Timeline of Vince McMahon Sex Trafficking Scandal
Vince McMahon is being sued by a woman who claims he trafficked her sexually to other men, including WWE Employees.
Last week a lawsuit was announced against former WWE Chairman Vince McMahon. The lawsuit, by former WWE employee Janel Grant, alleges that Vince McMahon forced her into a sexual relationship by giving her a job with WWE and creating the conditions of her employment to include, first a sexual relationship with him, Mr. McMahon, and then sexual encounters with other men at Vince McMahon's instruction. The lawsuit contains horrific details of sexual abuse, financial abuse, and sex trafficking by Vince McMahon and his employee and friend John Laurinaitis, all while WWE executives were aware of what was happening from when Janel Grant joined WWE in May of 2019 through the end of her employment in February of 2022.
The lawsuit contains details including numerous dates on which McMahon is alleged to have enacted abuse against Janel Grant. With those dates in mind, I created a timeline of Vince McMahon's abusive relationship with Janel Grant, crossed with information regarding WWE that appears to corroborate Janel Grant's allegations of abusive behavior.
Just before meeting Vince McMahon, Janel Grant lost both of her parents. Having no job at the time, Janel Grant was in danger of losing the place where she and her parents had lived if she didn't find a job right away. A friend, who was also the resident manager where Janel lived, was familiar with WWE Chairman Vince McMahon and arranged an introduction. The intention was to help Janel find a job. What happened from there is detailed in the timeline below as Vince McMahon allegedly took advantage of a vulnerable, grieving woman for his own sex and power fantasies.
Several people are referred to but not specifically named in Janel Grant's lawsuit. These are described as thus:
“WWE Corporate Officer No. 1” was a high-ranking employee and Board member at WWE during Ms. Grant’s employment with WWE. WWE Corporate Officer No. 1 continued to work in high-ranking positions in connection with the September 12, 2023, merger.
“WWE Corporate Officer No. 2” was a high-ranking employee at WWE who made hiring decisions, conducted prospective employee interviews, and maintained significant control over personnel decisions. WWE Corporate Officer No. 2 worked in these capacities during Ms. Grant’s employment with WWE.
“WWE Corporate Officer No. 4” was a high-ranking employee at WWE who worked with legal affairs at the company. WWE Corporate Officer No. 4 held that position from the time of Ms. Grant’s initial employment with WWE until sometime in 2020.
“WWE Superstar” is a professional wrestling superstar who performs at WWE branded wrestling events. During the time of Ms. Grant’s employment, McMahon signed WWE Superstar to a new Booking Contract with WWE.
The Vince McMahon Timeline
February 2019 WWE Corporate Reports to SEC regarding the importance of Vince McMahon to WWE. The filing is intended to alleviate fears regarding McMahon turning attention to restarting the XFL, Football league. The filing includes this paragraph "The loss of Mr. McMahon due to unexpected retirement, disability, death or other unexpected termination for any reason could have a material adverse effect on our ability to create popular characters and creative storylines or could otherwise adversely affect our operating results." Source sescoops.com.
March 23rd, 2019 Janel Grant Meets with Vince McMahon for the first time at Vince’s condo.
March 31st, 2019 John Oliver Airs Last Week Tonight Episode Blasting Vince McMahon for his treatment of wrestlers.
March 31st, 2019 Janel Grant Meets with Vince McMahon for a second time regarding potential employment. The meeting ends with a hug.
April 1st, 2019 Janel Grant meets with WWE Corporate Office No. 2 about a job with WWE.
April 7th, 2019 Janel Grant and ‘Resident Manager’ attend WrestleMania 35, given VIP treatment at MetLife Stadium at the direction of Vince McMahon.
April 21st, 2019 Janel Grant Meets with Vince at his Condo. He forcefully gives her a massage.
April 23rd WWE Contacts Janel Grant about a position with WWE Legal Department.
May 5th 2019 Janel Grant returns to Vince McMahon’s Condo. He commits a sexual assault.
May 9th, 2019 Vince McMahon Texts Janel Grant stating that she will have a job by the end of the week.
May 10th, 2019 Janel Grant is contacted a second time by WWE Corporate regarding a job in the Legal Department.
May 11th 2019 Janel Grant goes to Vince McMahon’s Condo and is physically assaulted again.
May 14th, 2019 Vince McMahon gives rare interview in Variety Magazine.
May 16th, 2019 Former WWE Superstar Ashley Massaro dies. News reports indicate that Massaro took her own life. Massaro claimed in a 2016 lawsuit that she'd been assaulted during a WWE Trip to Kuwait between 2006 and 2008, and that Vince McMahon specifically asked Massaro to keep the matter quiet.
May 17th 2019 Janel Grant officially offered job in WWE, “legal administrator-coordinator” with a salary of $75,000 per year.
May 18th 2019 Janel Grant is Sexually Assaulted by Vince McMahon at his Condo.
June 17th 2019 Janel Grant begins working at WWE in Legal Department.
November 19th 2019 Vince McMahon insists that Janel Grant take nude photos and videos and send them to him.
January 30th, 2020 Frank A. Riddick III becomes WWE CFO
March 25th, 26th 2020 WWE WrestleMania takes place in Hollywood.
March 26th, 2020 Brock Lesnar's WWE Contract ends.
March 26th, 2020 Vince McMahon allegedly begins sharing photos and videos of Janel Grant with WWE employees.
March 30th, 2020 Vince McMahon once again shares explicit photos with an unnamed WWE Referee.
March 31st, 2020 Janel Grant expresses concern over Vince sharing photos of her.
April 15th, 2020 WWE announces furloughs affecting talent and staff. McMahon tells Janel Grant that he personally protected her job from being eliminated.
May 9th 2020 Vince McMahon pressures Janel Grant into three way sex with a physical therapist friend of McMahon.
May 11th, 2020 Vince McMahon sends explicit messages to Janel Grant detailing his sexual fantasies.
May 12th, 2020 Vince McMahon texts Janel Grant to say “I own U”
June 16th, 2020 Janel Grant attempts to end her personal relationship with Vince McMahon. He refuses.
June 17th Janel Grant has now worked for WWE for 1 year.
July 7th 2020 Kristina Salen Named WWE Chief Financial Officer
August 5th 2020 Nick Khan Named President and Chief Revenue Office of WWE
August 28th, 2020 Janel Grant Texts Vince McMahon to say that she was injured during their most recent sexual encounter.
November 2022 Vince McMahon pressures Janel Grant to send explicit photos of herself to WWE employee John Laurinaitis.
November 20th, 2020 WWE Release EVP John Brody and Chief Accounting Officer Mark Kowal
November 21st, 2020 Vince McMahon allegedly tries to force Grant to have sex with him at Titan Towers, WWE Headquarters in Stamford, CT.
November 25th, 2020 Karen Mullane Named Chief Accounting Officer
December 29th, 2020 Janel Grant is forced to participate in a threesome with Vince McMahon and John Laurinaitis.
January 2021 Grant reaches out to her friend, resident manager, to say she is miserable with Vince and WWE.
January 13th, 2021 Former WWE Star Amy ‘Lita’ Dumas details on a Twitch Live Stream how Vince McMahon forced her into performing a 2006 skit on Monday Night Raw called Edge and Lita’s Live Sex Celebration. Lita was specifically told that she would be fired if she did not do the bit.
January 25th, 2021 Janel Grant is reassigned to work for a high ranking member of the WWE Legal Department.
January 25th, 2021 WWE Royal Rumble
February 5th, 2021 Vince McMahon pushes Janel Grant to make a schedule when she can be available to have sex with other men.
February 2021 Nicole Zeoli Head of WWE Talent Relations Leaves WWE
March 2021, Janel Grant introduced herself to a person identified in the lawsuit as WWE Corporate Officer No. 1 when they passed one another in the hallway. WWE Corporate Officer No. 1 responded by telling Ms. Grant that WWE Corporate Officer No. 1 knew exactly who she was.
March 9, 2021, Vince McMahon summoned Ms. Grant to his condo that evening for a conversation during which McMahon confirmed that WWE Corporate Officer No. 1, indeed, knew exactly who she was, as McMahon had met privately with WWE Corporate Officer No. 1 and WWE Corporate Officer No. 2 and advised these individuals of McMahon’s connection to Ms. Grant.
March 10th, 2021 John Laurinaitis Returns to Position as Head of WWE Talent Relations. Laurinaitis Reports Directly to EVP Brad Blum.
March 10th, 2021 Janel Grant expresses concerns about her treatment and about specifically about John Laurinaitis. She is rebuffed by McMahon.
March 10th, 2021 Corporate Office No. 2 Informs Grant that she will soon be transferred to the Talent Relations Department, working directly for John Laurinaitis.
March 12th, 2021 McMahon tells Grant that sex at his direction with other men, Laurinaitis specifically, is a condition of her ongoing employment.
March 16th, 2021 McMahon directs Grant to serve herself as breakfast to Laurinaitis at his Laurinaitis’ hotel that morning.
March 19th 2021 Janel Grant is officially Transferred to Talent Relations Dept Reporting to John Laurinaitis.
April 2021 James Johnstone is let go as s Senior Vice President of Human Resources. The job of VP is loosely promised to Janel Grant.
April 2nd, 2021 McMahon tells Grant that as a condition of her employment she should comply if Laurinaitis directs her to have sex with other men.
April 10th, and 11th, 2021 Wrestlemania take place in Tampa Florida
On May 24, 2021, McMahon messaged Ms. Grant to remind her that a mistake could do harm to them both in terms of reputation. McMahon urges Grant to seek direct communication instead of text or phone for the purpose of discretion.
June 1st, 2021 Jamie Horowitz, Samira Shah, and Matt Drew are hired in Senior Leadership positions at WWE.
On June 14, 2021, Ms. Grant again told McMahon that she did not want to engage in sexual encounters with Laurinaitis, adding “I’ve left that hotel feeling bad about myself every time.” McMahon responded that the one-on-one encounters could cease, but that he expected threesomes with himself and Laurinaitis to continue.
June 15th, 2021 Vince McMahon and John Laurinaitis allegedly Sexually Assault Janel Grant at WWE Corporate Office in Stamford, Connecticut.
June 23, 2021, around 11:42am, McMahon directed Ms. Grant – in the middle of a workday - to meet him on a lower floor. When Ms. Grant arrived, McMahon led her inside his private locker room, locked the door, and forced himself on her over a massage table. Later that day, $15,000 in gift cards to Bloomingdales were purchased at McMahon’s direction and delivered by McMahon’s personal assistant to Ms. Grant in her office.
July 2021 McMahon informs Janel Grant that she will soon be required to have sex with an unnamed WWE Superstar as part of the Superstar’s contract negotiation.
July 12, 2021, McMahon directed Ms. Grant to create personalized sexual content for "WWE Superstar." McMahon then shared the photos with WWE Superstar and then informed Ms. Grant that “he likes what he sees.”
July 21, 2021, McMahon flew and/or caused WWE Superstar to fly on a jet into a local airport and travel into Connecticut (across state lines) for what McMahon described to Ms. Grant as a “business dinner,” as well as a sexual encounter with Ms. Grant in McMahon’s condo. Upon information and belief, the dinner was to discuss WWE Superstar’s continued involvement with WWE. Prior to the “business dinner” with McMahon, WWE Superstar made a brief visit to Ms. Grant’s building. However, WWE Superstar did not return to the building for a sexual encounter because he was too intoxicated and was taken back to the plane
On August 26, 2021, WWE held its second biggest annual event, Summer Slam, at Las Vegas’ Allegiant Stadium. Around this time, McMahon and WWE Superstar privately reached an informal agreement about his return to WWE.
August 26th, 2021 Brock Lesnar signs new contract with WWE
November 5th, 2021 Frank Riddick III Hired as Chief Financial and Administrative Officer.
December 2021, McMahon gave Ms. Grant’s personal cell phone number to WWE Superstar and promised “she’ll do anything” requested of her.
January 9, 2022, McMahon agreed to speak with Ms. Grant at his condo. During this meeting, McMahon told Ms. Grant that his wife, Linda McMahon, had learned about his relationship with Ms. Grant, that he was losing his condo, and that she would divorce him. He added, too, that a public divorce would make Ms. Grant a headline. McMahon demands that Grant sign a Non-Disclosure Agreement.
January 14, 2022, McMahon sent Ms. Grant a to-do list for purposes of effectuating the NDA, such as retaining counsel, and also included an offer for one-on-one career coaching. McMahon suggested the list had been drafted by WWE Corporate Officer No. 2.
January 24, 2022, McMahon continued to engage in sexual text message exchanges with Ms. Grant, including encouraging her to send an explicit photo to WWE Superstar. McMahon also requested Ms. Grant send him content she had sent to WWE Superstar.
January 26, 2022, McMahon articulated an even more pressing need to get the NDA signed immediately, informing Ms. Grant that he was under a tight deadline to report pending or threatened legal actions to the WWE Board of Directors – specifically the Audit Committee – and that McMahon and his attorney could not do so unless Ms. Grant signed the NDA. He informed Ms. Grant that Board members were concerned about the delay.
January 26th Janel Grant attempts to quit her job, McMahon refuses her attempt.
January 28th, 2022 Janel Grant signs an NDA.
February 4, 2022, Ms. Grant was wired $1,000,000 as the first installment of the NDA.
February 28, 2022, Ms. Grant was wired $10,000 to cover her attorneys’ fees incurred in connection with the NDA. Both wires were sent with originator described as “Vincent K. McMahon C/O WWF…”, and originator address “1241 EAST MAIN STREET, STAMFORD, CONNECTICUT, 06902 UNITED STATES
February 9 and 10, 2022, Ms. Grant gave notice to John Laurinaitis and put human resources at WWE on official notice that she was leaving WWE
March 2022 Vince McMahon presses Janel Grant to have sex with an unnamed "WWE Superstar."
March 2nd, 2022 McMahon calls Grant and says that it may be the last time they speak. He indicates that he wants her to continue having sex with men at his direction, including unnamed "WWE Superstar."
March 4, 2022, "WWE Superstar "messaged Ms. Grant that he was in New York. In line with McMahon’s orders, Ms. Grant texted WWE Superstar explicit pictures.
March 5th, 2022 Brock Lesnar wrestles Austin Theory in main event at Madison Square Garden WWE Super show.
On March 30, 2022, Ms. Grant’s counsel received a call from Vince McMahon’s attorney advising that there had been an anonymous email about the relationship between Ms. Grant and McMahon and Laurinaitis.
April 3rd and 4th, 2022 Wrestlemania takes place in Dallas, Texas
April 3rd, 2022 Vince McMahon wrestles Pat McAfee at WrestleMania
April 15th, 2022 McMahon stops paying for Janel Grant’s medical costs.
April 2022 Elisabeth Collins Hired as WWE General Counsel
May 9th, 2022 Stephanie McMahon announces she is taking a Leave of Absence from WWE.
June 2022 WWE Opens Internal Investigation of Vince McMahon.
June 17th, 2022 Media Blogger Brad Shepard leaks Janel Grant’s name on Twitter.
June 17th 2022 Vince McMahon makes final ever appearance on Smackdown
June 20th, 2022 Vince McMahon makes final ever appearance on Monday Night Raw
July 22nd, 2022 Vince McMahon Retires from WWE
July 22nd 2022 Stephanie McMahon delivers a live televised promo in which she and fans chant “Thank You Vince”
August 9th, 2022 John Laurinaitis Fired by WWE.
September 6th, 2022 Paul Triple H Levesque Elevated to Chief Content Officer for WWE
November 2022 WWE completes internal investigation of Vince McMahon without interviewing Janel Grant.
December of 2022 Vince McMahon reaches a private settlement with former WWF/E Referee Rita Chatterton who had alleged that McMahon raped her in a limo in 1986.
January 10th 2023 Stephanie McMahon leaves WWE
January 13th, 2023, Vince McMahon officially returned as the Head of WWE.
July 22nd, 2023 Paul ‘Triple H’ Levesque Named Chief Creative Officer of WWE.
September 12th, 2023 WWE Sold to TKO Holdings.
January 25th, 2024, Janel Grant officially files suit against Vince McMahon, John Laurinaitis, and the WWE. Read the full 67 page lawsuit here.
January 26th, 2024 Vince McMahon resigns from WWE releasing 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,” McMahon said in his statement issued to Deadline. “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.”
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Sean Patrick
Hello, my name is Sean Patrick He/Him, and I am a film critic and podcast host for the I Hate Critics Movie Review Podcast I am a voting member of the Critics Choice Association, the group behind the annual Critics Choice Awards.
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