After a new lawsuit on Thursday accused him of sexual assault & trafficking, Vince McMahon has resigned from TKO Group Holding’s Board of Directors.
McMahon released the following statement:
“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. 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.“
– Vince McMahon
Ms. Janel Grant, a former WWE employee, alleged in the lawsuit that she was abused and sexually exploited by McMahon while he was chief executive. She alleged that McMahon lured her with promises of career advancement, and then he allegedly exploited her and trafficked her to other men inside the company, including an unnamed wrestler.
Grant’s attorney, Ann Callis gave the following statement to POST Wrestling’s John Pollock:
“[Grant] hopes any doors of secrecy have been blown off their hinges and that fresh air fills the headquarters. And she hopes those at the company, past and present, who fear speaking out about harm is a thing of the past. She wishes everyone peace.”
– Ann Callis
In response to the lawsuit, a spokesperson for TKO Group Holdings, the parent company of both UFC and WWE, provided a statement:
“Mr. McMahon does not control TKO, nor does he oversee the day-to-day operations of WWE. While this matter predates our TKO executive team’s tenure at the company, we take Ms. Grant’s horrific allegations very seriously and are addressing this matter internally.”
– TKO Group Holdings
A spokesperson for Vince McMahon also shared a statement:
“This lawsuit is replete with lies, obscene made-up instances that never occurred, and a vindictive distortion of the truth. He will vigorously defend himself.”
– Vince McMahon’s spokesperson
In response to the allegations, Jeff Speed, a former independent board member for WWE, shared a statement via email to the New York Times, reaffirming his confidence in the initial internal investigation, which uncovered millions of dollars in hush money payments made by McMahon to former female employees. In the lawsuit, Grant alleges that she was never interviewed during the investigative process, adding that she would have been willing to cooperate.
“I remain confident in our investigation, which included outreach to Ms. Grant and engagement with her lawyer.”
– Jeff Speed
Speed resigned from the WWE board in 2023, citing the nature of the “horrific” allegations, but adding that he was “not at liberty” to comment on the findings of the investigation.
Grant’s lawsuit accuses WWE executives of being complicit in McMahon’s abuse, claiming multiple high-ranking figures were aware of the situation and didn’t stop him.
“WWE Corporate Officer No. 1,” anonymized in the complaint, is claimed to be “a high-ranking employee and board member during Ms. Grant’s employment with WWE,” which spanned from May 2019 to January 2022. Grant says she introduced herself to Corporate Officer No. 1 in March 2021 and this person “knew exactly who she was,” even though the two worked in separate buildings for some time. Grant also mentioned that they had an office on the fourth floor of WWE’s headquarters.
Grant also claimed that other executives (who are referred to in the suit as WWE Corporate Officer Nos. 2, 3, and 4) were also aware of McMahon sexually exploiting her.
In response to the lawsuit, Slim Jim, a longtime sponsor of WWE, pulled out of advertising at the Royal Rumble, and it is unclear if they will resume their working relationship.
“Slim Jim values integrity and respect in all of our partnerships. Given the recent disturbing allegations against Vince McMahon, at this time we’ve decided to pause our promotional activities with WWE. This decision reflects our commitment to our brand values and responsibility to our community. We will continue to monitor the situation and base our future engagements on our values and what’s best for our brand.”
– Slim Jim
Earlier on Friday, Sean Ross Sapp of Fightful reported that another sponsor that considered working with WWE is no longer interested.
In response to the lawsuit and subsequent fallout, Vince McMahon tendered his resignation from his role as Executive Chairman of TKO Group Holdings.
WWE President Nick Khan sent an email to staff announcing that McMahon had resigned.
McMahon’s resignation is not a surprise, as he initially “retired” in 2022 following the aforementioned uncovering of millions of dollars in hush money payments to former female employees. He returned in 2023, reportedly telling confidants that he received “bad advice,” installed a new Board of Directors, and later completed a sale of WWE to Endeavor, merging with the UFC and creating TKO Group Holdings. This is only the latest legal issue involving McMahon, and it is unlikely to be the last. As more details about this case come to light, we will provide them.
