Report: WWE’s Vince McMahon paid $12M in hush money to four ex-employees

WWE CEO Vince McMahon allegedly agreed to pay four former female employees more than $12 million over 16 years to gain their silence over allegations of sexual misconduct and infidelity.

According to a Wall Street Journal report sourced from “unnamed people familiar with the deals” and from corporate documents seen by the Journal, the depth and scope of the payments is greater than the previously reported $3 million payment made to a former employee with whom McMahon allegedly had an affair.

The Journal”™s report included hitherto unknown settlements including a $7.5 million pact with a former wrestler who claimed she was demoted and fired for resisting McMahon demands for sexual relations. Another settlement involved $1 million to a WWE contractor who alleged she was sexually harassed by and received unsolicited nude photos of McMahon.

The WWE board of directors is now collaborating with a law firm to investigate McMahon as well as John Laurinaitis, the head of talent relations at the company, over non-disclosure agreements involving former employees. McMahon stepped aside on a temporary basis from his leadership positions at the Stamford-headquartered company while his daughter Stephanie McMahon serves as interim chairman and chief executive.