Jeff Shell, CEO Of Major WWE Partner NBCUniversal, Steps Down After 'Inappropriate Relationship'

Jeff Shell is out at NBCUniversal. Who was Jeff Shell? Up until this past weekend, he sat in the position of CEO for the company. However, after an investigation was launched following a received complaint, Shell is exiting with immediate complaint after it was found and he admitted to having an inappropriate relationship with a woman at the company, per Reuters. 

In a statement, Shell — who spent nearly 20 years between NBCUniversal and their parent company Comcast — acknowledged, "I had an inappropriate relationship with a woman in the company, which I deeply regret." He continued, "I'm truly sorry I let my Comcast and NBCUniversal colleagues down."

Since assuming the role of CEO in January 2020, Shell oversaw plenty having to do with the entertainment side of NBCUniversal. While not conceived under his watch, the conglomerate's Peacock streaming service did eventually launch in July 2020 under his guidance. In the years following its debut, Peacock has been the exclusive streaming partner of WWE since April 2021. That year alone saw an increase in viewership across various premium live events including Crown Jewel, Money In the Bank, Royal Rumble, and Survivor Series.

NBCUniversal holds right of first refusal with regards to re-upping their television rights deal with WWE, which is centered around "WWE Raw" on USA Network; that deal is set to expire next year. The current streaming deal with Peacock, however, doesn't wrap up until 2026. Whether or not Shell's departure has a notable impact on WWE going forward remains to be seen. However, WWE will continue to boast its record success with programming like the Royal Rumble this past January as well as WrestleMania 39 earlier this month doing well for Peacock in the meantime.