Vince McMahon, founder of WWE, has stepped down as executive chairman of TKO Group, just a day after allegations of sexual abuse and misconduct came from former employee Janel Grant in a lawsuit filed Thursday.
Vince McMahon, Photo Courtesy: New York Post
WWE President Nick Khan wrote in a staff memo on Friday that McMahon would no longer have a role at the TKO Group nor WWE. The lawsuit that was filed on Thursday by Grant says that McMahon agreed in 2022 to pay $3 million in hush money about their secret relationship, which had allegations of abuse she claimed had begun a little after they met in 2019. In a statement, McMahon denied the allegations while announcing his departure, stating; “I intend to vigorously defend myself against these baseless accusations, and look forward to clearing my name.”.
“Today’s complaint seeks to hold accountable two WWE executives…as well as the organization that facilitated or turned a blind eye to the abuse and then swept it under the rug,” Grant’s attorney Ann Callis stated. The lawsuit also alleges that in January of 2022, Vince had told Grant that his wife, Linda McMahon, had discovered their relationship, and had allegedly pressured Grant to sign an NDA for $3 million. After receiving only $1 million, there were supposedly no further payments.
TKO Group responded to the allegations and the lawsuit made by Grant in a statement on Thursday, saying; “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.”
Janel Grant, Photo Courtesy: Daily Mail
McMahon has allegedly been making payments to multiple women, with federal prosecutors investigating many of McMahon’s payments ever since they became public in 2022.
In 2023, a search warrant was given for his phone and McMahon was given a grand jury subpoena, however no charges were brought. McMahon, in regard to the federal probe in 2023, “I am confident that the government’s investigation will be resolved without my findings of wrongdoing.”
Janel Grant said in a statement read by her attorney that she “hopes any doors of secrecy have been blown off their hinges”, and that “She hopes those at the company past and present who fear speaking out about harm is a thing of the past.”
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