On Friday, January 10, 2025, the SEC (Securities and Exchange Commission) announced it has settled charges against former WWE CEO Vince McMahon for failing to disclose two settlements made in 2019 and 2022 that he made on behalf of himself and WWE. As a result of the settlement, McMahon will have to pay over $1.7 million.

Per the order from the SEC, McMahon paid a former employee $3 million. In return, that employee had to agree not to disclose her relationship with the former CEO. She also had to release any potential claims she might have.

The second agreement saw McMahon pay a former WWE independent contractor $7.5 million for a similar exchange. The independent contractor similarly could not disclose their allegations against McMahon. They are also releasing their potential claims against the company and McMahon.

Additionally, as the announcement states, “Without admitting or denying the SEC’s findings, McMahon agreed to cease-and-desist from violating those provisions.” So, he will have to pay a $400,000 civil penny. In accordance with Section 304(a) of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act, he will also have to reimburse WWE $1,330,915.90.

“Company executives cannot enter into material agreements on behalf of the company they serve and withhold that information from the company’s control functions and auditor,” Associate Regional Director in the New York Regional Office Thomas P. Smith Jr. said.

On X, formerly Twitter, McMahon broke his silence on the matter. He seemed to brush off the allegations and is “thrilled” to move forward.

“The case is closed,” McMahon said. “Today ends nearly three years of investigation by different government agencies. There has been a great deal of speculation about what exactly the government was investigating and what the outcome would be. As today's resolution shows, much of that speculation was misguided and misleading.

“In the end, there was never anything more to this than minor accounting errors with regard to some personal payments that I made several years ago while I was CEO of WWE. I'm thrilled that I can now put all this behind me,” he continued.

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Former WWE CEO Vince McMahon's scandals

Vince McMahon at WrestleMania 38 on April 3, 2022.
Joe Camporeale-Imagn Images.

The controversy around McMahon has been lingering for a long time. The hush money scandal arose in 2022, which resulted in McMahon stepping down as CEO and chairman of WWE.

However, it was a short-lived break. McMahon returned to the fold months later. He would once again resign after WWE's merger into TKO in January 2024.

That was due to the Janel Grant lawsuit, which came up in January 2024. On January 25, 2024, Grant filed a lawsuit against WWE and McMahon. She was a former employee of the company and alleges that McMahon sexually assaulted and trafficked her.

Despite the latest development, Grant and her lawyers will continue on. Her attorney, Ann Callis, released a statement (per NBC News). They believe that the settlements only prove that Vince McMahon tried to cover up the Grant situation.

“The SEC’s charges prove that the NDA Vince McMahon coerced Ms. Grant into signing violates the law, and therefore her case must be heard in court,” Callis said. “While prosecutors for the Southern District of New York continue their criminal investigation, we look forward to bringing forward new evidence in our civil case about the sexual exploitation Ms. Grant endured at WWE by Vince McMahon and John Laurinaitis.”