Janel Grant stepped back into the public spotlight this week and delivered a powerful message about her ongoing lawsuit involving WWE and Vince McMahon, while calling attention to the impact of non-disclosure agreements in workplace misconduct cases.
Speaking at a Capitol news briefing hosted by the Connecticut Alliance to End Sexual Violence, Grant reflected on the moment her identity became public in 2022 following a Wall Street Journal report — something she says completely changed her life. Grant made it clear the fallout went far beyond headlines, revealing the toll it took on her mental health.
“On June 15th of 2022, my life was rewritten into someone else’s storyline. And I was globally outed in the Wall Street Journal.”
“That is the life-wrecking and the mental health impact of this particular NDA.”
She described feeling completely isolated during that period, crediting outside support systems for helping her get through it.
“The people and organizations that have supported me when I was the loneliest person on planet Earth, when my life got decimated in the Wall Street Journal, with them, I would not be here.”
Grant also took direct aim at how NDAs function in workplace environments, arguing they allow harmful behavior to continue unchecked.
“Workplace safety depends on transparency because when employees cannot speak, patterns can’t be seen. When patterns can’t be seen, they can’t be stopped. When they can’t be stopped, harm spreads.”
“When an NDA is used to conceal dangerous behavior, it simply relocates the harm to the next employee, the next office, the next victim.”
She then revealed new details about how WWE handled the situation publicly, claiming the company pushed for a joint statement describing her relationship with Vince McMahon as consensual — something she refused.
“So someone, a group maybe, behind my back, without my knowledge, without my input, made that decision for me, it’s consensual, we say so.”
Grant added that while she was technically allowed to participate in WWE’s internal investigation, it wrapped up without her ever being interviewed. Around that same time, she said she received both a subpoena and whistleblower status from the SEC as part of a federal investigation. She also pointed to the timing of WWE’s major business moves shortly after.
“In March of 2023, I got two things from the SEC. I got a subpoena, and I got whistleblower status.”
“A couple days after that, Vince McMahon and Ari Emanuel suddenly appeared on CNBC to announce a deal of Endeavor and WWE, so color me the most surprised person on planet Earth.”
Grant even referenced a WWE storyline that aired on Raw in 2024, noting that fans and media drew comparisons to her real-life situation.
“And in the summer of 2024, reporters and viewers noticed there were parallels between the storyline that unfolded for several months on television and my situation.”
Despite everything, Grant said filing the lawsuit wasn’t something she originally wanted, but felt unavoidable given how events unfolded.
“I knew what I would be about to throw my life into… I didn’t start that. It’s like it found me.”
“To the board of TKO, if you didn’t know this part of your origin story, now you know.”
“All of you have some say in how my life turns out from here, including how quickly I may be able to move on and find help and healing.”
Grant’s appearance marks one of her most detailed public statements yet, and puts even more attention on the ongoing legal battle and the role of NDAs in cases like hers.
Do you think Janel Grant speaking out publicly will lead to real change, or will this situation continue to play out behind closed doors? Let us know your thoughts.