Vince McMahon, WWE's founder and CEO, is reportedly being investigated by the board of his own company after making an alleged hush payment to a former employee following an affair.
On Wednesday, June 15 the Wall Street Journal dropped a bombshell story that claims WWE's board received an email containing details of a workplace affair McMahon conducted with a now-former WWE paralegal and the subsequent payments made in exchange for the unknown person's silence.
The email alleges that the female paralegal was initially hired on a salary of $100,000 per year, but her salary was doubled after she began a sexual relationship with McMahon. Allegedly, when McMahon ended the relationship with the former WWE employee, he "gave her like a toy" to the company's general manager of talent relations John Laurinaitis.
According to WSJ's report, the board's investigation began in April and has discovered numerous non-disclosure agreements pertaining to allegations of misconduct leveled at McMahon and Laurinaitis.
Vince McMahon has been married to Linda McMahon, a former administrator of the United States Small Business Administration, since 1966. John Laurinaitis has been married to Kathy Colace, the mother of former WWE Superstars Nikki and Brie Bella, since 2016.
As we previously reported, Vince McMahon's daughter Stephanie McMahon recently stood down from her role as WWE's Chief Brand Officer.
"As of tomorrow, I am taking a leave of absence from the majority of my responsibilities at WWE," Stephanie tweeted. "WWE is a lifelong legacy for me and I look forward to returning to the company that I love after taking this time to focus on my family."
TheSportster Podcast has returned! Check out latest episodes of the show where Jim Parsons and Norman Quarrinton cover the latest news and events happening in the worlds of WWE, AEW and more!