The next contains references to home abuse and suicidal ideation. 

The demise of WWE star Hulk Hogan at age 71 in July 2025 despatched shockwaves via the firmament of popular culture. In his heyday throughout the Nineteen Eighties, Hogan had been a towering determine, reworking skilled wrestling into mainstream leisure for the lots that raked in tens of millions — all whereas changing into a serious star himself. His varied forays into the leisure business have been blended; it grew to become clear why Hogan’s performing profession flopped after he appeared in a string of box-office bombs. Nevertheless, he skilled far larger success with actuality tv, introducing viewers to his household on the VH1 hit “Hogan Is aware of Greatest,” which ran from 2005 till 2007.

That vast burst of success, nonetheless, proved to be short-lived, a home of playing cards that tumbled down quickly when a sequence of scandals uncovered the shady aspect of the Hogan household. Whereas the Hulkster and his household remained within the public eye, the celebrity that when enveloped them had turn out to be tarnished; the Hogans grew to become tabloid fixtures, with salacious and unsavory particulars of their lives spilling out via garish headlines in grocery store checkout strains.

Trying again, it is clear that the tragic lifetime of the WWE famous person was punctuated by hovering highs and crushing low factors, one thing that additionally held true for the remainder of the clan. To search out out extra, learn on; it will likely be clear that the tragedy of the Hogan household will get sadder and sadder.

Aspiring musician and bodybuilder Terry Bollea first broke into professional wrestling within the late Nineteen Seventies. In August 1977, after spending a 12 months coaching with legendary Japanese wrestler Hiro Matsuda, Terry “The Tremendous Destroyer” Bollea made his debut at a small wrestling present held in a Nationwide Guard armory. Ultimately taking over the Hulk Hogan persona that will catapult him to stardom, the punishment he inflicted on his physique throughout these years got here again to hang-out him a long time later. “I’ve had, like, 25 surgical procedures within the final 10 years. Ten again surgical procedures,” Hogan mentioned when he appeared on the “Impaulsive” podcast in 2024. 

Along with all these again surgical procedures, Hogan additionally had each of his knees and hips changed. A giant issue behind all that surgical procedure, he revealed, was the standard of the ramshackle wrestling rings he fought in throughout his early years. “It was like a 22-foot boxing ring that had lumps in it, boards sticking up — it was horrible,” Hogan added.

All these surgical procedures not solely impacted his physique, but in addition led him to develop a dependence on prescription painkillers. Whereas he conceded he wanted the drugs after present process these surgical procedures, he got here to appreciate he was counting on them greater than he ought to have been. It was at that time that he made a acutely aware choice to cease taking them. “Then, lastly, I simply checked out myself and mentioned, ‘I am not in ache. I do not want this. My physique hurts from all of the accidents, however I am not in excruciating ache,'” he recalled in a 2023 interview with Muscle and Health.

When “Hogan Is aware of Greatest” made its debut in 2005, Hulk Hogan’s wrestling profession was on the wane as a brand new era of youthful, stronger characters flooded the WWE and its rivals. The fact present proved to be an prompt hit; a part of a programming block that topped 10 million viewers, the primary episode was the highest-rated premiere in VH1 historical past. Out of the blue, Hulk’s flailing profession was rejuvenated, whereas making stars out of his spouse, Linda Hogan, and their teenage youngsters, son Nick Hogan and daughter Brooke Hogan, an aspiring pop star. 

The Hogans have been seemingly on prime of the world when, in August 2007, 17-year-old Nick obtained right into a extreme automobile crash whereas allegedly avenue racing. Whereas he emerged unscathed, his passenger — buddy John Graziano — was not so lucky, with accidents that left him in a vegetative state, unable to stroll or converse. Nick was arrested and charged with reckless driving involving critical bodily hurt. This horrific accident, and Nick’s function in inflicting it, was an enormous a part of the actual motive that “Hogan Is aware of Greatest” was canceled only a few months later.

He subsequently entered a plea of no contest and was sentenced to eight months in jail, along with being positioned beneath probation for 5 years. He was additionally ordered to pay court docket prices and carry out 500 hours of neighborhood service, together with having his driver’s license taken away for 3 years. He was launched after spending simply 5 months behind bars.

Followers of “Hogan Is aware of Greatest” did not realize it on the time, however filming for a brand new season had been underway till it was abruptly halted in the summertime of 2007. The potential motive did not emerge till a couple of months later, when Linda Hogan filed for divorce from Hulk Hogan. Hulk was reportedly blindsided, with a supply telling Web page Six he was “devastated.” 

It wasn’t till a couple of months after that that the actual motive Hulk and Linda Hogan obtained divorced was revealed, courtesy of Christiane Plante, BFF of the couple’s daughter, Brooke Hogan. In a bombshell interview with the Nationwide Enquirer, she revealed that she and the wrestler had an affair. In response to Plante, the Hogans’ marriage had already crumbled to mud. “She had left him already, though no official papers had been filed,” Plante informed the Enquirer (by way of Right this moment.com), expressing her guilt whereas confirming her friendship with Brooke was kaput.

Linda, nonetheless, took difficulty with the assertion that her marriage was over when Plante connected together with her husband. “When Linda found Hulk had [an affair] with Brooke’s finest buddy, Christiane Plante, she made the choice to name it quits on the wedding,” her publicist, Gary Smith, declared in a press release to E! Information. She additionally slammed feedback the wrestler had made implying it was the truth present that had ruined their marriage, not his conduct. “Virtually each assertion that comes out of Hulk’s mouth is a diversionary tactic to deflect consideration away from the actual motive Linda filed for divorce, two phrases: HULK’S CHEATING!” the assertion added.

As soon as it started taking part in out in public, Hulk Hogan and Linda Hogan’s divorce was a messy (and expensive) affair. Gentle-years from amicable, the exes’ acutely aware uncoupling became a WWE-style battle royale, with the spouses publicly trashing one another at any alternative. 

When the divorce was lastly settled in 2009, it was revealed simply how a lot Hulk misplaced in his divorce. Because the St. Petersburg Occasions reported, the Hulkster walked away with a mere 30% of their shared belongings, with Linda receiving the remaining 70%. She was additionally granted a 40% stake in her ex’s companies, along with a one-time “property settlement” of $3 million in lieu of receiving any alimony.

The enmity between the 2 didn’t finish with their divorce. In Linda’s 2011 memoir, “Wrestling the Hulk: My Life Towards the Ropes,” she lodged some critical allegations towards him. “He used each soiled trick within the e book, together with making an attempt to create a false historical past of drug and alcohol abuse for me,” she wrote, additionally accusing him of being each verbally and bodily abusive. He retaliated with a defamation lawsuit; in response to authorized paperwork obtained by CBS Information, he claimed that her accusations had “uncovered him to mistrust, hatred, contempt and mock.”

In case you or somebody you recognize is coping with home abuse, you possibly can name the Nationwide Home Violence Hotline at 1−800−799−7233. It’s also possible to discover extra data, assets, and help at their web site.

Like his ex-wife, Hulk Hogan additionally wrote a e book — and in addition weighed in on their bitter divorce. In his account, he’d begged her to not undergo with it, significantly so quickly after their son Nick Hogan’s devastating automobile accident. When she refused to again down, he spiraled right into a deep despair. 

In that e book, “My Life Exterior the Ring,” he wrote of changing into so despondent that he thought-about suicide. “A gun was in my hand and my finger was on the set off and I used to be pondering, it could simply be really easy,” he wrote, admitting he was not in his proper thoughts. “I used to be headed down this darkish street convincing myself it was a street I wished to take,” he continued. 

On the time, he was co-hosting “American Gladiators” alongside boxer Laila Ali. She’d seen his depressed demeanor and had turn out to be involved sufficient about him that she phoned him, not figuring out he was within the midst of his darkest second. That telephone name, he revealed, proved to be much more monumental than Ali ever might have imagined. “For some motive, that telephone name snapped me out of it,” he added. “I am unable to clarify why. … Laila Ali saved my life.”

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Not lengthy after the divorce, Hulk Hogan moved on with Jennifer McDaniel, who grew to become his second spouse in December 2010 — after which his second ex-wife simply over a decade later. Linda Hogan additionally entered one other relationship after splitting from the wrestler, whipping up an entire new scandal when she started relationship 19-year-old Charlie Hill, who was almost 30 years her junior. 

Making the matter much more awkward was the truth that Hill went to the identical highschool as her daughter, Brooke Hogan, and was a 12 months beneath her. “I am completely freaked out,” Brooke informed E! Information (by way of The Week) of her mother’s new romance. “I personally do not prefer it in any respect or condone it.”

Not surprisingly, the connection crashed and burned a couple of years later. Hill didn’t go quietly, slapping Linda with a $1.5-million lawsuit demanding he be paid for all of the work he’d allegedly carried out for her, a prolonged checklist that included waxing her yacht and fertilizing her avocado grove. Linda responded via her lawyer, who informed TMZ that Hill was a leech who’d by no means held a job all through their four-year relationship, whereas Linda paid for the whole lot, together with all his clothes, even giving him an allowance. “Linda is embarrassed for Charlie and might’t imagine he’d say such issues contemplating the connection they’d,” her lawyer, Ray Rafool, informed the outlet. His lawsuit was in the end dismissed.

For Hulk Hogan, having to fork over 70% of his fortune to ex-wife Linda Hogan led to some important adjustments when it got here to his funds. Throughout their marriage, they’d owned a number of mansions and lived like royalty, which devoured up all the cash he was bringing in. As he defined in his memoir, “My Life Exterior the Ring,” the maintenance on these houses might value 5 to 6 figures every month. “It is an amazing sum of money and energy simply to maintain these locations working,” he wrote.

When he appeared on “Good Morning America” in 2011, Hulk revealed that his household’s profligate spending had outpaced his admittedly large earnings, leaving him hovering on the point of chapter. “[I lost] tons of of tens of millions. There have been homes being purchased, automobiles being purchased, holidays for relations … There have been eight, 9, 10, 11 of them transferring into our home,” he mentioned (by way of Slam! Sports activities).

Then married to his second spouse, Jennifer McDaniel, Hulk defined that the one method out of the monetary mess he’d discovered himself in was to downscale his life-style. Dwelling extra modestly, he mentioned, had helped his monetary state of affairs enhance, little by little. “I am not dwelling in abundance,” he admitted. “However I am glad now. [Money] helps get via the day, it helps make issues simpler, however it’s nothing to do with being glad.”

Hulk Hogan was nonetheless struggling to recuperate from his divorce when his life was roiled by a intercourse tape that appeared on the web in 2012. Initially printed on the Gawker web site, the grainy tape confirmed Hogan going at it with Heather Clem, spouse of his finest buddy, Todd Clem, aka radio shock jock Bubba the Love Sponge. Unbeknownst to Hogan, when he’d accepted her supply of intercourse — together with her husband’s full approval — he did not understand a hidden digital camera within the bed room was capturing all of the motion. 

To say he was blindsided was an understatement. “He feels completely betrayed,” mentioned David Houston, Hogan’s lawyer, in response to a New York Each day Information report. Houston identified that the act captured within the recording, made six years earlier, got here throughout a very low level, whereas his marriage to Linda Hogan was deteriorating. “Issues have been bottomed out fully,” Hogan mentioned throughout an look on “Right this moment” (by way of the Each day Information). “I used to be with some pals, and I made a incorrect alternative. And now abruptly it surfaces, you recognize over six years later, and it is simply appalling.”

Hogan sued Gawker in a landmark case that worn out the media firm solely when a jury awarded him $140 million in damages. Whereas that quantity was later decreased considerably in a settlement, to $31 million, the lawsuit set new authorized requirements on simply how a lot the privateness of celebrities could possibly be violated.

By the 2020s, Nick Hogan’s jail sentence for reckless driving was lengthy behind him. Sadly, nonetheless, it could not be his solely brush with the regulation. In November 2023, he was pulled over for rushing in Clearwater, Florida, with officers reporting that he’d reeked of alcohol, walked unsteadily, and failed a area sobriety check. In bodycam footage obtained by Fox 13 Tampa Bay, an officer might be seen telling Hogan he can scent booze on his breath and asking if he’d been consuming. Hogan initially denies it, claiming his breath smelled of alcohol as a result of he’d simply kissed his girlfriend. “Is that what you are going to go along with?” the officer asks. In the end, he was positioned beneath arrest and charged with driving beneath the affect. 

In June 2024, he entered a responsible plea and was sentenced to 12 months of probation. Because the Tampa Bay Occasions reported, he would be capable to request being launched from probation early, after six months, however could be compelled to bear steady alcohol monitoring for 3 months, and after that will be mandatorily examined for alcohol and drug use. As well as, he was ordered to pay fines exceeding $1,000.

He was penitent at his sentencing, expressing remorse for his actions. “I am very sorry for all of this happening,” he mentioned in court docket, the newspaper reported. “I by no means wished to be on this place once more.”

Greater than a decade after Hulk Hogan and Linda Hogan’s marriage imploded, she continued guilty her ex-husband for his or her union’s destruction. In March 2025, she took to Instagram Tales and shared a tearful video, sobbing as she lashed out at her ex. “It has been 15 nonetheless lengthy years since I left Hulk Hogan, and my household is the worst mess,” she mentioned whereas weeping. Their daughter, Brooke Hogan, she continued, wasn’t on talking phrases with both of them after a combat she and Hulk had eight years earlier. “I do not understand how that mirrored onto me, however she minimize me out too,” she continued. 

Because the video went on, she provided much more alternative phrases about her ex. “He is a whole liar. He’s a intercourse addict … But he marches on,” she added, pointing to his relentless promotion of certainly one of his last enterprise ventures, Actual American Beer, whereas pretending to be the identical ol’ Hulkster who’d as soon as instructed youngsters to say their prayers and take their nutritional vitamins. “Such a hero, proper? Not,” she added. 

“It has been 20 years, and I am nonetheless this unhappy,” she mentioned, confessing that the expertise of being married to after which divorcing him had completely put her off the thought of matrimony. “I do not ever need to be married once more after him, belief me,” she declared.

As Linda Hogan identified, Brooke Hogan had minimize herself off from each mother and father years earlier. “I’ve chosen to create far between myself and my household …” she wrote in a prolonged assertion posted to Instagram, explaining why she selected to not attend her father’s 2023 marriage ceremony to his third spouse, Sky Each day.

Sadly, that rift between Brooke and her father, Hulk Hogan, had not healed previous to his demise. “There was a bit of pressure along with his daughter and their relationship that had taken fairly the emotional toll, however he all the time thought he would finally be capable to rectify that,” a supply informed the Each day Mail, whereas one other supply confirmed to TMZ that father and daughter hadn’t spoken in years — and he’d by no means even seen her two youngsters.

After his demise, Brooke paid tribute to her father in a press release she shared by way of Instagram. By her considerably cryptic account, he’d pulled away from her lately. “Every part began getting coated in a thick veil. It was like there was a power area round him that I could not get via,” she wrote. She continued by revealing she’d felt a “disconnect” with him that took a deep emotional toll on her. “Over the past two years, I needed to step away to guard my coronary heart,” she defined. A subsequent report claimed that a couple of years earlier, she had requested to be faraway from his will, as she did not belief the folks round him and did not need to be a part of the monetary mess she anticipated after his demise.