Trailblazer. Icon. Racist. Depending on where you looked, Hulk Hogan’s death was met with vastly different adjectives. His legacy is complex, and his only daughter, Brooke Hogan, finally decided to share what their relationship was like in his final days — a relationship that led her to remove herself from his will.
Nick Hogan already released a moving tribute — fitting for someone many consider to be wrestling’s first-ever superstar. But Brooke had a very unique past with her father that needed addressing, and people were far more curious about her say on her father, given their estranged relationship in his final two years.
In a lot of ways, Hogan’s legacy was shaped more clearly after he had retired. In 2007, Hogan had a sex tape leaked by Gawker. After a back-and-forth between the two parties, and subsequent appeals, Hogan was finally awarded a $115 million payout. But during the case’s discovery phase, it was revealed that Hogan had described himself as “racist.” And at a time when his daughter was dating a Black man, Hogan expressed his disapproval and said he’d prefer if she were dating a professional Black athlete who made millions.
Obviously, since then, he’s been deeply disliked by the Black community. He did express some form of regret, but when people questioned the sincerity of his apology, he went full heel and decided to completely champion Trump during MAGA rallies — rallies where Trump invited comedians on stage who called Puerto Rico a “floating island of garbage.”
Brooke shared on Instagram about the mistakes Hogan confessed to — mistakes that clearly weighed on him: “He was telling me these things, being so vulnerable with me and heard my pleas, then suddenly something shifted, and he made a choice to walk the path that clearly tore at his spirit.” Brooke then added in her tribute, “I felt a disconnect. What followed were respectful disagreements that took an emotional toll on me.”
According to reports originating from TMZ, Brooke went further and excused herself from the famous wrestler’s will. While people on social media immediately assumed it was because he crossed a threshold with his racism that she could not follow him past, the reported truth is a bit more complex. Apparently, since 2023, Hogan’s family has had internal strife, and Brooke wanted to stay out of any drama — so she called the financial advisor and asked to be removed from it. But reportedly, she is still a beneficiary of her father’s life insurance and plans on using that money to pay for her children’s way through higher education.
Hogan’s response to the racism is ultimately what made wrestling fans wash their hands of him, regardless of what he did for the institution of wrestling. Just like Brooke explains in her tribute, wrestling fans opened their arms to him over and over again, expecting him to acknowledge his past mistakes and apologize to the community. He never did.
In one of his last public appearances at a WWE event, he went with the sole purpose of promoting his new beer. People still expected an apology. Hogan didn’t deliver. And he was booed out of the building.
Brooke, however, from her statement, seemingly found a way to forgive him and says her late father finally now knows “peace.”
