These anonymous emails are said to have initiated a "butterfly effect" that included Vince McMahon refusing to pay the remaining balance of a settlement, the WWE Board launching an investigation into McMahon's conduct, McMahon announcing his retirement from WWE, Stephanie McMahon's departure, subsequent return, and eventual exit from the company, Vince McMahon's decision to return as a primary stockholder and force a company sale, the eventual sale of WWE to Endeavor leading to the creation of TKO Group Holdings, Grant's subsequent lawsuit against McMahon, and McMahon's latest step away from the company to establish his own new venture.
On her Instagram account, Grant provided her perspective on the anonymous communications.
"Anonymous Emails Reading these for the first time took a sledgehammer to my mental health. I feel like a Taylor Swift lyric and wonder if omeone caged me just to call me crazy. I'm not wired to understand why someone would write them. But I am rtained to notice the use of hair splitters and spin."
Grant then published an email excerpt from an anonymous sender, which stated a friend worked at WWE, lived homeless for a while on "percs etc.", and met "chief chairman Vince McMahon" after getting cleaned up. The excerpt claimed McMahon gave the friend a job and paid her $100,000 every year, increasing to $200,000 a year after he "started f**king her." It further claimed McMahon, described as 80 years old, gave her his "friend John who works at WWE too", identified as 70 and her boss, as a "toy." The email excerpt alleged the friend quit because she was scared after McMahon and "lawyer Jerry" paid her millions to shut up, with the sender stating they were "going to the media" to make "the world know the truth about this pervert."
Responding to these specific points, Grant provided a counter-narrative:
"What happened before 2019: While caring for my parents - two sets of illness, medical debt, hospitalizations - they declared bankruptcy and we lost our family home. Life was such a disaster that Hurricane Sandy dropped a tree on the house that we were in the process of losing. What never happened: No living on the street. No addictions to "percs." No rehab. There is no person who knew me in life pre-dating 2019 who could write this. The spin: A friend? I see a trick to steer public perception. Homeless? I shared my background at work. Rehab? I shared my experience with grief counseling at work. Addiction? I shared that quitting nicotine lozenges wasn't fun at work. A threat to expose info? It's a highly reactive environment with security vendors in place. The rest of the email? It repackages years of time and illogical events involving a lot of people who have eyeballs into a logic sounding storyline with only a few people. This email doesn't contain allegations. This email is a storyline. Who sent this? I don't know. But public documents show a reimbursement of $20,098,000 in legal costs related to a special committee's investigation on 3/19/23."
Grant also published screenshots of an email dated April 11, 2022, sent from an anonymous ProtonMail account. Addressed to the board of directors, the email stated, "The board of directors for major company like wwe does not care that the old founder and his old sidekick johnny Laronitis took advantage of a who only worked hard?" It claimed the sender wanted no money and planned to send the information to stockholders and lawyers the friend worked with, asserting that "WWE paid for her silence" and the person was "Treated like an animal by Vince Mcmahon and Johnny Loronitis."
A second anonymous email, dated April 14, 2022, and sent via ProtonMail, stated, "Deadspin is surprised that board of directors has not checked vince mcmahon s phone which will show all of his hurtful pictures back and forth to [deleted] these include pictures of his privates to a 25 year old employee and them in sex together and with Johnny in sex acts with her." The email concluded, "Gross old men abusing a 25 year old."
Regarding these later anonymous emails, Janel Grant stated:
"About Anonymous Emails 2 and 3 I'm pretty sick over whether this is implying a revenge porn situation and whether it extends to Deadspin. A media company. I'm sick over whether this is implying I was being filmed and didn't know it. I'm sick over whatever it is that I don't know."
Grant also posted a photo of a fallen tree.
Her lawsuit against McMahon and WWE alleges McMahon lured her with promises of career advancement, then exploited and trafficked her to other men inside the company. Grant signed a nondisclosure agreement (NDA) with McMahon in 2022, which included a $3 million payment in exchange for not publicly disparaging him or discussing their relationship. She alleges in the suit that McMahon stopped making payments after $1 million was received, representing one-third of the agreed-upon amount. Grant's lawsuit seeks to void the NDA and obtain additional financial damages.
