2018, Punk signed with the Cage Fury Fighting Championships (CFFC) promotion (a UFC affiliate) as a commentator. His first event was CFFC 71 on December 14 and it was streamed live on UFC Fight Pass. Personal life Brooks married fellow wrestler April Mendez, also known as AJ Lee, on June 13, 2014. He is an atheist, and has been outspoken in his support for LGBT rights and same-sex marriage. Like his wrestling persona, he follows a straight edge lifestyle. Brooks once worked for a shop named All American Comics. In February 2015, WWE doctor Christopher Amann filed a defamation lawsuit against Brooks and Scott Colton over Brooks's allegations of medical malpractice on an episode of Colton's podcast (see above). Amann was seeking roughly $4 million in compensation and an undisclosed amount in punitive damages. WWE issued a statement and video in support of Amann. The case went to trial in 2018, where a jury ruled in favor of Brooks and Colton. In August 2018, Colton filed a lawsuit against Brooks, alleging breach of contract and fraud due to Brooks's alleged agreement and later refusal to pay Colton's legal fees for the Amann suit. Colton sought $200,000 in damages and an additional $1 million in punitive damages. Brooks filed a counterclaim against Colton in June 2019, for $600,000 and additional fees. Both lawsuits were settled and dismissed in September 2019. According to PWInsider, the settlement involved no financial compensation. Other media Acting and appearances In 2008, Brooks appeared as the Sports Grand Marshal of the nationally televised McDonald's Thanksgiving Parade in downtown Chicago. He reprised this role in 2012. Brooks has appeared alongside his friend and Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu coach Rener Gracie in several episodes of the YouTube series Gracie Breakdown. He has also worked with Nerdist Industries, including hosting an ongoing series titled Grammar Slam, explaining grammatical mistakes in messages from professional wrestling fans and berating them. Brooks was the cover athlete for the video game WWE '13. In 2015, he was featured in Frank Turner's "The Next Storm" music video. Brooks made his acting debut in the 2019 horror film Girl on the Third Floor. His performance was praised as "compelling", "down-to-earth", and "energetic and charismatic", with one review stating that he "nails it". Brooks currently stars in the wrestling drama series Heels (2021–present). Writing Brooks wrote the introduction for the hardcover edition of Marvel Comics' 2012 crossover event Avengers