Vince McMahon is accused of sending sexually explicit photos and videos of Janelle Grant to WWE employees. Photo: LEON HALIP/WIREIMAGE
Vince McMahon, the founder of World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE), has resigned from the company's board of directors following allegations of serious sexual misconduct, it was reported on Friday.
Mr McMahon is accused of that he proposed to a fellow female star wrestler for sex and defecating on his head during a threesome.
Jenelle Grant, a WWE employee, filed a lawsuit Thursday in Connecticut District Court accusing the 78-year-old businessman of sexual assault and human trafficking. and physical abuse.
Ms. Grant's lawsuit also includes allegations that Mr. McMahon trafficked her to other men inside and outside the company. Other defendants named include John Laurinaitis, former head of talent relations for WWE.
McMahon reportedly resigned on Friday from the board of directors of TKO Holdings, which owns WWE and the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC).< /p>
“I wanted to let you know that Vince McMahon has resigned as the Executive Chairman of TKO and as a member of the TKO Board of Directors,” WWE President and TKO Board Member Nick Khan said in a statement. email to employees, Variety reported.
“He will no longer be involved with TKO Group Holdings or WWE.”
A spokesman for Mr. McMahon said on Friday that he would “vigorously defend himself” and that Ms. Grant is “full of lies.” Mr. Laurinaitis has not yet commented on these allegations.
The lawsuit alleges that Mr. McMahon dangled promises of a “career and life change” to Ms. Grant after the couple were introduced in 2019.
According to the lawsuit, McMahon lived in the same house as Grant, and in 2019 offered her a job with WWE after her parents died.
“Sex was a requirement of the job”
She claims he eventually made it clear that one of The job requirements included a physical relationship with him and then with Mr. Laurinaitis and others.
The lawsuit states that over the next several years, McMahon showered her with gifts, including an expensive car.
The lawsuit alleges that McMahon and Laurinaitis “controlled her continued employment with WWE and forced her to participate in sexual acts.”
It also alleges that Mr McMahon offered one of his star wrestlers sex with Grant as a perk in 2021. The wrestler was not named in the lawsuit.
Mr. McMahon allegedly sent sexually explicit photos and videos of Ms. Grant to other WWE employees.
“Ms. Grant was exploited while employed by WWE and was subjected to countless depraved and degrading acts, resulting in serious and permanent injury,” the lawsuit states.
Ms. Grant alleges that in 2020 Mr. McMahon defecated on her and “ordered her to continue pleasuring” another man with his feces on her body.
Founded by Vince McMahon, WWE is the most famous wrestling company in the world. Photo: Getty Images North America
Ann Callis, Ms. Grant's lawyer, said she wanted to “hold accountable” executives and WWE, the world's largest and most famous wrestling company.
“She an incredibly private and courageous man who suffered deeply at the hands of McMahon and Laurinaitis. Ms. Grant hopes her lawsuit will prevent other women from being harassed,” Ms. Callis said.
Mr. McMahon was a co-founder of WWE and served on the board of directors from 1980 to September 2023.
< p>Since September 2023, he has been the executive chairman of WWE's parent company, TKO Group Holdings, which also owns the Ultimate Fighting Championship. Mr. Laurinaitis left the company in 2022.
TKO Group released a statement saying it takes the allegations seriously.
“Mr. McMahon does not control TKO or oversee the day-to-day operations of WWE,” TKO Group said in a statement. “While this matter predates our TKO executive's employment with the company, we take Ms. Grant's appalling allegations very seriously and are pursuing this matter internally.”
Mr. McMahon has left from his position as CEO of WWE due to allegations of sexual misconduct at WWE 2022.
Non-disclosure agreement
The WWE investigation, which began in April 2022, revolved around the allegation that McMahon secretly paid $3 million in compensation to a former employee with whom he had an affair, The Wall Street Journal reported.
Although the lawsuit went through. Without naming Ms. Grant as a former employee, it was reported that in January 2022, Mr. McMahon advised Ms. Grant to sign a non-disclosure agreement (NDA) when his wife learned of their relationship.
Mr. Ms. Grant was, according to the lawsuit, promised payments over several years totaling $3 million in exchange for signing a non-disclosure agreement.
In June 2022, WWE said it takes “all allegations of misconduct very seriously.” ” and said it had retained independent legal services to assist in the review.
In July 2022, the Journal reported that Mr. McMahon paid more than $12 million to four women to cover up “allegations of sexual misconduct and infidelity.”
Last week, WWE signed an exclusive deal with Netflix to stream its weekly wrestling show, WWE Raw, on the platform beginning in January 2025.
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