Former WWE writers speak out about the hostile, sexist environment they experienced while working for Vince McMahon.
In January 2024, Janel Grant filed a lawsuit against Vince McMahon, John Laurinaitis, and WWE, alleging that she was the victim of sexual assault and trafficking. McMahon resigned from WWE, but he remains under federal investigation. He was recently highlighted in the Netflix docuseries, “Mr. McMahon”.
Krystie Lee Yandoli of the Rolling Stone spoke with multiple former WWE writers who worked for the company between 2016 and 2022. Former writer Michael Lombardi recalled being yelled at by Vince McMahon just one week prior to his firing in 2016, despite being promoted and given a raise during his time with the company.
“He turned to me and he said, ‘So you didn’t give me what I wanted?’” Leonardi said “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.”
Yandoli notes that the former writers collectively described a “hostile”‘” environment in the TV writers room, which they say started with McMahon and was perpetuated by others in leadership.
“WWE is a kingdom ruled by fear,” one former writer tells Rolling Stone. “It is the motivating factor everywhere: fear.”
Yandoli writes that representatives for WWE did not respond to requests for comment, though a spokesperson for Vince McMahon said that, “Scores of writers could share tales of what an enjoyable, creative and freewheeling environment the WWE writers rooms were. This handful of (obviously disgruntled) individuals aren’t representative in any way of the consensus — or of the truth.”
More Comments About Vince McMahon’s Behavior
The former writers also detailed how McMahon’s behavior created a “culture of fear”, with Yandoli citing multiple accounts of verbal abuse and overall descriptions of hostile conditions beyond the writers room.
One writer recalled how they all were yelled at in the writers room, with others saying things that were “humiliating or mean.”
Overall, the former writers explained how the writers room was unlike any other, as Vince McMahon regularly joined their meetings and supervised them. They also cited unusual rules, such as a dress code and being told not to sneeze in front of McMahon because he saw it as a sign of weakness, as well as being instructed to stand when McMahon walked into the room.
A spokesperson for McMahon denied the claims, saying that the former writers’ comments “bear no resemblance to the reality of the writers room. Vince never told people to stand up when he entered the room. That’s ludicrous.”
It’s well-documented that McMahon would often change scripts the day of shows, and the writers also detailed how closely involved the former WWE CEO was in the creative process. One former writer said that McMahon sometimes “destroyed everything by the time we got to air.”
Likewise, past accounts have stated that writers and others had to wait for hours to meet with McMahon, and the writers reiterated this dynamic. A spokesperson for McMahon stated that the writer’s position was not a 9-to-5 job, and meetings could be held late at night due to Vince McMahon’s schedule and his obligations.
Former WWE Writers On WWE Culture
The former writers additionally explained that others in leadership could be “bullies”, and they would demonstrate their loyalty to McMahon, likely fueled by “by fear of upsetting McMahon and losing their jobs.”
Per Yandoli, the former writers say that the environment fueled competition as people would turn on each other in the process of trying to gain favor with McMahon. One former writer said that everyone was scared, and everyone was “emotionally shut down” due to being verbally berated so much of the time.
Former WWE Writers On Sexist Environment
Yandoli also cites some of the former WWE writers who were women, and they said that they “felt othered and became hyper-aware of their gender because of how they were treated by male writers”.
One of the former writers said that others would touch her in “ways that felt unnecessary”, and it seemed like it was done as a way of controlling her.
“They would touch me where they would have me come closer [to them],” she claims. “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.’”
Yandoli cites another former writer as well, who said that she left WWE because she did not feel safe working there as a woman. She also objected to the way that other writers talked about the female wrestlers’ bodies and wardrobes, as it made her feel like an object.
However, Leonardi says that things were more positive when Vince McMahon was not present, as it was “amazing” to see how the environment opened up.
Yandolo writes that the former writers had no direct knowledge of the sexual assault and trafficking allegations against McMahon, but they were not surprised either. One former writer said that they were “sickened” by Janel Grant’s allegations, and it gave them the freedom to say, “That place was f*cked up.”
Former WWE Writers On Vince McMahon
The former writers also said that it was impossible to deny that Vince McMahon had done wonderful things and created many jobs, but this did not negate his behavior, let alone his alleged wrongdoing.
Finally, even with Vince McMahon gone from WWE, the former writers think that the culture in WWE is deep-rooted, and people who are “complicit” in the culture are still there. One former writer expressed their doubt that the culture had changed, and they did not think that it could, at least not overnight.
