In the wake of bombshell and extremely disturbing rape and sex trafficking allegations, Vince McMahon has resigned from his role as an executive chairman of TKO, the parent company of WWE according to Deadline.
“I stand by my prior statement that Ms. Grant’s lawsuit is replete with lies, obscene made-up instances that never occurred, and is a vindictive distortion of the truth,” McMahon said this evening of the scorching lawsuit against him filed earlier this week. “I intend to vigorously defend myself against these baseless accusations, and look forward to clearing my name.”
“However, out of respect for the WWE Universe, the extraordinary TKO business and its board members and shareholders, partners and constituents, and all of the employees and Superstars who helped make WWE into the global leader it is today, I have decided to resign from my executive chairmanship and the TKO board of directors, effective immediately,” the WWE co-founder added.
Deadline
This week, the Wall Street Journal reported that former WWE employee Janel Grant filed a lawsuit against McMahon and former WWE head of talent relations John Laurinaitis with accusations stemming from sex trafficking, emotional abuse, and sexual assault. Grant also accuses McMahon of promises of career advancement before she claims she was ultimately exploited and trafficked to other men in the company.
In 2022, Grant reportedly signed a $3M Non-Disclosure Agreement where she agreed not to disparage or discuss her relationship with McMahon. Grant alleges in her lawsuit that McMahon stopped making payments on the NDA after the initial $1M while seeking to void the agreement and seek additional financial damages.
Additionally, Grant is seeking a judgment that declares the NDA invalid under state and federal law. They are also seeking compensatory and punitive damages under other laws, including the Trafficking Victims Protection Act.
Grant’s attorney, Ann Callis, released a statement commenting on the lawsuit:
“Today’s complaint seeks to hold accountable two WWE executives who sexually assaulted and trafficked Plaintiff Janel Grant, as well as the organization that facilitated or turned a blind eye to the abuse and then swept it under the rug,” said Ann Callis, attorney for Ms. Grant. “She is an incredibly private and courageous person who has suffered deeply at the hands of Mr. McMahon and Mr. Laurinaitis. Ms. Grant hopes that her lawsuit will prevent other women from being victimized. The organization is well aware of Mr. McMahon’s history of depraved behavior, and it’s time that they take responsibility for the misconduct of its leadership.”
The lawsuit contains extremely disturbing and graphic details. We advise caution when reading the following paragraph, which can be found in the complete lawsuit.
Notably, McMahon was most aggressive when using the certain sex toys named after male WWE wrestlers and performers. McMahon named the sex toys so that the color of the toy matched the race of the wrestler—for example, a black “dildo” would be named after an African American wrestler and a white “dildo” would be named after a Caucasian wrestler. In addition to McMahon’s infatuation with pretending that other men (and, namely, certain WWE talent) were in the room with them, this was yet another incremental step in desensitizing Ms. Grant to his fantasy, and eventual demands that she perform sexual acts for and/or have sexual contact with others within WWE.
As one example of McMahon’s extreme depravity, on May 9, 2020, he defecated on Ms. Grant during a threesome, and then commanded her to continue pleasuring his “friend”— with feces in her hair and running down her back—while McMahon went to the bathroom to shower off. Upon his return from the bathroom, McMahon and his “friend” actively resumed the threesome, which lasted over an hour and a half, while Ms. Grant remained covered in McMahon’s filth. When McMahon’s “friend” left, McMahon ordered her to stay and to continue to sexually gratify him.
In June 2021, McMahon and Defendant Laurinaitis sexually assaulted Ms. Grant inside Laurinaitis’ office in WWE headquarters while colleagues were busy at their desks. Behind a locked door, the two men cornered her and pulled her in between them, forcibly touched her, before ultimately putting her on top of a table in between them. She begged them to stop, but they forced themselves on her, each taking turns restraining her for the other, while saying “No means yes” and “Take it, bitch.”
In March 2020, McMahon began sharing sexually explicit photographs and videos of Ms. Grant (including pornographic content he recorded) with other men both inside and outside the company, including with members of the television production “tech” team, executive(s), producer(s), and a world-famous athlete and former UFC Heavyweight Champion with whom WWE was actively trying to sign to a new contract (and ultimately did sign that contract).
During the May 18, 2019, encounter, Ms. Grant felt coerced into engaging in sexual activity and that McMahon had trapped her an impossible situation, as she feared adverse career and personal consequences and legal retaliation if she declined his advances. McMahon stated, “This is what I have been waiting for” as he performed oral sex on Ms. Grant. Ms. Grant asked that protection be used, and McMahon responded that there was no need to worry because he was “clean.” Feeling that she was being used for his gratification, Ms. Grant went numb and was unable to make eye contact. McMahon then flipped on his back and said, “Okay, jack ’em off.”
On March 26, 2020, McMahon sent a lengthy message to Ms. Grant describing in detail the circumstances surrounding sharing explicit photographs of Ms. Grant to a former WWE referee (referred to herein as “WWE Referee”). McMahon described how WWE Referee left to masturbate and told Ms. Grant she had made a perfect stranger very happy.
McMahon became the most important figure in Ms. Grant’s life as he meticulously asserted power and control over almost every aspect of it. Ms. Grant’s fears intensified over the consequences that could result from McMahon’s actions, particularly by sharing her naked pictures. She became paranoid, completely dependent on and worshipfully devoted to McMahon.
Friday, WWE President Nick Kahn sent an email to staffers stating that McMahon had resigned and that he “will no longer have a role with TKO Group Holdings or WWE.”
In the wake of Grant’s lawsuit on Thursday, Ari Emanuel who serves as the CEO of Endeavor, TKO’s parent company said that “Mr. McMahon does not control TKO nor does he oversee the day-to-day operations of WWE.” They went on to distance themselves from McMahon by adding: “While this matter pre-dates our TKO executive team’s tenure at the company, we take Ms. Grant’s horrific allegations very seriously and are addressing this matter internally.”