Vince McMahon Allegedly Paid $3 Million to Ex-WWE Employee After Affair

An investigation conducted by the WWE board has uncovered a number of nondisclosure agreements with former female employees, including one in which chairman and CEO Vince McMahon allegedly had an affair with, and secretly agreed in January to a $3 million payout upon her departure from the company, Wall Street Journal reports. 

As part of her agreement, the woman cannot talk about her relationship with McMahon or disparage him. The former employee was allegedly hired in 2019 as a paralegal. A WWE spokesperson maintains their relationship was consensual. McMahon’s attorney Jerry McDevitt tells WSJ that the woman has not come forward with claims of harassment and the “WWE did not pay any monies” to her.  

An email sent to the board on March 30 claims her salary started at $100,000, but was doubled when they started getting intimate. The email also alleges McMahon “gave her like a toy” to John Laurinaitis, head of talent relations at WWE. “My friend was so scared so she quit after Vince McMahon and lawyer Jerry paid her millions of dollars to shut up,” the email reads. McDevitt is allegedly responsible for working out the financial agreement with the woman.  

The board’s initial findings reveal the women who signed these agreements were paid by McMahon out of his own pocket. WSJ reports known misconduct allegations were made against McMahon and Laurinaitis. An exact number of NDAs could not be provided as the board’s outside counsel is still in the process of gathering information, but reports suggest payments come out to millions of dollars.