U MAD, BROS?

As expected, Kings of Leon have fired Ken Levitan, following day-to-day manager Andy Mendelsohn to Full Stop Management—and Ken is said to be royally pissed off. Inside sources say Andy had been doing all the work for the band, while Ken was keeping almost all of the commissions they generated. When Andy left, Ken tried to convince the band to stay with Vector, but those pleadings apparently fell on deaf ears.

Levitan has been making moves away from music management and into the food industry for some time. The Kings’ exit from Vector follows the departure of longtime client Trisha Yearwood, who fired Levitan in the last year and opted for self-management.

Ken’s reputation for thrift has fueled conversation for years now; many believe his not sharing the wealth with key employees or clients when he sold his company multiple times—for as much as $50m—is his Achilles heel. People close to him say he still has his first nickel.

Ironically, it was Irving Azoff who wrote Levitan his first big check—approximately $20m for half of Vector when the Swirv was rolling up management companies just before the Ticketmaster merger.