Who is Vince McMahon's wife? WWE probes $3M hush money paid by CEO to female staffer
The World Wrestling Entertainment Inc (WWE) board is investigating its chief executive officer and chairman Vince McMahon after uncovering a secret $3 million settlement between him and his former employee with whom he reportedly had a secret affair. In addition to Vince McMahon, WWE's investigation has also implicated John Laurenitis, the company's General Manager of Talent Relations.
As per the January 2022 separation agreement between McMahon and the former employee, who was hired as a paralegal in 2019, the now-former employee is barred from discussing her relationship with McMahon or disparaging him, as reported by the Wall Street Journal. The former employee, 41, had fallen on hard times before joining the company and spoke of needing extra money, said people who spoke with her while she worked at WWE. Vince’s on-camera persona, McMahon, has portrayed a womanizer for years. McMahon’s antics included having close relationships with the younger, female talent.
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Who is McMahon's Wife?
Linda Marie McMahon, born in October 1948, is an American political executive, former Trump administration official, and former professional wrestling executive and performer. Linda McMahon and McMahon founded sports entertainment company Titan Sports, Inc (today WWE) together and she worked as the president of the company and CEO from 1980 to 2009. McMahon and Linda McMahon have been married since 1966. Linda McMahon ran her candidacy for US Senator in 2010 against Democrat Richard Blumenthal and in 2012 against Democrat Chris Murphy.
She spent almost $100 million of her own money in her two campaigns, but despite the losses, Linda McMahon got the opportunity to serve as the head of the Small Business Administration in former president Donald Trump's cabinet. She also committed herself to become a major Republican fundraiser and donor.
How did McMahon and Linda McMahon meet?
McMahon and Linda McMahon have been married since 1966. The couple has had each other's back for a very long time. The couple met each other for the first time in a church and at a very early stage. The WWE owner was 16 years old, and Linda was only 13 years old when they met for the first time. McMahon asked Linda McMahon for marriage when she graduated high school and was only 17. On August 26, 1966, the couple got married when McMahon was just a 20-year-old guy. Later, the couple enrolled in the same university and graduated together, and has been together for 56 years now.
When Vince McMahon was 16 years old he met a 13 year old Linda McMahon in a church for the very first time. pic.twitter.com/oikP6aCqkI
— Wrestling Facts (@WrestlingsFacts) February 20, 2022
After their graduation, McMahons moved to Washington DC. They had their first child, a son, in 1970 and named him Shane Brandon McMahon. And after six years, in 1976 Linda gave birth to her daughter Stephanie McMahon. In the same year, the couple also filed for bankruptcy when debts took over the family. The couple started Titan Sports Inc in 1980 and bought the Cape Cod Coliseum in Massachusetts, and started to promote various wrestling and hockey events at the venue. The McMahons then acquired full control of the WWWF from Vince McMahon Sr in 1982 and renamed the promotion as the World Wrestling Federation, and soon made it into a global empire.
McMahon's earlier controversies
McMahon has been in many controversies, especially most of them related to sexual harassment. Former WWE employee and pro wrestling referee Rita Marie Chatterton accused McMahon of raping her in his limo in July 1986. Chatterton was the first female referee in WWE. She worked for the company in the '80s. In 2006, an unnamed woman who worked at a Boca Raton, FL, tanning salon accused McMahon of sexually assaulting her as per the police report. However, McMahon denied the charges.
In 2018 McMahon tried to do a bizarre headline where he impregnated his own daughter. Former WWE writer Bruce Prichard went on the Opie Radio podcast in 2018 to talk about one of the most disturbing potential storylines McMahon came up with to try and promote the WWE brand, "It was during the time when [McMahon's daughter] Stephanie was pregnant and Vince was trying to figure out if he could work that into a storyline. [...] The funny thing is, we were all on the phone going over everything and it was classic Vince. "What if I was the father?" Then there’s nervous laughter because no one thinks he’s serious but then it became, "Well, what if?", he said.
McMahon has been one of the most talked-about celebrities owning the largest sports entertainment company. WWE is the largest professional wrestling promotion in the world with reported revenue of $1.1 billion in 2021. The global entertainment company also operates multiple subsidiaries that create and develop films, books and music focused on its star wrestlers. WWE further licenses its intellectual property to companies to produce video games and action figures, as reported by WSJ.