Janel Grant is not letting the old Vince McMahon NDA scandal fade away quietly.
The former WWE employee, who sued WWE and Vince McMahon, went on Instagram Wednesday and revisited the 2022 Wall Street Journal stories that first blew the whole thing wide open. Grant posted two multi-image slideshows, and she used them to call out details she says were wrong, incomplete, or flat-out damaging to her life.
The first post went back to the June 15, 2022 story that said WWE’s Board of Directors was investigating a $3 million NDA involving McMahon and Grant. Grant was not named in that story at the time, but she says plenty of details still painted a picture she does not agree with.
Grant pushed back on being called a paralegal. She said she worked in WWE’s legal department, but her actual job was a coordinator role. She also took issue with the story saying she had “fallen on hard times” and needed “extra money,” saying that did not tell the full story of where her life was at before WWE.
She also pushed back hard on WWE’s claim at the time that her relationship with McMahon was “consensual.” Grant called that a “storyline.” Her lawsuit claims the relationship was coercive and that McMahon sexually abused her and trafficked her to other men in WWE. McMahon has denied the allegations.
Grant’s second post focused on the July 8, 2022 follow-up that said McMahon had paid $12 million across four NDAs involving women who used to work for WWE. Grant said that article made things even worse for her because her name had already been leaked online, and people were trying to figure out who she was.
Grant said the story mentioning the condo complex where she met McMahon exposed more than people understood. She said it pointed people toward where she lived and where she had taken a new job after leaving WWE. Grant said the whole thing made her feel like her private life had been ripped open.
“My name had already been leaked but this served to eliminate any doubt to the entirety of my world — from neighbors to new employers — that I am a central figure in this scandal and here’s where I can be found.”
“I felt like I had been doxxed.”
Grant also made it clear she was not blaming the Wall Street Journal reporters for the coverage. Her anger was aimed at the people feeding information behind the scenes. Grant then made her issue very clear.
“I am not frustrated with the WSJ reporters. But I’m sick over ‘people’ who’d take a private person and launch me into the world.”
The posts also included legal material tied to the WWE and TKO merger lawsuit, including deposition excerpts from people connected to WWE’s board and leadership. One excerpt from former WWE board member Jeffrey Speed said the board received descriptions of graphic text messages and images McMahon sent to Brock Lesnar, though the board did not see the images directly.
Grant also included material tied to a DOJ subpoena sent to WWE in 2023. That subpoena listed possible areas of investigation involving financial laws, sex trafficking, and related offenses. No one was charged with crimes tied to that investigation.
The timing is also worth noting. Grant’s posts came after a federal court filing said both sides are in “active discussions” about moving her lawsuit against McMahon and WWE into private arbitration.
Grant’s message was simple: the 2022 stories may be old news to some people, but they are still very real to her. She is now going back through how the scandal first hit the public, what she says was wrong, and how it affected her before she ever got to tell her side.
This whole situation is still far from over. Grant is clearly using her own platform now to push back on the way her story was first told, while McMahon continues to deny the allegations against him.
What do you think about Janel Grant revisiting the original Vince McMahon NDA coverage now? Please share your thoughts and feedback in the comments.