Note: This article features various graphic details described in the lawsuit against Vince McMahon which some may find triggering.
Yesterday, a lawsuit was filed by former WWE employee Janel Grant against Vince McMahon which featured several damning accusations against the TKO Group Holdings Executive Chairman. McMahon is alleged to have sexually abused, exploited and even trafficked Grant out to other men within WWE while luring her with promises of career advancement. Grant was in a particularly vulnerable state when she met McMahon, with both her parents having passed away on top of losing her family home due to their bankruptcy and her own financial struggles.
Some of the more graphic details alleged in the lawsuit include McMahon and former WWE Head of Talent Relations John Laurinatis taking turns to sexually assault Grant while the other restrained her inside Laurinatis’ office; McMahon directing Grant to make “personalized sexual content” for a WWE talent he was attempting to re-sign (who sources familiar with the matter identified as Brock Lesnar); and McMahon sharing nude photos and explicit videos of Grant without her consent to unnamed WWE employees, executives, and stars.
A few hours after the lawsuit became more widely known through coverage from the Wall Street Journal, a spokesperson for TKO Group Holdings issued a statement to Variety and claimed that the company was conducting an internal investigation on the matter.
“Mr. McMahon does not control TKO nor does he oversee the day-to-day operations of WWE,” a TKO spokesperson said regarding the company’s Executive Chairman. “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.”
Soon after, a spokesperson for Vince McMahon himself responded to the lawsuit in a statement to Deadline, in which the accusations were branded as false and it was claimed the 78-year-old would defend himself against them.
“This lawsuit is replete with lies, obscene made-up instances that never occurred, and a vindictive distortion of the truth,” a spokesman for McMahon said. “He will vigorously defend himself.”
The complaint filed against WWE, McMahon, and Laurinatis, which we encourage you to read to understand the full scale of the accusations, can be read in its entirety here.