Here's Where Things Currently Stand Between Brooke Hogan And Her Dad Hulk Hogan
Recent media coverage into the once-tight bond between singer Brooke Hogan and her dad, Hulk Hogan, has kicked up renewed interest.
A recent article chronicling the relationship between wrestler Hulk Hogan and his daughter Brooke Hogan has brought renewed attention to the pair.
The WWE entertainer, now 71, and former teen pop queen, 36, once leveraged their seemingly unbreakable bond to boost ratings for VH1’s Hogan Knows Best in 2006, and its 2008 spinoff, Brooke Knows Best.
Now years removed from both reality series and a cheating scandal that outed Hulk as an alleged adulterer and purported racist, fans of the pair have started to notice that the daddy-daughter duo may no longer be on the same page.
Fans Noticed Brooke Hogan's Absence From Hulk Hogan's Recent Wedding
Curiosity about the pair’s current standing was first raised when Hulk Hogan’s fans – and the media - noticed that Brooke was a no-show at her father’s 2023 wedding to yoga instructor Sky Daily.
As Wrestling Inc. reports, the “About Us” singer failed to appear at the wedding ceremony of Hulk and his new 46-year-old bride, which took place on September 22 of that year.
Now going by her married name, Brooke Olesky, she posted a note on Instagram three days later that explained her absence.
“As many of you know, I value my privacy,” she began, “but unfortunately, a lot of media outlets are making assumptions as to why I did not attend my father’s third wedding.”
After acknowledging the “change” her family has undergone in the public eye, she continued: “I’ve had to learn how to best navigate those changes as they come, which has been difficult, to say the least.”
She then stated, “For my own journey to healing and happiness, I have chosen to create some distance between myself and my family, and am focusing on people and things that heal my heart and align with my own personal beliefs, goals, and values.”
Brooke closed her note by wishing Hulk “well.”
Brooke Hogan May Have Finally Taken A Stand Against Hulk’s Purported Racist Antics
Though Brooke never specified her “values” in the Instagram post, many assume that her stance could relate to the sex tape scandal involving Hulk and the multiple racist comments he was heard saying in it.
Radar Online published transcripts of the 2008 interaction between Hulk and Heather Clem, the wife of Florida radio personality Bubba the Love Sponge, back in 2015.
As they chat after allegedly engaging in intercourse, Hulk begins to complain about Brooke getting assistance in her music career from a “Black billionaire guy.”
"I don't know if Brooke was f-cking the black guy's son," Hogan can be heard saying. "I mean, I don't have double standards. I mean, I am a racist, to a point, f-cking n-ggers.”
He then says he’d rather Brooke “f-ck” and “marry an 8-foot-tall n-bigger worth a hundred million dollars - like a basketball player! I guess we're all a little racist.”
Hulk Hogan Later Apologized For His Comments, Which May Have Been About Brooke's Boyfriend
Further investigation into the matter by Heavy uncovered that the “Black billionaire” and son were most likely Cecile and Yannique Barker, the current CEO and president of Brooke’s old label, SoBe Entertainment, respectively.
Yannique also recorded several songs with Brooke under the rap name “$tacks,” including her hit, “Falling,” and dated her for a time. Brooke left the label in 2009 and ended her relationship with Yannique one year later.
Hulk would later apologize for his comments, but, as NBC News shared, the WWE still chose to terminate his contract and sever all ties with him (they would reinstate him to their Hall of Fame in 2018, according to the WWE website).
Brooke Initially Defended Her Father By Claiming He’s ‘Not Racist’ In An Interview
Not long after Hulk’s sex tape and comments made the media rounds, Brooke used her platform to defend him from the backlash.
Sitting with Entertainment Tonight in 2015 to promote her I Wanna Be Your Girlfriend EP, Brooke shared her take on her father’s words and assured fans that the wrestler wasn’t racist.
"He's my dad, I love him and the reason I'm standing by his side on this whole thing is because I know him,” she told the celebrity news program. "He's an easy target."
After bringing up Dennis Rodman and 80s icon Mr. T as Hulk’s “best friends,” Brooke claimed that her father's statements came from him being at “the lowest point in his life” when the video was recorded.
“You just choose ill-fitting words for that situation just to air your shorts out," the singer expressed. “He's so nice to everybody. He doesn't talk like that, which is what was so strange about it."
“I feel bad for my dad, but I also feel bad for the African-American fans and stuff because they don’t know that he didn't mean it," she continued. "You know, it would be offensive. But this is something that we have to put a stop to [with everybody] because I'll be honest with you - I've had a black guy call me a honkey, and I've also been told that white people smell like bologna. I don't take offense to it, I just laughed at it."
Hulk Hogan Has Been Called Out Recently For Alleged Racism Targeting Kamala Harris
Nearly nine years after his racist comments went viral, Hulk was called to the proverbial mat again over threats and allegations he made to Vice President Kamala Harris.
The Hollywood Reporter noted back in August that the “Thunder in Paradise” star made the questionable remarks during a promo event in Ohio for his new beer. While riling the crowd up, Hogan suddenly asked if they would like to see him “body slam” Harris.
“I said, ‘Do you want me to body slam Kamala Harris? Do you want me to drop the leg on Kamala?” he asked.
Mispronouncing her name the entire time - a common racial microaggression, as explained here on The Blast – Hulk, a known Trump supporter, then went on to attack Harris’ race.
“Is Kamala a chameleon,” Hogan inquired. “Is she Indian?”
As the audience cheered him on, Hulk was said to have then performed a gesture mocking Native Americans, which Harris is not.
Hogan’s crude query mirrored those made by Trump during his run for the presidency.
“I didn’t know she was Black until a number of years ago when she happened to turn Black,” Trump uttered in July during a Black journalist’s conference in Chicago, as THR also reported. “And now she wants to be known as Black. So, I don’t know, is she Indian or is she Black?”
Harris’ late mother was Indian, while her father, a retired college professor, is Jamaican.
Brooke Hogan Is Also Seemingly Estranged From Her Mother And Brother
Now focusing her talents on home décor, Brooke appears to be similarly estranged from her mother, Linda, and younger brother, Nick.
The Atlanta Black Star discovered that she doesn’t follow any of her family members on social media. In the late aughts, Brooke and Linda had a public falling out after her mother, then 48, began dating 19-year-old Charlie Hill, a childhood friend of Nick’s, as TMZ shared.
The two first linked up romantically in 2008 and became engaged two years later. In 2012, Charlie and Linda went their separate ways.
While it is uncertain why Brooke doesn’t follow Nick, it could relate to his 2008 car crash that resulted in his passenger, close friend John Graziano, suffering severe and lifelong brain damage.
Brooke is now stationed in Nashville with her husband, former NHL player Steven Olesky. The two secretly married in 2022, as reported here on The Blast.
