The talent agency is well-known for dropping clients on a dime, yet Piker remains on its roster
William Morris Endeavor, the high-powered Hollywood talent agency led by super agent Ari Emanuel, is standing by its longtime client Hasan Piker, a curious turn that has surprised even the far-left influencer himself, given the agency’s penchant for quickly dropping other clients at the slightest whiff of controversy.
Piker, a popular Twitch streamer and influential figure on the political far left, has become a lightning rod this election cycle over a catalogue of anti-American, anti-Israel, and Marxist rhetoric. He has said that “America deserved 9/11,” called Israel “much worse” than Hamas, called for “capitalist blood” to “flow in the streets,” and justified the murder of health care CEO Brian Thompson.
He has also been highly visible on the campaign trail, supporting Democrats in New York, Pennsylvania, and Michigan, where his relationship with Senate nominee Abdul El-Sayed—who has refused to denounce him—has become a national issue. Some more moderate Democrats have disavowed Piker, including presumptive 2028 presidential hopeful Rahm Emanuel, the older brother of Ari Emanuel.
Rahm Emanuel, who served as former president Barack Obama’s chief of staff, recently said he would “give [Piker] a two-by-four upside his head” over the influencer’s claim that Jews foster antisemitism by supporting Israel.
Piker has candidly discussed his relationship with WME and expressed amusement that the firm has kept him on as a client. Piker, who said in an interview in June that “I’m repped by WME,” said his handlers at the agency asked him after Oct. 7, 2023, to “tone it down” with regards to his anti-Israel commentary.
“I was like, ‘Fuck no,'” Piker said he told his agents, who have been identified in previous reports as Chris Jacquemin and Bennett Sherman.
Piker said in a mocking tone that his WME handlers responded, “OK, well, we won’t send work your way.”
“But they never dropped me, and they dropped so many other clients,” said Piker.
WME has developed a reputation for kicking clients to the curb at the drop of a hat. The agency cut ties with country music star Morgan Wallen in 2021 over a videotaped drunken outburst in which he shouted the N-word. (Piker has also used the slur on his Twitch stream, the Washington Free Beacon reported). WME cut ties with Hollywood figures Brett Ratner and Armie Hammer amid allegations of harassment and sexual misconduct. WME also dropped actor and director Justin Baldoni, who alleged that the actor Ryan Reynolds, one of WME’s most important clients, ordered Ari Emanuel to fire Baldoni due to Baldoni’s public dispute with Reynolds’s wife, Blake Lively (WME has denied this).
It’s unclear why WME has stood by Piker. Besides his controversial remarks, Piker has acknowledged that he consistently turns down lucrative endorsement offers and other gigs.
“My relationship with them is me just saying ‘no’ to things,” Piker said in June. Piker said he declined a $1 million offer from Polymarket, the prediction market company, for a one-night gig on Election Night in 2024.
“Nope,” he said he told his agents.
Polymarket also sponsors Ari Emanuel’s industry-themed podcast, Rushmore.
WME did not respond to a request for comment, nor did Piker’s agents, Jacquemin and Sherman. Piker’s publicist did not respond to a request for comment.
Rahm Emanuel, who is set to embark on a high-profile tour to promote his memoir, is largely pro-Israel. He has spoken publicly about Israel and about Hamas’s October 7 attacks, though he has also criticized Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s handling of the Israel-Hamas war.
WME’s dilemma mirrors that of other talent agencies.
United Talent Agency dropped actresses Susan Sarandon and Kate Beckinsale over their criticism of Israel in 2023. Yet the firm has recently backed actor Mark Ruffalo, part of the lucrative Avengers franchise, after a rant against Oracle and Paramount, both controlled by members of the Ellison family, that was widely condemned as antisemitic.
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