Vince McMahon Resigns From Endeavor-Owned Sports Group After Horrific Rape & Sex Trafficking Claims

Slammed by allegations of rape, defecation, sex trafficking and more, Vince McMahon is out at WWE and UFC parent company TKO Group Holdings.

“I stand by my prior statement that Ms. Grant’s lawsuit is replete with lies, obscene made-up instances that never occurred, and is a vindictive distortion of the truth,” McMahon said this evening of the scorching lawsuit against him filed earlier this week. “I intend to vigorously defend myself against these baseless accusations, and look forward to clearing my name.” 

“However, out of respect for the WWE Universe, the extraordinary TKO business and its board members and shareholders, partners and constituents, and all of the employees and Superstars who helped make WWE into the global leader it is today, I have decided to resign from my executive chairmanship and the TKO board of directors, effective immediately,” the WWE co-founder added.

McMahon’s abrupt exit was spawned by ex-WWE staffer Janel Grant’s detailed and shocking sexual assault suit of January 25. His resignation came after a long day of discussions and deliberations among top players at TKO and WWE as the blast radius of Grant’s legal action became apparent and the corporate situation increasingly untenable for McMahon.

Explicit in its depiction of Grant as a constantly abused sexual punching bag for McMahon and various WWE executives and at least one unnamed “WWE Superstar” during her time at the company from 2019 to 2022, the suit seeks various damages and a voiding of the NDA the former staffer was forced to sign. A McMahon spokesperson on Thursday called Grant’s lawsuit “replete with lies” and declared their client would fight it in court.

Today TKO referred Deadline to McMahon’s statement when contracted for more on the situation. As for who may take over McMahon’s now vacated executive chairman gig at the company or even if that position will continue, it is all TBD, sources says.

WWE boss Nick Khan tonight told staffers in an internal email that McMahon had resigned, and “will no longer have a role with TKO Group Holdings or WWE.”

While sudden, McMahon’s fall from his TKO perch amidst the sexual abuse allegations follows his ouster in 2022 from the WWE he co-founded due to “alleged executive misconduct.” That misconduct, which named WWE talent relations chief John Laurinaitis, came as scores of multi-million dollar payoffs to former female employees and others were made public.

One of those revelations included a $3 million payoff to a woman McMahon had an affair with. In her complaint, Grant says McMahon agreed to pay her $3 million in 2022 to keep their sexual relationship quiet if she signed an NDA. Now seeking to get that NDA neutered, Grant signed it at the time, but says she has only received $1 million from McMahon so far.

Named as a defendant in Grant’s suit, Laurinaitis left WWE in 2022.

Though canned from the company by the WWE board in early 2022, the controversy courting McMahon returned not long afterwards, put a new board in place and completed the sale of WWE to Endeavor. Out of that windfall, TKO was formed last year. In her suit, Grant refers to the internal WWE probe into claims against McMahon as a “sham.”

Having previously boasted about McMahon’s role in the Endeavor-owned company, TKO, where Ari Emanuel is CEO, said yesterday after Janel Grant’s assault and abuse lawsuits was filed that “Mr. McMahon does not control TKO nor does he oversee the day-to-day operations of WWE.” They went on to distance themselves from McMahon by adding: “While this matter pre-dates our TKO executive team’s tenure at the company, we take Ms. Grant’s horrific allegations very seriously and are addressing this matter internally.”

This latest suit against McMahon was filed just over 48 hours after it was announced that TKO had made a 10-year, $5 billion deal with Netflix for the streamer to get in the ring starting next year with WWE‘s Monday Night Raw, as well as other programs from the company. The disturbing lawsuit and now McMahon’s resignation also come as WWE’s 37th Royal Rumble is set for tomorrow. Streaming and on pricey pay-for-view, the Rumble features wrestlers from the Raw and Smackdown units meeting up in St. Petersburg, Florida and fighting it out in the ring. The lucrative event will clearly not feature Vince McMahon now.

Recap To Last Year: e.tv's Youth Block Craze Movie Offering Axed With Series Extended To Fridays

eMedia Investments in an attempt to further limit the amount of international titles inserted on e.tv had axed the Friday afternoon movies offered on youth block Craze. Serving as the initial offering to the youth block's introduction in 2008 had been replaced with existing animated series.

A few years prior to that, they had axed the block's local programming which served as a rival offering to SABC's Hectic Nine-9 and YOTV alongside Play Room Live seen on DStv channel 300. Since then, they've been dubbing various content like Care Bears to local languages.

e.tv has yet to respond on the sudden removal of Craze films but if we had to guess probably similar to that of Craze's former local programming:

"Television is always evolving, and we are constantly reviewing and refreshing our lineup to make sure that we are catering to the needs of our viewers," says Marlon Davids, head of e.tv channels.

Besides the axing of films, there's also been a decline in primetime with Craze's current offering like Archibald's Next Big Thing and Thomas And Friends All Engines Go all residing from eToonz with few exceptions like Takalani Sesame and Pokémon.

Development Alert: 1Magic Adds Lee Daniel's Star Formerly Viewed On FOX, Could The Channel Undergo Yet Another Rebrand?

After Disney axed the FOX brand in 2021 across Africa ripping away The Simpsons and Grey's Anatomy as further content shifts to Disney+. M-Net had acquired rights to the 2017 musical drama Lee Daniel's Star which serves as a spin-off to one of FOX's leading shows Empire.

Except M-Net had opted to add the show onto 1Magic which is somewhat strange as the channel was basically their BET. That meant airing first run programming if not fresher content but the drop in quality could signal something that was announced much earlier in the month.

As some readers are aware, MultiChoice was looking to axe 1Magic and Me as it was confirmed in most parts of Africa with Southern Africa diverting that attention to Me. Since then, no termination notice had been put up at the time which led to various speculation.

One of which is the possible dismemberment of Compact+, 1Magic was one of those leading brands on the bouquet as most content had been integrated onto lower bouquets. Cancellation would probably signal the end of Compact+ that was until it was replacement was reported.

Although not much details had been announced about 1Magic's successor, we believe it could retain most programs seen on the channel and likely come from a third party. With the addition of Lee Daniel's Star, cater to other consumers particularly those viewing brands like Me.

As mentioned, MultiChoice could have delayed the terminations as they seek a replacement channel. Da Vinci Kids was also another victim to MultiChoice's endeavours as they had attempted to use Moonbug as leverage before going for something more locally produced like Play Room.

What Happened To NickMusic Africa On Nicktoons?

In 2021, Nickelodeon acquired NickMusic which is known as a linear channel in various feeds across the world and converted it into a TV show for sister brand Nicktoons. By the fall of 2023, NickMusic was quietly scrapped from the lineup leaving the window open for more SpongeBob.

In an enquiry to Paramount Africa over the sudden disappearance of NickMusic Africa had responded to say it will be back later in the year. Which is strange as Nicktoons would often just rehash previous episodes only for them to have scrapped it entirely.

Could it be that NickMusic will move to Nickelodeon with repeats on Nicktoons I mean the channel has lost touch of reality as it appears to have undergone a mini-merge with global feeds. They already offer Transformers: Earthspark, Monster High and Big Nate.

Nickelodeon did rollout a new on air look last year and had been spreading it across various platforms. Of course, the feeds in Africa and various international regions have yet to update their designs.

If anything, it's likely NickMusic Africa is playing a part in this maybe Nickelodeon wants to give the studio a new design. But questions amount to when Nick Jr. and Nicktoons would rebrand as Paramount promised end of the year for Nick Jr. but none of that came to pass.

Police Report Of Ms. Grant's Accusations Against Vince McMahon (PDF)

The lawsuit, filed in U.S. District Court in Connecticut, alleges that Mr. McMahon, who was subject to an internal investigation in 2022 over allegations of misconduct, sexually exploited and trafficked the former employee, Janel Grant, from 2019 to 2022.

Click the link for the full police report: Download Now

WWE Boss Vince McMahon Accused Of Sexual Assault And Trafficking

WWE boss Vince McMahon was accused Thursday of sexual assault, trafficking, and physical and emotional abuse in a graphic lawsuit by a woman who previously worked for the pro wrestling giant.

McMahon is executive chairman of the board of TKO Group Holdings, which was formed last year by a merger of his wrestling company and the mix-martial arts company UFC.

The suit by Janel Grant — which alleges McMahon directed her to have sex with a WWE “superstar” and other men — seeks to void a nondisclosure agreement that Grant said she reached with McMahon in 2022. She said he agreed to pay her $3 million as part of that deal.

The suit says McMahon paid her $1 million “but failed to make any further payments.” Grant was one of several women who received payouts from McMahon over the years.

In addition to the 78-year-old McMahon, the suit filed in U.S. District Court in Connecticut names WWE and John Laurinaitis, the former head of talent relations and general manager, as defendants.

The complaint comes six months after federal law enforcement agents executed a search warrant on McMahon and served him with a grand jury subpoena as part of an investigation into McMahon’s payment of millions of dollars to multiple women after allegations of sexual misconduct.

McMahon last March paid WWE $17.4 million to cover costs related to a probe of the payouts by a law firm retained by the company.

TKO Group on Tuesday announced that Netflix would pay $5 billion over 10 years to stream the WWE’s flagship program “Raw,” and carry all other WWE shows and specials outside the United States.

Grant’s lawyer, Ann Callis, in a statement, said, “Today’s complaint seeks to hold accountable two WWE executives who sexually assaulted and trafficked Plaintiff Janel Grant, as well as the organization that facilitated or turned a blind eye to the abuse and then swept it under the rug.”

“She is an incredibly private and courageous person who has suffered deeply at the hands of Mr. McMahon and Mr. Laurinaitis,” Callis said. “Ms. Grant hopes that her lawsuit will prevent other women from being victimized. The organization is well aware of Mr. McMahon’s history of depraved behavior, and it’s time that they take responsibility for the misconduct of its leadership.”

In a statement to CNBC, TKO Group said, “Mr. McMahon does not control TKO nor does he oversee the day-to-day operations of WWE.”

“While this matter pre-dates our TKO executive team’s tenure at the company, we take Ms. Grant’s horrific allegations very seriously and are addressing this matter internally,” the company said.

A spokesman for WWE did not immediately respond to requests for comment.

February 2024 On Cartoon Network And Cartoonito Across Africa (Drafted) | New Movie Alert: Craig Before The Creek | Calling All Batwheels Stunt | More

Cartoon Network

• The Adventures Of Prince Ivandoe: The series follows the adventures of Ivandoe, the young prince of the forest whose father, The Mighty Stag, sends him on a quest for the magical Golden Feather of the fearsome Eagle King.

• Craig Before The Creek:

• The Love Bug Stunt: A stunt featuring Teen Titans GO!, Regular Show, We Bare Bears and Craig Of The Creek.

Cartoonito

• Thomas And Friends: All Engines Go!: A younger Thomas the Tank Engine goes on adventures with all of his friends as they work on the island of Sodor.

• Calling All Batwheels: A music video introducing all of Batman's heroic vehicle squad - the Batwheels - showcasing their incredible gadgets, stunning talents, and unique personalities.

• Happy Valentine: A stunt featuring Mr. Bean, Grizzy And The Lemmings and Zig & Sharko.

SNOOZEFEST: Disney Renaming The FOX Channel In Turkey Home To Wie Laaste Lag And Dokter Ali To NOW TV

In 2019, Disney acquired 21st Century Studios and this various content like The Simpsons and Grey's Anatomy alongside the FOX branded linear channels and National Geographic. Within this agreement, they were able to retain the FOX trademark for a limited timeframe.

With this deal set to expire soon, Disney had been replacing the remaining FOX channels seen in Latin America and Europe with either Star or FX. For a while now, they had been various questions as to what fate await the branding in Turkey.

Unlike most international counterparts, FOX Turkey is home to original productions already viewed on eMedia Investments' linear platforms in South Africa. This includes shows like Dokter Ali (Mucize Doctor), Doodsondes (Yasak Elma) and Doodsondes (Sen Çal Kapimi).

According to Cumhuriyet, Disney will start to use the trademark NOW in place of FOX by February. It had been approved by National Television-Radio Broadcasting Regulatory Authority in Türkiye (RTUK) member İlhan Taşçı after filing the new name by mid 2023.

Although the FOX trademark is dead, NOW will continue to produce local content in the region and licence them to eMedia Investments. Even though there's not much familiarity with the name, NOW appears to be carrying the same font and dark theme as FOX.

In other developments, Disney Junior is set to go dark in Denmark by the end of February with further content on Disney Channel. This is the only Disney branded channel in the region and it might affect surrounding areas like Faroe Islands, Finland, Iceland, Norway and Sweden.

Recap To The Month: 1Magic Becomes The LOL Channel On DStv As M-Net's Me Dishes On The Wipeout And Home Economics

In the coming weeks, MultiChoice is set to axe both M-Net's Me and 1Magic on the DStv platform or at least from what initial reports suggests. The pay-tv company has confirmed this on various occasions and since then gone silent removing any mention of the terminations.

If anything it's likely that MultiChoice had decided to no longer move forward with these plans or at least on the estimated date: 2nd February 2024. They often review the costs of their products and services and unveil them within February so it's likely an update could follow by then.

As for 1Magic should the channel stay on past the reported cutoff date would air Laugh Out Loud - The Comedy Show in place of The River and 1802: Love Defies Time for 9 hours straight. Me has taken up a similar stigma with Wipeout and Home Economics which is just half of LOL's airtime.

This only confirms that MultiChoice hasn't changed their initial plans but possible the date. If anything, it wouldn't seem far fetched if these changes occurred in other African countries as they've been known to axe channels earlier and also not a lot of consumers reside within each market.

Another is that MultiChoice has been known for removing channels even after having a full schedule put in place e.g. Zambezi Reloaded and Da Vinci Kids.

As for Southern Africa, MultiChoice has over 8 million subscribers and closures of 1Magic and Me would anger consumers. They are looking to produce a new channel soon (specifically for 1Magic) but it is yet to be seen if any content would be retained.

But if M-Net is looking to do away with 1Magic and Me it only means that something big could be brewing on DStv. Perhaps the merger of Premium and Compact+, another could be that MultiChoice is diverting all the attention to M-Net and Showmax.

They are scheduled to revamp Showmax with more content from Comcast's NBCUniversal and Sky added to the lineup. It could be another streamlining attempt orchestrated by MultiChoice, as seen with M-Net Movies which reduced the movie offering from 6 to 4 channels.