Vince McMahon is no longer being represented by public relations firm Sitrick And Company, POST Wrestling has learned. The firm’s exit from McMahon’s team comes five months after the working relationship began and just before the Wednesday premiere of a Netflix docuseries, “Mr. McMahon”.
Sitrick And Company, led by PR strategist Michael Sitrick, began working with McMahon in April. We learned of the split on Monday when we contacted Sitrick, who informed us that he is no longer representing McMahon. We followed up on Tuesday to ask Sitrick specifically when the working relationship ended and who initiated the change.
Sitrick responded to our requests for comment just after this article was published, declining to get into specifics. “With respect to clients, we don’t comment beyond we are no longer working together,” he said.
The firm, known for its work in crisis management, has represented high-profile clients including Roy Disney, Kobe Bryant, Pepsi, and a multitude of other major brands and celebrities. In April, Sitrick emphasized that his firm took on McMahon’s case after conducting its own due diligence, and worked closely with McMahon’s legal team.
McMahon is still being represented by attorney Jessica Taub Rosenberg in the civil lawsuit filed by former WWE employee Janel Grant against McMahon, WWE, and former executive John Laurinaitis. Grant alleges she was sexually assaulted and trafficked while under the control of McMahon, and WWE executives had knowledge of the relationship between McMahon and herself.
We’ve asked Rosenberg if McMahon is being represented by a different PR firm and what led to McMahon breaking off the relationship with Sitrick. We’ll update this report if we receive a comment.
A statement was posted on Monday night to McMahon’s X account, which he’s rarely used in recent years, condemning the Netflix series, complaining that it conflates his “Mr. McMahon” onscreen character with his real-life personality and distorts his legacy. McMahon expressed disappointment with the documentary, which he said he’s viewed a partial cut of, claiming it uses “typical editing tricks” to push a misleading narrative and portrays him in a way that is “intentionally confusing.”
— Vince McMahon (@VinceMcMahon) September 23, 2024
McMahon provided new interviews for the documentary, all of which were recorded before news of the scandal broke around him in 2022.
Last week, Grant’s team announced that she hired the services of SKDK, adding that firm to The Agency Group, which has represented her throughout this year.
Grant’s attorney, Ann Callis, criticized McMahon’s portrayal in his statement of Grant’s allegations as an “affair”. Callis called McMahon’s statement a “delusional” attempt to salvage his reputation. She expressed hope that the documentary will shine a light on McMahon’s alleged actions and support other survivors in speaking out.
Callis’s full statement reads:
Vince McMahon physically and emotionally abused, sexually assaulted and human trafficked Janel Grant for more than two years. Calling his horrific and criminal behavior ‘an affair’ is delusional and nothing more than a sad attempt to save his shredded reputation. Although Ms. Grant has not seen the ‘Mr. McMahon’ docuseries, we hope it shines a bright light on his abhorrent and criminal actions by accurately portraying the realities of his abusive and exploitative behavior.
Ms. Grant will no longer be silenced by McMahon. Her story, though deeply troubling and exceptionally painful, is one that can help other abuse survivors find their voices. We seek to hold McMahon, John Laurinaitis and WWE accountable and to give Ms. Grant her day in court.
McMahon resigned from his roles at WWE, twice, in 2022 and 2023, respectively, amid numerous allegations of sexual misconduct and related million-dollar nondisclosure agreements with women, including Grant, who formerly worked for WWE. The scandal also raised regulatory issues for WWE, which is a public company, and was forced to amend its financial statements due to McMahon’s NDA payments that were intended to protect both himself and the company.
McMahon is reportedly also under federal investigation for sexual assault and sex trafficking allegations, according to The Wall Street Journal‘s reporting in February. Those investigations are almost certainly related to Grant’s civil lawsuit being put on hold last June at the request of U.S. Attorneys from the Southern District of New York.
A new report from Puck indicates that McMahon even attempted to buy the rights to the Netflix documentary to prevent its release, reflecting the extent of his concern over its potential impact on his reputation. Much of the last of the six-episode series focuses on the sexual misconduct scandal that has made headlines since 2022.
Grant was approached to participate in the documentary but did not end up being interviewed. In a press call last week, Callis said that Grant “deserves the opportunity to tell her own story in her own way at the right time.”
In his statement, McMahon urged viewers to keep an open mind, asserting that there are “two sides to every story.” Callis, meanwhile, countered that Grant is determined to hold McMahon, Laurinaitis, and WWE accountable and to seek justice in court.
