Janel Grant, a former WWE performer, delivered a powerful and deeply personal statement on Thursday, detailing the profound impact of a non-disclosure agreement (NDA) on her life and advocating for reform in how these agreements are used in cases of workplace misconduct. Speaking at a Capitol news briefing hosted by the Connecticut Alliance to End Sexual Violence, Grant recounted her experience following a Wall Street Journal report that publicly named her in connection with allegations against Vince McMahon.
“On , my life was rewritten into someone else’s storyline. And I was globally outed in the Wall Street Journal,” Grant stated, describing the moment her identity became public. The fallout, she explained, extended far beyond the headlines, taking a severe toll on her mental health, including experiencing thoughts of self-harm. “That is the life-wrecking and the mental health impact of this particular NDA.”
Grant’s testimony comes as part of an ongoing legal battle with WWE and McMahon. She emphasized the isolating nature of her experience, crediting support networks for her continued well-being. “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,” she said.
Central to Grant’s argument is the danger NDAs pose to workplace safety. She asserted that these agreements stifle transparency, allowing harmful patterns of behavior to persist. “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,” she explained. “When an NDA is used to conceal dangerous behavior, it simply relocates the harm to the next employee, the next office, the next victim.”
Grant revealed that following the initial Wall Street Journal report, WWE requested she issue a joint statement characterizing the relationship as consensual. She refused, but a WWE spokesperson subsequently described the relationship as consensual in a follow-up article published the following month. “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 recounted, highlighting what she perceived as a violation of her agency.
Her involvement in the legal process has been complex. Grant stated she was permitted to participate in WWE’s internal investigation, but that it concluded without her being interviewed. She also revealed she has been granted whistleblower status by the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) as part of a federal criminal investigation into the allegations. “In , 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,” she said.
Grant also noted the emergence of a storyline on WWE’s Raw television program in that mirrored aspects of her situation, though she did not specify the exact storyline. “And in the summer of , reporters and viewers noticed there were parallels between the storyline that unfolded for several months on television and my situation.”
Despite the immense personal cost, Grant expressed reluctance to pursue the civil suit, acknowledging the disruption it would bring to her life. “I knew what I would be about to throw my life into, but I had been dragged in by this NDA into a federal investigation, the SEC, all the consequences, all the things that have happened that have made my life so small and isolated, I didn’t start that. It’s like it found me,” she explained.
Concluding her remarks, Grant directed a message to the leadership of TKO, the parent company of WWE. “To the board of TKO, if you didn’t know this part of your origin story, now you know. I hope you will have conversations with us. I hope you have conversations amongst yourselves, and I hope that you don’t rely on old instincts with new insight.” She emphasized the power TKO holds in shaping her future. “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 public appearance represents a significant moment in the ongoing conversation surrounding NDAs and their impact on survivors of workplace misconduct, particularly within the professional wrestling industry. Her testimony underscores the potential for these agreements to silence victims and perpetuate harmful behavior, while also highlighting the importance of support systems and legal avenues for seeking accountability.
