Former WWE writer Britney Abrahams is sueing Vince McMahon and WWE. She claims that McMahon and WWE have been involved with a number of alleged racist scripts in addition to other discriminatory practices in the organization.
As noted via Bloomberg Law, Abrahams claims that she was both discriminated and retaliated against for having objected to the “offensively racist and stereotypical jargon” used in the scripts for numerous black wrestlers. This includes such well-known wrestlers as Bianca Belair and Apollo Crews.
The publication adds that Abrahams made multiple complaints, all of which were ignored, and that “she was pretextually terminated for taking home a WrestleMania-branded chair, according to the complaint filed in the US District Court for the Eastern District of New York on Monday.”
It’s been stated in the complaint that Abrahams first began writing for both WWE SmackDown! and WWE Monday Night RAW in 2020. The publication continues:
“She complained of racial and gender stereotypes in scripts, including ones instructing Belair to say ‘Uh-Uh! Don’t make me take off my earrings and beat your ass!’ and Crews to speak with a ‘stereotypical and exaggerated Nigerian accent,’ but was rebuffed, she said.”
Despite her complaints, however, Abrahams claims that she continued to receive a number of allegedly racist pitches for WWE. Some of these included the involvement of McMahon and daughter Stephanie McMahon. Additionally, another alleged example is the suggestion that a black male wrestler should dress in drag.
Furthermore, Abrahams says that these pitches were only rejected when it was a white writer that claimed they could “perpetuate harmful stereotypes that would offend viewers.” In addition to these alleged examples, there was a writer that’s said to have proposed a Muslim wrestler to say he was “behind the 9/11 attacks.”
Vice President Christine Lubrano is said to have delivered the following response to Abrahams’ complaints and those given by other writers:
“Wacky things are said in the writer’s room all the time!” and “I know but look at the waves we’re making in the company. 4 years ago, no woman worked on the writer’s team!”
Abrahams continued to have these alleged pitches until having been fired in April 2022. This is due to the aforementioned WrestleMania-branded chair she took home. Though she claims that white male writers weren’t punished for doing the same thing.
Stay tuned to ScreenGeek for any additional updates as we have them. She’s currently “seeking reinstatement, damages, declaratory judgment, and an injunction restraining defendants from engaging in such unlawful conduct.”
WWE recently announced plans to merge with UFC.