Vince McMahon has resigned from TKO Group Holdings after new allegations of sex trafficking, sexual assault and more that were levied against him on Thursday.
In a lawsuit filed on Thursday, McMahon was accused of sex trafficking, emotional and physical abuse, sexual assault and more. The lawsuit was filed by former employee Janel Grant. WWE and John Laurinaitis are also named in the lawsuit.
According to a report from Deadline, Vince McMahon has resigned from his position as Executive Chairman and a member of the TKO Board of Directors.
You can check out Vince McMahon’s official statement below:
“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, effectively immediately.”
Vince McMahon retired from WWE in July of 2022 after the first allegations that he had made “hush money” payments to a woman he was having an affair with in WWE. After an internal investigation, the WWE Board of Directors found that an additional $16 million was paid to four other women over the course of 12 years.
McMahon weaseled his way back into WWE in January of 2023 due to his voting power. This led to him selling the company to Endeavor. As part of the deal, McMahon would no longer be in charge of WWE, but would instead become the Executive Chairman of TKO. For what it’s worth, McMahon no longer wields the power under TKO Group to vote himself back in – so it appears this is the real deal this time around.
WWE President Nick Khan sent out the following memo to some staff as SmackDown was live on the air:
“I wanted to inform you that Vince McMahon has tendered his resignation from his positions as TKO Executive Chairman and on the TKO Board of Directors. He will no longer have a role with TKO Group Holdings or WWE.
Nick Khan”
