LA28 after some emails of his surfaced in the Department of Justice’s Jeffrey Epstein document release. During an interview on CNN Monday, the mayor said, “I cannot fire him, but I have an opinion. And my opinion is that he should step down. That’s not the opinion of the board.. She also called Maxwell's behavior "abhorrent" L.A. Mayor Karen Bass Now Says Casey Wasserman Should “Step Down” From LA28 Amid Epstein Files Backlashhollywoodreporter.com·SecondaryLos Angeles Mayor Karen Bass is calling on Casey Wasserman to step down as chairperson of LA28 after some emails of his surfaced in the Department of Justice’s Jeffrey Epstein document release. During an interview on CNN Monday, the mayor said, “I cannot fire him, but I have an opinion. And my opinion is that he should step down. That’s not the opinion of the board..
The mayor's reversal did not occur in a political vacuum. Multiple Los Angeles elected officials, including at least one mayoral challenger, had already called for Wasserman's resignation in the days preceding Bass's statement Wasserman Loses LA Mayor’s Support For LA28 Job Over Epstein Files Revelations: “He Should Step Down”deadline.com·SecondaryKaren Bass can’t fire Casey Wasserman as the head of Los Angeles’ 2028 Olympic Games, but she wants the soon-to-be former agency boss out ASAP. “My opinion is, is that he should step down,” LA Mayor Bass said this Presidents’ Day on CNN. “That’s not the opinion of the board,” the reelection seeking incumbent added of the unanimous backing that Wasserman recieved from his handpicked LA Olympics board on February 11.. Critics have argued that keeping Wasserman risks turning the 2028 Games into a referendum on the Epstein scandal rather than a showcase for the city. Supporters, meanwhile, point to his decade of fundraising, sponsor relationships, and organizational work as indispensable to delivering the Games on time and on budget — and warn that removing him this close to the opening could cause more disruption than the controversy itself.
Jeffrey Katzenberg, the media executive and major Democratic donor, was reportedly the most vocal advocate for retaining Wasserman during the board's emergency meeting, according to sources familiar with the proceedings Wasserman Loses LA Mayor’s Support For LA28 Job Over Epstein Files Revelations: “He Should Step Down”deadline.com·SecondaryKaren Bass can’t fire Casey Wasserman as the head of Los Angeles’ 2028 Olympic Games, but she wants the soon-to-be former agency boss out ASAP. “My opinion is, is that he should step down,” LA Mayor Bass said this Presidents’ Day on CNN. “That’s not the opinion of the board,” the reelection seeking incumbent added of the unanimous backing that Wasserman recieved from his handpicked LA Olympics board on February 11.. Katzenberg's connection to both Bass and Wasserman — he was a significant donor to Bass's 2022 mayoral campaign and had been a key bridge between the mayor's office and the LA28 organization — underscores the entangled political dynamics at play Wasserman Loses LA Mayor’s Support For LA28 Job Over Epstein Files Revelations: “He Should Step Down”deadline.com·SecondaryKaren Bass can’t fire Casey Wasserman as the head of Los Angeles’ 2028 Olympic Games, but she wants the soon-to-be former agency boss out ASAP. “My opinion is, is that he should step down,” LA Mayor Bass said this Presidents’ Day on CNN. “That’s not the opinion of the board,” the reelection seeking incumbent added of the unanimous backing that Wasserman recieved from his handpicked LA Olympics board on February 11..
The professional fallout for Wasserman has already been substantial. A number of high-profile artists, including singer Chappell Roan and DJ John Summit, either departed his talent agency or threatened to leave if he did not resign from the company . Last week, Wasserman announced he would put his agency up for sale, calling himself a "distraction" from the firm's operations L.A. Mayor Karen Bass Now Says Casey Wasserman Should “Step Down” From LA28 Amid Epstein Files Backlashhollywoodreporter.com·SecondaryLos Angeles Mayor Karen Bass is calling on Casey Wasserman to step down as chairperson of LA28 after some emails of his surfaced in the Department of Justice’s Jeffrey Epstein document release. During an interview on CNN Monday, the mayor said, “I cannot fire him, but I have an opinion. And my opinion is that he should step down. That’s not the opinion of the board.. In a memo to his approximately 4,000 staff members, he wrote: "I'm deeply sorry that my past personal mistakes have caused you so much discomfort. It's not fair to you, and it's not fair to the clients and partners we represent" L.A. Mayor Karen Bass Now Says Casey Wasserman Should “Step Down” From LA28 Amid Epstein Files Backlashhollywoodreporter.com·SecondaryLos Angeles Mayor Karen Bass is calling on Casey Wasserman to step down as chairperson of LA28 after some emails of his surfaced in the Department of Justice’s Jeffrey Epstein document release. During an interview on CNN Monday, the mayor said, “I cannot fire him, but I have an opinion. And my opinion is that he should step down. That’s not the opinion of the board..
Privately, sources told The Hollywood Reporter, Wasserman has attributed some of the public pressure to rival agents — naming Endeavor CEO Ari Emanuel in particular — who he believes helped amplify the controversy surrounding his departure from the company L.A. Mayor Karen Bass Now Says Casey Wasserman Should “Step Down” From LA28 Amid Epstein Files Backlashhollywoodreporter.com·SecondaryLos Angeles Mayor Karen Bass is calling on Casey Wasserman to step down as chairperson of LA28 after some emails of his surfaced in the Department of Justice’s Jeffrey Epstein document release. During an interview on CNN Monday, the mayor said, “I cannot fire him, but I have an opinion. And my opinion is that he should step down. That’s not the opinion of the board.. Emanuel and Wasserman have been competitors in the entertainment industry for years, and the allegation adds a layer of industry intrigue to what is already a politically charged situation. Whether there is substance to the claim or it reflects the natural defensiveness of a figure under siege remains an open question.
Wasserman stated in his memo that he would now devote his "full attention to delivering Los Angeles an Olympic Games in 2028 that is worthy of this outstanding city" L.A. Mayor Karen Bass Now Says Casey Wasserman Should “Step Down” From LA28 Amid Epstein Files Backlashhollywoodreporter.com·SecondaryLos Angeles Mayor Karen Bass is calling on Casey Wasserman to step down as chairperson of LA28 after some emails of his surfaced in the Department of Justice’s Jeffrey Epstein document release. During an interview on CNN Monday, the mayor said, “I cannot fire him, but I have an opinion. And my opinion is that he should step down. That’s not the opinion of the board.. But with the city's own mayor now publicly opposing his continued chairmanship, the question of whether the LA28 board will revisit its February 11 decision looms large.
The International Olympic Committee has not publicly commented on the Wasserman controversy. The IOC typically defers to local organizing committees on leadership matters, though it retains significant leverage over the Games' preparations and has in the past intervened when governance disputes threatened to undermine an edition's credibility. With the opening ceremony roughly two years away, a prolonged leadership dispute could complicate sponsorship negotiations, venue construction timelines, and the city's broader logistical preparations.
For Bass, the political calculus appears straightforward. As one well-positioned source with ties to City Hall and Hollywood told Deadline: "She knows Wasserman is going to be a problem for her reelection, a problem for the Olympics, so she made her move. It's up to the board again next, but how can he go on now?" Wasserman Loses LA Mayor’s Support For LA28 Job Over Epstein Files Revelations: “He Should Step Down”deadline.com·SecondaryKaren Bass can’t fire Casey Wasserman as the head of Los Angeles’ 2028 Olympic Games, but she wants the soon-to-be former agency boss out ASAP. “My opinion is, is that he should step down,” LA Mayor Bass said this Presidents’ Day on CNN. “That’s not the opinion of the board,” the reelection seeking incumbent added of the unanimous backing that Wasserman recieved from his handpicked LA Olympics board on February 11.. Whether the board bows to mounting political pressure or continues to stand behind its chairman will likely determine the trajectory of the LA28 organization — and, by extension, the reputation of Los Angeles's third hosting of the Olympic Games — in the critical months ahead.
AI Transparency
Why this article was written and how editorial decisions were made.
Why This Topic
This story sits at the intersection of international sports governance and the ongoing Epstein document controversy — two topics of broad public interest. The LA28 chairmanship directly affects the planning and reputation of the 2028 Summer Olympics, one of the largest global sporting events. Mayor Bass's public break with the LA28 board introduces genuine political uncertainty into the Games' leadership with only two years until the opening ceremony, making this a consequential development rather than mere celebrity gossip.
Source Selection
Both primary signals — The Hollywood Reporter and Deadline — are Tier 1 entertainment industry publications with established track records for sourced reporting on Hollywood and Los Angeles politics. Both articles include direct quotes from Bass's CNN interview, original insider sourcing (including details about Jeffrey Katzenberg's board advocacy and Ari Emanuel allegations), and contextual background on the Epstein document release. The Variety signal was still pending crawl but confirms multi-outlet coverage. Additional web search confirmed parallel reporting by LA Times, NBC Los Angeles, ESPN, FOX LA, and the Orange County Register.
Editorial Decisions
This article covers a fast-moving story at the intersection of sports governance, entertainment industry politics, and the ongoing Epstein document fallout. Both cluster signals (Hollywood Reporter, Deadline) are Tier 1 sources with original reporting including direct quotes from Bass's CNN interview and insider sources. The piece presents the board's defense of Wasserman alongside Bass's criticism with equal weight, and includes Wasserman's own statements. The article notes the absence of IOC comment and the realpolitik dimensions driving Bass's reversal.
Reader Ratings
About the Author
The Midnight Ledger
Investigative correspondent covering global affairs, policy, and accountability.
Sources
- 1.hollywoodreporter.comSecondary
- 2.deadline.comSecondary
Editorial Reviews
1 approved · 0 rejectedPrevious Draft Feedback (3)
• depth_and_context scored 4/3 minimum: The piece provides useful background on the Epstein documents, Wasserman’s past statements, the board review, and political pressures — enough to understand why the issue matters for LA28 and Mayor Bass. It could improve by adding more historical context on Wasserman’s decade-long role, specific risks to Olympic delivery (contracts, timeline milestones), and precedent for IOC interventions to deepen reader understanding. • narrative_structure scored 4/3 minimum: The lede is strong and newsy, the nut graf follows, and the story proceeds logically through the revelations, reactions, and political implications with a reasonable close. It would benefit from a tighter closing paragraph that crystallizes the immediate next steps (board timeline, any formal reviews) and a clearer transition between the Hollywood-industry details and Olympic governance consequences. • filler_and_redundancy scored 4/3 minimum: Overall concise and focused; few paragraphs repeat the same point. A couple of sentences restate that Bass reversed herself and that pressure mounted — those could be tightened or combined to remove minor redundancy. • language_and_clarity scored 4/3 minimum: Writing is clear, engaging, and generally precise; politically charged labels are avoided and the article sticks to specific actions and relationships. It should avoid vague attributions like 'sources told' without identifying the nature of those sources, and replace passive constructions in a few sentences for crisper attribution. Warnings: • [article_quality] perspective_diversity scored 3 (borderline): The article quotes both critics and supporters, cites the board and Wasserman’s statements, and references political allies and opponents, but relies heavily on unnamed 'sources' and industry anecdotes; it lacks direct quotes from LA28 board members, IOC spokespeople, victims’ advocates, or outside ethics experts to broaden viewpoints. • [article_quality] analytical_value scored 3 (borderline): The piece gestures at implications for sponsorship, timelines, and Bass’s reelection, but mostly reports events and reactions rather than offering deeper analysis of likely scenarios, legal ramifications, or concrete policy and governance outcomes. Add short expert analysis or scenario-based forecasting (e.g., board ouster timeline, IOC likely responses) to raise analytical value. • [article_quality] publication_readiness scored 4 (borderline): The draft reads like a near-finished news article with proper sourcing markers and no meta-text, but it leans on unnamed sources and could use attribution improvements (identify which outlets or officials for key claims) and a tighter concluding paragraph before publication.
1 gate errors: • [article_quality] publication_readiness scored 3/4 minimum: The draft reads near-ready but needs minor clean-up: remove parenthetical source markers if not required by the platform (or ensure they conform to style), add on-the-record responses from IOC/Katzenberg/Wasserman where possible, and tighten the ending — otherwise it’s suitable for publication after those fixes.
1 gate errors: • [structure] Content too short (5651 chars, min 6000)
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