WWE board investigates secret $3 million hush payment by CEO Vince McMahon, report says

WWE board investigates secret  million hush payment by CEO Vince McMahon, report says


Vince McMahon attends a press conference at MetLife Stadium on February 16, 2012 in East Rutherford, New Jersey.

Michael N. Todaro | Getty Images

World Wrestling Entertainment’s board is investigating a $3 million hush-money settlement that CEO Vince McMahon paid a woman over an alleged affair, The Wall Street Journal reported Wednesday, citing documents and people familiar with the matter.

The agreement is intended to prevent the woman, who had worked as a paralegal for the company, from discussing her relationship with McMahon or making critical statements about the chief executive, the Journal added.

A WWE spokesman told the newspaper that the company is cooperating with the board’s investigation and that the relationship between McMahon and the woman was consensual.

McMahon, 76, is married to Linda McMahon, who served as CEO of WWE and as Small Business Administration chief in the Trump administration.

WWE didn’t immediately respond to a request for comment from CNBC.

The board retained Simpson Thacher & Bartlett LLP, a New York-based law firm, to conduct the investigation, a source told the Journal. The firm didn’t immediately respond to a request for comment from CNBC.

McMahon’s lawyer, Jerry McDevitt, was not immediately available for comment.

McDevitt told the Journal that the former employee didn’t make any harassment claims against McMahon. He also said that WWE didn’t pay her any money, the paper said.

Read the full Wall Street Journal report here.

This is a developing story. Check back for updates.

– CNBC’s Candice Choi contributed to this report.



Source

Vibe check from inside one of AI industry’s main events: ‘Claude mania’
Technology

Vibe check from inside one of AI industry’s main events: ‘Claude mania’

Samuel Boivin | Nurphoto | Getty Images If one thing became clear at the HumanX conference in San Francisco this week, where 6,500 executives, founders and investors gathered to talk about artificial intelligence, it’s that OpenAI no longer dominates the conversation in their industry. For now, at least, that distinction belongs to Anthropic. Anthropic’s viral […]

Read More
Elon Musk’s xAI faces fresh opposition after landing permit for Mississippi power plant
Technology

Elon Musk’s xAI faces fresh opposition after landing permit for Mississippi power plant

Elon musk and the xAI logo. Vincent Feuray | Afp | Getty Images Elon Musk’s xAI, now owned by SpaceX, is facing a new legal challenge from environmental groups in Mississippi, where the company plans to build a massive, methane gas-burning power plant in the town of Southaven. Nonprofits including the NAACP, Young, Gifted & […]

Read More
Man arrested after Sam Altman’s house hit with Molotov cocktail, OpenAI headquarters threatened
Technology

Man arrested after Sam Altman’s house hit with Molotov cocktail, OpenAI headquarters threatened

A screen displays OpenAI CEO Sam Altman speaking during the 2026 Infrastructure Summit of government officials, corporate executives, and labor leaders, in Washington, March 11, 2026. Kylie Cooper | Reuters A man was arrested for allegedly throwing a Molotov cocktail at OpenAI CEO Sam Altman’s home and then threatening to burn down the artificial intelligence […]

Read More