Six former WWE writers have accused Vince McMahon of fostering a toxic and sexist workplace.
In a Rolling Stone article published Saturday, former writer Michael Leonardi claims he was fired in 2016 after changing a racially insensitive script for a Raw segment set to air on Martin Luther King Jr. Day.
Leonardi described the incident in a LinkedIn post earlier this year:
“The script called for Neville to speak up and tell everyone else that he’s got ‘a dream’ too and that dream is to win the Royal Rumble. And I remember Neville coming up to me after he read it and he was like, ‘I can’t say this.’
(Trying to compare) a wrestler who wants to one day win the Royal Rumble to one of the most iconic speeches in American history about civil rights and how important that was – to try and play on that was just dumb, it was poor writing.”
The script was changed so that R-Truth would say the line instead. Although another WWE employee approved the change, McMahon was said to be furious at Leonardi.
“He turned to me and he said, ‘So you didn’t give me what I wanted?’” Leonardi said to Rolling Stone. “I said, ‘I understand, I’m sorry. We all went over it and felt good about it, we just made the small tweak.’ And then he started just yelling at me. It was such an intense moment. I walked out with my tail between my legs.”
A spokesperson for McMahon denied that this ever happened, stating that McMahon was “extremely hands-on” with WWE scripts and later adding, “That’s why the idea of him suggesting or approving the use of a famous Martin Luther King, Jr. quote for a punchline to be used by a white British character is so ridiculous. It simply didn’t happen.”
The five other writers who spoke with Rolling Stone all did so on the condition of anonymity. Among the other allegations, the writers stated they were instructed to stand up whenever McMahon entered a room, not sit before McMahon sat, and push in their chairs when they left. They were also told never to sneeze in front of McMahon, as he saw it as a sign of weakness.
A spokesperson for McMahon denied these allegations as well.
“Many of the anonymous writers’ claims bear no resemblance to the reality of the writers room,” McMahon’s spokesperson told Rolling Stone. “Vince never told people to stand up when he entered the room. That’s ludicrous.”
The writers also told Rolling Stone that it was commonplace for them to wait for McMahon in the Stamford office until late at night. When McMahon did arrive, creative meetings could last until four in the morning.
McMahon’s spokesperson responded to these claims as well, stating:
“Like many jobs in the sports and entertainment industries, the writer’s position was not a 9-to-5 gig. If new ideas needed to be implemented or changes made to the script, meetings could be held late into the evening because of Vince’s availability given his travel schedule and his multiple duties at the company as CEO as well as overseeing all of the creative content for hundreds of live events and broadcasts every year.”
The writers allege that McMahon created a toxic workplace culture by putting “bullies” who were loyal to him in positions of power.
“Those people were the most miserable people I’ve ever worked with, but that’s where a lot of them had worked their whole professional lives and that’s the only game in town,” one writer says. “They didn’t know what it was like working on a regular television show.”
Female writers in WWE were subject to McMahon and other male staff in positions of power making comments about their appearance, and one expressed that male employees would “touch her in ways that felt unnecessary.”
“They would touch me where they would have me come closer [to them],” she said. “They would pull me by my waist to come somewhere or move closer to them. I’m just super aware that it’s kind of close to my butt and most people don’t touch me by the waist ever. I thought, ‘This is strange.’”
Two of the six writers who spoke with Rolling Stone say they brought their complaints to Human Resources. One was fired shortly after, which she believes was a retaliatory move.
Multiple female writers complained about the workplace culture in 2020, so WWE management held a Zoom meeting referred to as a “women’s forum.” However, the writers say their concerns were met with a dismissive reaction.
“They did it just to appease us, but they didn’t take it seriously at all,” said one former writer.
While the writers do not have any direct knowledge about the allegations against McMahon and WWE in Janel Grant’s lawsuit, they also stated that they weren’t surprised when they heard about them.
One writer stated that even with McMahon gone and Paul “Triple H” Levesque running things, they doubt the culture has changed significantly.
“There are a lot of people complicit in continuing this culture,” one former writer said. “I am highly doubtful it’s changed, even with Triple H in charge. I just don’t think it really can.”