The Vince McMahon sexual trafficking scandal is an ongoing scandal regarding professional wrestling promoter Vince McMahon, long-time owner of WWE, and allegations by a former WWE employee that McMahon sexually trafficked and assaulted her at WWE's corporate headquarters in Stamford, Connecticut, and New York City.
Vince McMahon (born 1945) is a professional wrestling promoter who bought his father Vincent J. McMahon's promotion – then called the World Wrestling Federation – in 1982. Under McMahon's ownership, WWF underwent an aggressive national expansion during the 1980s professional wrestling boom which effectively made the WWF – later renamed to World Wrestling Entertainment, and later still, simply WWE – the leading professional wrestling promotion in the United States and, later, the world. [1] In June 2022, WWE's board of directors started investigating a $3 million hush money payment, and the board found that McMahon had made $12 million in payments to four women, two of whom alleged sexual misconduct against McMahon. [2] [3] This was not the first time McMahon had been publicly accused of sexual misconduct: in 1992, former WWF referee Rita Chatterton alleged McMahon raped her in 1986; [4] and in 2006, a tanning salon employee in Boca Raton, Florida, alleged that McMahon had sexually harassed and groped her. [5]
As a result of the investigation, McMahon retired in July 2022 as chief executive officer of WWE, but still remained its largest shareholder. McMahon was succeeded as CEO by his daughter Stephanie McMahon and company president Nick Khan. [6] In November 2022, WWE's internal investigation into the hush money payments was completed, but the company did not publicly disclose its results. [7] In January 2023, McMahon exited retirement and returned as executive chairman of WWE amid rumours that the company would be sold; McMahon's public statement also referred to WWE's ongoing negotiations regarding its media rights. [8] In September 2023, WWE officially merged with mixed martial arts promotion Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) to create TKO Group Holdings, of which McMahon was appointed executive chairman. [9]
On January 25, 2024, former WWE employee Janel Grant filed a lawsuit in the United States District Court for the District of Connecticut against WWE, McMahon, and former WWE Head of Talent Relations John Laurinaitis alleging that McMahon had sexually assaulted and trafficked her, and sought to have a non-disclosure agreement (NDA) relating to the conduct voided, both under the auspices of the Speak Out Act, which makes such NDAs illegal and unenforceable, and as nullified by McMahon's refusal to follow the contracted obligations within the NDA. [10] [11] Grant, a former paralegal who lived in the same apartment block as McMahon, was offered employment with WWE in 2019 after the death of her parents. [10] During the course of her employment, Grant alleged that McMahon recruited individuals, most notably Laurinaitis, for the purpose of sexual relations with her. [10] Of the alleged conduct, Grant made several noteworthy allegations, including:
Grant alleged that the misconduct continued until 2022, at which point McMahon's wife Linda – a former WWE executive and politician – discovered the affair and threatened to divorce him. After several months of negotiations, WWE, McMahon, and Grant signed an NDA in which Grant would be awarded $3 million for her silence; after signing the contract, Grant alleged that McMahon attempted to assault her again. Grant also alleged that key figures in WWE were fully aware of the conduct, and actively sought to conceal McMahon's wrongdoing. [10]
Grant's lawsuit was filed during a prolific week for WWE: just two days prior, WWE had closed a 10-year deal with Netflix worth $10 billion in which the domestic media rights to its flagship television show WWE Raw and the international media rights to its wider content library would be provided to the streaming service; [13] on the same day, former WWE wrestler Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson was appointed to the TKO board. [14] Upon the filing of the lawsuit, the TKO board issued a statement that, whilst the allegation predated their control of WWE, they "took the allegations very seriously", [15] while McMahon denied the allegations and vowed to "vigorously defend himself". [16]
On January 26, 2024, snack food brand Slim Jim – a long-time sponsor of WWE, and sponsor of the Royal Rumble premium live event that was due to take part on January 27, announced that it was withdrawing its sponsorship of the event. That evening, TKO executives Ari Emanuel and Mark Shapiro met with McMahon to convince him to resign. At 8:30 pm (EST) that evening, McMahon publicly announced his resignation as TKO executive chairman. McMahon’s profile on WWE.com was also eradicated immediately from the Superstars page. [17] Slim Jim announced the next day that it was resuming its sponsorship of the Royal Rumble. [18]
On February 1, 2024, Laurinitis' lawyer Edward Brennan told Vice News that Laurinitis was also a victim of McMahon's coercive control, and said that Laurinitis would defend himself on that basis. [19] On February 7, Laurinitis alleged that WWE's executives were fully aware of allegations that former WWE wrestler Ashley Massaro was raped by someone posing as a US military doctor during a WWE tour of Kuwait, which contradicted earlier statements by WWE that they were unaware of them, but denied that the company had engaged in a cover up. [20] Two days later, Vice published a previously unseen statement by Massaro which accused McMahon of predating upon other female wrestlers. [21]
On March 11, 2024, Front Office Sports published an article which revealed the identities of four unnamed corporate figures referenced in the lawsuit, which Grant's attorney Ann Callis confirmed was correct: [22]
On April 1, 2024, the New York Post published a purported "love letter" from Grant to McMahon which was dated to December 24, 2021, which was taken from Grant's work laptop during the course of the internal investigation. Callis alleged that the love letter was written under duress, whereas McMahon's attorney Jessica Taub Rosenberg said that the letter was proof that Grant was not coerced into writing it, or that she was assaulted by McMahon. [23]
On April 23, 2024, McMahon's lawyers filed a motion to compel arbitration in the case under the terms of the NDA, and stated that McMahon withheld payments as he believed that Grant had broken the terms of the agreement. [24] A day later, Grant's attorneys filed a motion to strike McMahon's motion, alleging that he had used the motion and his preliminary statement to further intimidate Grant. [25]
World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE) is an American professional wrestling promotion. It is owned and operated by TKO Group Holdings, a majority-owned subsidiary of Endeavor Group Holdings. A global integrated media and entertainment company, WWE has also branched out into fields outside of wrestling, including film, football, and various other business ventures. The company is additionally involved in licensing its intellectual property to companies to produce video games and action figures.
Stephanie Marie McMahon Levesque is an American businesswoman and retired professional wrestler. She is known for her various roles within WWE between 1998 and 2023.
Vincent Kennedy McMahon is an American businessman and former professional wrestling promoter. McMahon, along with his wife Linda, is a co-founder of the modern WWE, the world's largest professional wrestling promotion. Outside of professional wrestling McMahon has occasionally ventured into promoting other sports; his projects have included the World Bodybuilding Federation and the XFL football league. He is the owner of Alpha Entertainment.
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John Hodger Laurinaitis, also known by his former ring name Johnny Ace, is an American retired professional wrestler and business executive.
Ashley Marie Massaro was an American professional wrestler, reality television contestant and model. She was best known for her time with World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE) and for her appearance on Survivor: China.
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Rita Chatterton is a retired professional wrestling referee.
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Linda McMahon, formerly CEO of World Wrestling Entertainment, ran for U.S. Senator from Connecticut from September 16, 2009, to November 4, 2010. On May 21, 2010, she won a majority of support from the Connecticut Republican Party. She ran as a Republican, promising lower taxes, fiscal conservatism, and job creation. McMahon spent $50 million of her own money on the campaign, allowing her to refuse campaign donations from special interest groups. She gained name recognition and popularity over her Republican opponents, including Rob Simmons, the prior frontrunner.
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Timothy Ballard is the founder and former CEO of Operation Underground Railroad (O.U.R.), an anti-sex trafficking organization. Ballard was removed as CEO and forced to leave O.U.R. in 2023 amid accusations of sexual misconduct by multiple employees. Shortly afterward, five women filed a lawsuit against Ballard, accusing him of coercing them into sexual acts during his sting operations. Another lawsuit was then filed against Ballard by a married couple, accusing him of sexual assault and grooming. Utah Governor Spencer Cox subsequently called for a criminal investigation into Ballard's actions.
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United States v. McMahon et al (9:93-cr-01276) is a 1994 United States District Court for the Eastern District of New York criminal court case brought against Vince McMahon, chairman of the World Wrestling Federation on suspicion of supplying illegal anabolic steroids to his professional wrestlers. The jury found McMahon not guilty on July 23, 1994.
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