WWE Hall of Famer Hulk Hogan is arguably the most iconic, well-known wrestler in the history of the business. However, Hogan is also synonymous with scandals that almost ruined his career, and his family life has often been tumultuous. Hogan, a father of two, once had strong relationships with both of his children, but in recent years, it appears his bond with his eldest child, daughter Brooke Hogan, is not what it used to be.
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Brooke Hogan was born to Hulk and his then-wife, Linda, on May 5, 1988, when the legendary wrestler was at the height of his career within WWE. Hogan spent her early years in the family's home in Clearwater, Florida, as her father traveled the world. When Hogan was just 14 years old, she wanted to become a pop singer, and signed with a record label. Three years later, in 2005, the world was introduced to the Hogan children on a VH1 reality TV series "Hogan Knows Best," which in part, chronicled Hogan's journey in the music world with Hulk playing the role of her overprotective father. The series lasted through 2007, when Hulk and Linda's marital issues ended the reality show's run. "Brooke Knows Best" debuted on the channel a year later, with Hulk no longer at the center of his daughter's storyline in the music industry.
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Later on in life, during a pause on her music career, Hogan joined her father in TNA Wrestling. Not one for the business, Hogan was a victim of budget cuts at the promotion after just a year, and hasn't been seen in the ring alongside her dad since. With that in mind, let's find out what the pair's relationship is like these days.
One of the earliest instances to threaten Hulk Hogan's relationship with his daughter was his infamous racist rant in which he took aim at Brooke dating a Black man at the time. The rant was revealed in Hulk's initial lawsuit against Gawker, where he accused the company of invasion of privacy after it released a sextape involving the WWE legend and his best friend, radio host Bubba the Love Sponge's, wife. Hulk won the initial lawsuit, but sued again after the transcripts of his rant were made public, resulting in him being firedfrom WWE and pulled from its Hall of Fame. Hulk accused Gawker of leaking the transcripts to media outlets like the National Enquirer.
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Following the reveal of the rant, Brooke stayed by her father's side, and even defended him online.She posted a poem she penned herself to her Facebook account, which has since been deleted, titled "If You Knew My Father." Hogan wrote that her father never intended to hurt his family or his fans.
"Because I know my father, I can promise this Just like you and I, things we don't mean can sometimes slip," Hogan wrote (per Rolling Stone). In the poem, she also mentioned how her father brought smiles to the faces of those"light, medium, and dark."
Hogan also defended her father in an interview with Entertainment Tonight, saying, ""My dad's best friends with Mr. T, he's best friends with Dennis Rodman, he's not racist. It's just when you're mad and you're at the lowest point in your life .... you just choose ill-fitting words for that situation just to air your shorts out."Hogan said she felt bad for her dad's fans who were affected by his racist words, as they didn't know that he never meant them.
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After years of apologizing publicly and,volunteering to help with young people, Hulk Hogan was re-instated to the WWE Hall of Fame in 2018. However, it clearly had an impact on his relationship with his daughter.
Though life seemed to get better for her father following his racist rant and numerous public apologies, Brooke Hogan has distanced herself from her entire family following the years of ongoing drama, including her parents' divorce in July 2009. While there appears to have been no public spat between the father and daughter, she was noticeably absent from Hulk Hogan's most recent marriage to yoga instructor Sky Daily.
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Hogan wrote a lengthy Instagram post about missing her dad's wedding, noting that she had to do so for personal reasons. She said she was writing the post to shut down speculation.
"As we all experience this with our own families, the dynamics of a family unit continuously change over the years," Hogan wrote, noting that her own family had experienced a lot of change in the public eye. "For my own journey to healing and happiness, I have chosen to create some distance between myself and my family..."
Hogan did not give a specific reason as to why she made the decision to not attend the nuptials and create the distance between herself, her father, and the rest of her family. However, she did wish her father well at the end of the post. Hogan wrote that she would be focusing on people and things "that heal her heart and align with her personal beliefs and goals."
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Hogan is currently living a private life, while working on her music career. She is married to NHL player Steven Olesky, something she didn't make public until almost two years after the pair wed.
