There’s no question that Hulk Hogan, who has died aged 71, made an outsized impact not just on the world of wrestling but on popular culture at large — but not free from controversy.
In his heyday in the 1980s and early 1990s, you were almost as likely to spot the “Real American” hero with his signature red headband and blond mustache popping up in film roles and children’s television cameos as you were to see him in the ring. He was considered not just an athlete and entertainer, but a role model.
But Hogan — whose real name was Terry Bollea — saw his reputation curdle thanks to a string of high-profile scandals. He was repeatedly quoted as using racist language, was involved in a headline-grabbing lawsuit over a sex tape he filmed with the wife of a well-known radio personality and became an outspoken supporter of Donald Trump’s MAGA agenda. For many, those controversies have come to overshadow all that he achieved as a wrestler.
Hogan’s public image began to shift in 1993, when several news outlets began reporting that he was heavily using steroids to bolster his physique. Hogan initially denied the allegations in an appearance on talk show The Arsenio Hall Show, but as scrutiny grew he agreed to take a leave of absence from the WWF (World Wrestling Federation, which today is known as the WWE).
He subsequently left the organization to join rival wrestling competition WCW, and when the government brought a legal case against WWF promoter Vince McMahon in 1994, Hogan was given immunity from prosecution and agreed to testify against McMahon.
While this was widely seen as a betrayal, Hogan’s eventual testimony that McMahon had never asked him to take steroids helped lead to the eventual “not guilty” verdict.
The biggest controversy of Hogan’s life swirled in 2012, when gossip blog Gawker posted a sex tape showing Hogan with Heather Clem, the wife of radio personality Bubba the Love Sponge. The video had been recorded in 2006, and Hogan later said that the film was made without his knowledge. He additionally claimed that Bubba had given his blessing to the liaison, which occurred when he was at a “low point” and his marriage to his first wife Linda was collapsing.
Hogan sued Gawker over the publication of the video in what became a long-running, multi-million dollar lawsuit bankrolled by billionaire tech mogul Peter Thiel. Hogan eventually won the case, and Gawker agreed to a $31 million settlement which eventually led to the website going bankrupt.
The sex tape proved controversial not just because of the extramarital tryst, but because the audio captured Hogan making a string of racist comments about his daughter dating a Black man. In 2015, several publications reported transcripts from court documents in which Hogan could be heard saying: “I mean, I’d rather if she was going to f*** some n*****, I’d rather have her marry an 8-foot-tall n***** worth a hundred million dollars! Like a basketball player… I guess we’re all a little racist. F***ing n*****.”
Hogan was let go from WWE and later issued an apology, saying: "Eight years ago I used offensive language during a conversation. It was unacceptable for me to have used that offensive language; there is no excuse for it; and I apologize for having done it. He eventually returned to make sporadic WWE appearances in recent years.
"This is not who I am. I believe very strongly that every person in the world is important and should not be treated differently based on race, gender, orientation, religious beliefs or otherwise. I am disappointed with myself that I used language that is offensive and inconsistent with my own beliefs."
However, he then courted controversy once more when he retweeted a comment asking why it was okay for President Obama to use the racial slur in an interview, but not for him.
As Donald Trump rose to political prominence, he found a vocal supporter in Hogan. The pair had known each other since the early days of Hogan’s wrestling career, and Hogan prominently espoused the MAGA cause in 2024 when he ripped his shirt off during a dramatic speech at the Republican National Convention. The appearance came shortly after the failed assassination attempt on Trump’s life, which led Hogan to bellow: “What happened last week... when they took a shot at my hero.... They tried to kill the greatest president of the United States! Enough was enough!”
He later added: “All you criminals, all you lowlifes, all you scumbags... Whatcha gonna do when Donald Trump and all the Trumpamaniacs run wild on you, brother?!”
Scandal continued to dog Hogan until the end of his life. Earlier this month, his “Real American” beer brand found itself at the center of a $10m lawsuit involving a licensing company and two former employees.
A rival beer company, Carma, accused two of its former executives of swiping its ideas for the brand and poaching Hogan away from them in order to launch their own beer using his name and likeness.
Hogan didn’t live long enough to see the outcome of that trial, but he knew all too well the hits his reputation had suffered over the years. During his final WWE appearance in January this year, Hogan was widely booed. By the end, even the wrestling fans who had made him a star had turned against him.
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