Vince McMahon, the head of World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE), has stepped down following allegations of sex-trafficking by a former employee, Janel Grant. Grant claims that McMahon and another former executive, John Laurinaitis, sexually assaulted her and used her to attract wrestling talent. McMahon, 78, has denied the accusations and resigned as executive chairman of TKO, WWE’s parent company.
In a statement, McMahon said he was stepping down out of respect for the WWE Universe, TKO’s business, its board members, shareholders, partners, employees, and Superstars. WWE president Nick Khan confirmed McMahon’s resignation in a staff memo obtained by ESPN.
Grant, a former WWE employee, alleges that she was trafficked to other men as a sexual pawn to attract famous wrestling talent. At the time she met McMahon, she was unemployed and dealing with her deceased parent’s bankruptcy. The lawsuit claims that McMahon coerced her into a physical relationship with promises of a job at WWE.
Grant worked at WWE’s headquarters in Connecticut from 2019 to 2022 and alleges that she felt trapped in an impossible situation, forced to submit to McMahon’s sexual demands or face ruin. The lawsuit also accuses both McMahon and Laurinaitis of sexually assaulting her at WWE headquarters in June 2021.
In 2022, the WWE board launched an investigation into an alleged $3m settlement between McMahon and a former employee with whom he had a consensual affair. McMahon’s daughter replaced him as acting CEO and chairperson during this time. He returned as WWE chairperson in January 2023 after the investigation concluded.
In the recent legal filing, Grant criticized the WWE’s special committee investigation as a sham and accused the company of trying to cover up the matter. She claims the committee never contacted her or requested documents from her.
McMahon has been instrumental in WWE’s transformation into a media powerhouse, with its weekly content broadcast in over 180 countries and 30 languages.
