Stephanie McMahon says she has done everything she set out to do, and that running WWE was never one of the goals.
McMahon turned 50 on September 24. On a birthday episode of What’s Your Story with Steph McMahon, a fan asked what dream she has yet to achieve.
“So here’s the thing, like I’ve done everything I ever wanted to do. So it’s such an exciting time in my life. I’m turning 50, and I’m like, what am I going to do?” McMahon said. “I wanted to be a mom more than anything. I never realized I would become, you know, for a brief period, the chairman and CEO of WWE. I am in the Hall of Fame. I mean, I recently went to Ireland, and I went on safari, and I have this incredible pod with my best friend.”
McMahon became WWE’s interim chairwoman and co-CEO in July 2022, after Vince McMahon stepped down during an investigation into misconduct allegations. She resigned on January 10, 2023, days after her father returned as executive chairman ahead of the sale that created TKO. She was inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame this year. Her co-host pointed out one commitment she left off the list.
“That work is forever ongoing,” McMahon said of her pediatric cancer advocacy. “So I guess it’s not a dream, but I really want to continue my work in helping find a cure and help kids and families with pediatric cancer. That’s for sure a guiding light, north star. My personal commitment forever.”
McMahon and Triple H founded Connor’s Cure in 2014 with the V Foundation, in memory of Connor Michalek, an eight-year-old fan who died of brain cancer. She added one more item, as a joke: “You know, that and being president.”
Earlier in the episode, Hornswoggle sent in a question asking what the biggest lesson was that McMahon and her co-host Elise, who was her chief of staff at WWE, had taught each other. McMahon’s answer was about a day she got it wrong as a boss.
“Elise overheard a conversation that I had with someone who was working for me at the time, and I came down hard on her. And Elise heard it from the other room, and I guess I didn’t let up or say anything positive,” McMahon said. “She said, absolutely, this person didn’t do X, Y, Z, whatever it was. But I know she cares a lot about what she does, and she works really, really hard, and I bet she didn’t appreciate how you just told her. And she was right. And it was a very hard lesson for me.”
McMahon said she went back and apologized. “I don’t think I would have said anything to her if Elise hadn’t said anything to me,” she said. “She said it meant so much to her that I apologized, and that she forgave me immediately, whether or not I deserved it.”
What’s Your Story with Steph McMahon is produced by WWE and Fanatics. The full episode is available below.
