Stephanie McMahon has addressed her stepping away from her previous role in WWE before making a swift return as the company’s Chairwoman and CEO.
On May 19th Stephanie McMahon announced that she is taking a leave of absence from WWE. In a short statement posted on social media, McMahon said that she would be stepping away from “the majority” of her responsibilities with the company.
“As of tomorrow, I am taking a leave of absence from the majority of my responsibilities at WWE. WWE is a lifelong legacy for me and I look forward to returning to the company that I love after taking this time to focus on my family.”
However, that absence was short-lived as she was soon back at the top of the company taking over from her father Vince McMahon who retired amid an investigation into alleged sexual misconduct and hush money payments.
On a quarterly earnings call, Stephanie McMahon addressed her short leave of absence and how it came about:
“I have worked in WWE since I was about eight years old, modelling merchandise for our then-catalogue, in any variety of capacities. My parents couldn’t afford a nanny when we were bringing up the business, so on weekends, I would sit in with our receptionist at headquarters.”
“I’ve worked my entire life for this business, I love this business. I took a leave of absence, realizing that I needed a little bit of time with my family given the gruelling schedule and nature [of the business]. I got about three weeks, which is more than a lot of other folks get.”
“I was not forced into returning as CEO and Chairman in the interim position. I offered. That was an opportunity for me to come back and be part of this company that I love and have the opportunity to lead this company. This business is something I believe in to my core. I believe in the impact we make on people’s lives, not only in growing the business, which I believe we have so many opportunities to do as has been laid out by all of us but because of the impact we make.”
“We truly bring people together for generations from all over the world with all different backgrounds. We give them relief, entertainment, and an opportunity to come together that is very rare, unusual, and special. Whatever we can do to continue to deliver on that promise is what we want to do.”
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