Janel Grant Now Feels 'Forgiveness' Towards Vince McMahon

Janel Grant, the former WWE employee who accused Vince McMahon of sex trafficking, sexual assault, and physical and emotional abuse over the course of a three-year relationship, has revealed she now feels "forgiveness" towards the former WWE CEO.

While speaking to POST Wrestling, Grant was asked how she feels about Vince McMahon today.

"Forgiveness. I don't know how else to describe it, other than there's something that does not take up space in my brain. I feel even empathy, because in a weird way, and this is extreme polar opposites, the thing that might… the series of events that caused he Journal story to happen - whatever it was - it equally impacted him… There are so many people involved in [the] decision-making that I can't sit still and process," Grant stated.

"Instead, what occupies my brain is whatever series of events and decision-makers caused the anonymous emails to happen or The Wall Street Journal story to happen, and the events that have played out since, however they have played out. That is what occupies my brain."

The Wall Street Journal article in June 2022, which stated that the WWE Board of Directors were investigating hush money payments made by Vince McMahon to a departing WWE employee with whom he had an affair, had far-reaching implications for Janel Grant, Vince McMahon, and WWE.

The WWE investigation began after company directors received anonymous emails from an address identified only as 'drosen77' between March 30 and April 14, 2022. The sender described themselves as a friend of Janel Grant and noted that Grant and Vince McMahon had a relationship and she was mistreated by McMahon and John Laurinaitis before McMahon paid her off.

Janel Grant signed a nondisclosure agreement on January 28, 2022, in which Vince McMahon agreed to pay Grant $3 million in instalments. McMahon made the first payment but did not issue any further instalments, with the former WWE CEO claiming that Grant leaked information to the press. Grant has denied she was behind the anonymous emails sent to WWE's Board of Directors.

The Wall Street Journal article resulted in a hush money and sexual misconduct scandal around Vince McMahon that led to his "retirement" from WWE in July 2022. McMahon used his voting power to force his way back into WWE in January 2023, which eventually led to the WWE-UFC merger under TKO Group Holdings in September of that year. That merger resulted in a lawsuit from WWE shareholders that was settled this year for $147.5 million following allegations that Vince McMahon preselected Endeavor as Ari Emanuel assured McMahon's future with WWE.

McMahon's failure to pay Grant further instalments from their nondisclosure agreement resulted in her sex trafficking lawsuit against Vince McMahon, John Laurinaitis, and WWE in January 2024. The lawsuit promptly resulted in Vince McMahon's resignation as TKO Executive Chairman after sponsors, including WWE's then-top sponsor Slim Jim, withdrew their support from WWE, with McMahon being informed by Ari Emanuel and Mark Shapiro that it was in TKO's best interests for him to resign.

Grant's lawsuit against McMahon and WWE continued until the summer of 2026, with Laurinaitis being dropped from the lawsuit in May 2025 after he agreed to cooperate with Grant's team. Instead of the case going to trial, however, all parties agreed for the case to move to private arbitration in July 2026.

Soon after the lawsuit moved to private arbitration, Janel Grant revealed she spent time in hospital after tripping on a carpet runner, which resulted in a concussion and broken ribs. She has since been discharged from hospital and recently accepted an award from the Connecticut Alliance to End Sexual Violence due to her efforts for an NDA-reform law in the state.