A number of former WWE writers have come forward to speak up about bad working conditions under the Vince McMahon management.
Rolling Stone recently published a new piece diving deep into the work culture of the company. They specifically focused on the hardships endured by the writers working on WWE’s various on-screen presentations under the McMahon management.
Michael Leonardi who was the head writer for the company in 2016 recalled being told that he was ‘not fit for the role’ before his firing from the promotion. This came only a week after McMahon dressed Leonardi down for making changes to a script that he and other wrestlers thought to be racially insensitive:
“He turned to me and he said, ‘So you didn’t give me what I wanted?’ 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 female writer even detailed being inappropriately touched by her colleagues during meetings. She claimed that male writers would comment on her outfits or pull her through her waist without permission. This made her super aware of her gender.
When these complaints were taken to Human Resources, the higher-ups held a Zoom meeting in 2020. Instead of providing a solution or changing the work conditions, however, the writers were told not to take their issues to HR anymore and to stop acting like ‘middle schoolers.’
Vince McMahon resigned from all positions in WWE in January this year after a former WWE HQ employee Janel Grant filed a lawsuit accusing the Billionaire promotor of sexual misconduct and sexual trafficking.
