Editors’ note: This story contains accounts of sexual assault. If you or someone you know is a survivor of sexual assault, contact the National Sexual Assault Hotline at 1-800-656-4673 or at https://www.rainn.org.
Vince McMahon, the now former CEO of World Wrestling Entertainment, reportedly paid more than $12 million in the last 16 years to quiet sexual misconduct and infidelity allegations, per The Wall Street Journal.
Four former female WWE employees received the payments, and they cannot disclose any information regarding their relations with the 76-year-old after signing agreements with him. Three of the cases regarding McMahon’s allegations released in the report Friday were previously not publicly known.
One woman, a former wrestler, said that McMahon “coerced her into giving him oral sex and then demoted her and, ultimately, declined to renew her contract in 2005 after she resisted further sexual encounters.” She agreed to a $7.5 million pact in ’18, per the report, when she and her lawyer approached the CEO, and, in return, she stayed silent about the incident.
Another case involved a WWE contractor who shared unsolicited nude photos of McMahon with the company and said that he sexually harassed her on the job. She and McMahon agreed to a $1 million payment in 2008, along with her nondisclosure agreement.
A former manager said that McMahon initiated a sexual relationship with her after working with him for 10 years. In 2006, they agreed to a $1 million payout for her to stay quiet.
The previously known case, which began in 2019, involved a paralegal with whom McMahon had an affair. A spokesperson for McMahon called the relationship consensual. They agreed to a $3 million deal for her to stay silent about the situation. It was also uncovered that former WWE executive John Laurinaitis reportedly had an affair with the same paralegal.
The WWE board was originally notified of the alleged settlement through a series of anonymous emails from someone who identified as the former WWE paralegal’s friend, WSJ reported. The first email came near the end of March, stating that the woman was hired on a $100,000 salary, but after a sexual relationship began between the employee and McMahon, he increased it to $200,000. Additionally, the email reportedly said the former WWE paralegal was given to Laurinaitis “like a toy.”
On June 12, the board reportedly received a copy of the settlement agreement, which detailed the NDA and how there was a $1 million upfront payment, and the remaining $2 million would be paid over the course of five years.
After the initial reports about this affair, McMahon stepped away as WWE CEO, though it is unclear whether he intends for that move to be a permanent one. His daughter Stephanie McMahon has assumed the role of interim CEO.
Per the report, the WWE board is also looking into a 2012 nondisclosure agreement reached with an employee about misconduct claims against Laurinaitis. A $1.5 million payment was made along with the NDA, per the report. Laurinaitis stepped down as the head of WWE talent relations in ’12, taking a smaller role within the company, but returned to the role in ’21. He has been placed on administrative leave.
The board is reportedly investigating the former wrestler’s and the paralegal’s cases specifically, along with the case involving Laurinaitis. The paralegal’s investigation began in April of this year.
