ESPN has reportedly offered Stephen A. Smith a $90 million deal over five years to remain with the network, making him potentially the highest-paid talent on their team. Smith, whose contract expires in 2025, is seeking $7 million more annually than the proposed $18 million per year. ESPN has been securing top talent with lucrative deals, including Pat McAfee and the "Monday Night Football" team of Joe Buck and Troy Aikman.
Actress Melissa Barrera's recent social media posts supporting the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East have sparked uproar at her agency WME and management company Sugar23, leading to discussions about dropping her as a client. This comes after Barrera's previous firing from "Scream VII" over similar posts about the Israeli-Gaza conflict. The controversy has raised questions about her future projects and representation in Hollywood.
Screenwriter Aaron Sorkin has dropped talent agency CAA and returned to WME after its co-chief of the motion pictures department, Maha Dakhil, made a critical post about Israel. Dakhil's Instagram repost referencing "genocide" in relation to Israel's actions in Gaza sparked controversy and led to her stepping away from her leadership role and resigning from CAA's internal agency board. Sorkin clarified that Dakhil is not an antisemite but stated that she is "just wrong." The move reflects the polarized social media environment surrounding the conflict between Israel and Hamas.
Aaron Sorkin has left Creative Artists Agency (CAA) and returned to William Morris Endeavor (WME) following the controversy surrounding a social media post about Israel by CAA's co-head of motion pictures, Maha Dakhil. Sorkin, known for his work on "The West Wing" and "The Trial of the Chicago 7," becomes the first high-profile talent to leave CAA after Dakhil's comments. Dakhil has apologized for her mistake and temporarily stepped away from day-to-day leadership at CAA.
Screenwriter Aaron Sorkin has dropped talent agency CAA and returned to WME after its co-chief of the motion pictures department, Maha Dakhil, made a critical post about Israel. Dakhil's Instagram repost referencing "genocide" in relation to Israel's actions in Gaza sparked controversy and led to her stepping away from her leadership role and resigning from CAA's internal agency board. Sorkin clarified that Dakhil is not an antisemite but stated that she is "just wrong." The move reflects the polarized social media environment surrounding the conflict between Israel and Hamas.
United Talent Agency (UTA) CEO Jeremy Zimmer criticized Meghan Markle's talent, but an insider revealed that UTA was actually in pursuit of signing her as a client before losing her to William Morris Endeavor (WME). With her post-royal rebranding underway, Meghan stands to make a huge amount of money if WME aligns her with the right projects to further her career. Zimmer looks silly for not knowing his own agents were scrambling to get her on the UTA client list.
Meghan Markle has signed with Hollywood talent agency WME, which will represent her business ventures, including Archewell Productions and partnerships in other areas. Acting will not be a primary focus for the Duchess of Sussex, as the agency will be focusing on building out her business ventures across multiple facets of the agency and its broader ecosystem, including film and television production, brand partnerships, and more. Meghan and Prince Harry began expanding their business ventures after stepping back from royal life in 2020 and moving to California.
Meghan Markle, Duchess of Sussex, has signed a representation deal with global entertainment agency WME, which will focus on building out her business ventures across multiple facets of the agency and its broader ecosystem, including film and television production, brand partnerships, and more. WME will also represent Prince Harry and Meghan’s company Archewell, which has a multi-year production deal with streaming giant Netflix and a partnership with Spotify.
Meghan Markle and Archewell have signed with Hollywood agency WME for representation, with a focus on film and television production, brand partnerships, and other ventures. The deal does not include acting representation. Meghan and Harry have been ramping up their production aspirations via Archewell, with a deal at Netflix for scripted series, docuseries, documentaries, features, and children's programming. The agency signing with WME marks a step forward in their Hollywood ambitions.
Meghan Markle has signed with talent agency WME, along with her media company Archewell. While acting will not be a focus for Markle, film and TV series development, business and brand partnerships will remain the focus for her and Archewell. Archewell's next project, Heart of Invictus, a docuseries following competing athletes as they prepare for Prince Harry’s Invictus Games, will be released on Netflix.
Meghan Markle, the Duchess of Sussex, has signed with talent agency WME for representation in building her business enterprise, including her and Prince Harry's content creation label Archewell. The agency will explore film and television production, brand partnerships, and overall business-building, with a focus on her advocacy for women, mothers, and girls. Meghan's team at WME will include power agent Ari Emanuel, Brad Slater, and Jill Smoller. Acting will not be an area of focus.
Actor Jonathan Majors has been dropped by management firm Entertainment 360 and public relations firm The Lede Company as he faces criminal charges in New York for assault and harassment. Majors, who denies wrongdoing, remains repped by WME. He has filmed a role in Marvel Studios' Loki as villain Kang the Conqueror and has the Sundance drama Magazine Dreams set to open in December.
