Bella Twins Break Silence On Stepdad Being Named In Vince McMahon Lawsuit

WWE Hall of Famers Nikki and Brie Garcia, formerly known as the Bella Twins (Nikki and Brie Bella), issued their first public statement after their stepfather, former WWE head of talent relations John Laurinaitis, was named in a sexual assault and sex trafficking lawsuit against former WWE chairman Vince McMahon.

“We are shocked and disheartened with the recent allegations against members of the WWE. It has been a lot to process since we found out this past week just as you all did. This is something we don’t stand for or condone from anyone no matter who they are. We want all women to feel safe and supported in the workplace and in their everyday lives," the Garcia Twins wrote on their joint X account Monday (January 29).

Laurinaitis, who married the Garcias' mother, Kathy, in 2016, was fired by WWE when he was initially named in an investigation into McMahon's alleged sexual misconduct and hush money payments in June 2022. The former WWE executive was once again named in a lawsuit filed by Janel Grant in the U.S. District Court for the District of Connecticut last Thursday (January 25) in which she claims Laurinaitis and McMahon engaged in sexual assault and trafficking of her, NBC News reported at the time.

McMahon is accused of pushing Grant for a physical relationship in exchange for promised employment, which she claims led to her feeling "trapped in an impossible situation" in which she had to adhere to his demands or face ruin.

“Ms. Grant feared she had everything to lose and faced negative consequences no matter what happened,” the lawsuit states via NBC News.

McMahon officially resigned from his position as executive chairman of TKO, a parent company launched by Endeavor following its purchase of WWE in April 2023, last Friday (January 26). In July 2022, the Wall Street Journal, which exclusively reported WWE's investigation a $3 million hush-money settlement paid by McMahon to a woman over an alleged affair, reported that the 76-year-old paid more than $12 million in hush money to four women during the past 16 years in an effort to suppress allegations of sexual misconduct and infidelity.

McMahon, has been married to his wife, Linda -- who served as WWE's president and later CEO from 1980 to 2009 and later as Small Business Administration chief as part of former President Donald Trump's administration from 2017 to 2019 -- since 1966.