Vince McMahon, who stepped aside as CEO of the WWE last month pending the outcome of a probe into alleged misconduct, paid $12 million in hush money to four different women, according to a new report in The Wall Street Journal.
The amount and scope of the payoffs is significantly larger than was previously known. Stephanie McMahon, Vince’s daughter and a longtime executive at the company, has assumed CEO duties on an interim basis in recent weeks during a probe by a special committee of the company’s board of directors.
John Laurinaitis, head of talent relations for WWE, is also a subject of the board’s investigation.
Among the newly reported settlements was a $7.5 million payment to a former wrestler who said Vince McMahon coerced her into giving him oral sex and then demoted her. In 2005, he decided not to renew her contract after she resisted further sexual encounters, the Journal said, citing unidentified sources.
Other payments occurred in 2006 and 2008, according to the report, and were related to unsolicited nude photos and an affair that the CEO was trying to keep quiet.
The Journal had previously divulged a $3 million agreement between Vince McMahon and a former WWE paralegal with whom he had allegedly had an affair.
A company rep did not immediately reply to Deadline’s request for comment on the report.
McMahon has been the personification of the WWE for decades, overseeing its business operations and performing in the ring under the name “Mr. McMahon.” He did not surrender his oversight of creative affairs during the investigation and has made multiple appearances on prime-time WWE telecasts amid the executive upheaval. The WWE has lucrative U.S. rights deals with Fox and NBCUniversal, and agreed to shift its stand-alone WWE Network streaming service onto NBCU’s Peacock last year in a deal worth $1 billion.
Shares in WWE have been flat since the allegations against Vince McMahon came to light. They slipped about 1% in mid-day trading today, to $64.22.
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WWE CEO Vince McMahon Paid $12M In Hush Money To Four Women – Report - Deadline
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