Tragic Details About Hulk Hogan's Relationship With Daughter Brooke

Leading up to Hulk Hogan's surprise passing at age 71, his relationship with his family was on mixed terms. Hulk, whose real name was Terry Gene Bollea, ended up losing quite a bit of money in his divorce from ex-wife Linda Hogan, and it seems as if he and their children could never fully recover from the fallout. Though Hulk and Linda's son Nick Hogan still seemed keen on keeping his parents in his life, daughter Brooke Hogan had decidedly taken a step back. Growing up in the limelight allegedly took a toll on Brooke, who pivoted away from the glitz of reality television and music stardom to focus on building her own design company.

While Brooke most likely thought she could slip into the comfort of autonomy by avoiding attention, she was dragged back into the public eye by her mother. In March 2025, Linda went on an Instagram rant about Brooke that felt like the comment section of a forum for parents estranged from their children had come to life. But it seems that Brooke wasn't just taking space away from the spotlight, or even just her mother — Brooke was fully out of Hulk's orbit by the time he passed away. It's always heartbreaking to lose a parent, but the tragedy also lies in the relationship Brooke and Hulk had leading up to his death, much of which explains why Brooke would want to take some space from her father.

One of the many tragedies Brooke Hogan has suffered was just how painful the divorce was between her mother, Linda Hogan, and her father, Hulk Hogan. In the wake of their nasty split, both Linda and Hulk weren't necessarily acting on their best behavior — especially Hulk, whose actions might be the real reason he and Linda got divorced. Rumors of infidelity had already been swirling around Hulk, and in 2008, it came out that he had, indeed, had an affair with Christiane Plante — a close friend of Brooke's.

Plante admitted to the dalliance in the National Enquirer at the time, covering her tracks by suggesting their relationship had started when Hulk and Linda "privately knew their marriage was ending." (Via Today) However, that wasn't enough to prevent the fallout between her and her bestie, as Plante herself acknowledged the affair caused her to lose "an amazing friend."

Brooke handled it the way most youths did during the 00s — she lashed out on MySpace, claiming she would "NEVER forget the hurt they caused" (Via MSN). While the friendship between Brooke and Plante didn't weather the storm, Brooke still managed to make amends with her father, telling Fox News at the time, "My dad and I had a little bit of a tiff earlier this year...I was disappointed for a minute." However, Brooke's need to publicly defend her father and their relationship became a bit of a trend in her younger years — one that might have led to Brooke needing to take some space from him.

Being the oldest child of a celebrity comes with many hardships, and for Brooke Hogan these included needing to smooth over some of Hulk Hogan's slip-ups. One of the most notable examples happened in 2015, when disturbing pieces of audio were leaked. In them, Hulk can be heard using aggressive racial slurs against Brooke's boyfriend. The clip was from several years prior, but it still nearly cost Hulk his spot in the WWE Hall of Fame; luckily, he and his family were quick to do damage control.

According to People, Brooke was fast to forgive her father. "What he said was not right, but I know that's not who he is," she said in his defense, continuing to put a positive spin on the whole thing by suggesting removing "hateful words from our vocabulary altogether." Hulk seemed to really appreciate Brooke's willingness to so quickly absolve him of wrongdoing by acknowledging that his daughter has "always been there for me with unconditional love." However, after this incident, Brooke began to pull away from her family, perhaps suggesting that even unconditional love can still come with boundaries.

By 2023, the rift between Brooke Hogan and her family was widening, to the point that she skipped her father's wedding to Sky Daily. Hulk joined the ranks of pro wrestlers in uncomfortable age gap relationships when he and Daily, who is 25 years his junior, tied the knot in Florida. Brooke, who is only ten years younger than Daily, avoided the whole scene, but wasn't able to avoid the blowback from her absence.

In an Instagram post dedicated to explaining her stance, Brooke does her best to "shut it all down" by explaining that "the dynamics of a family unit continuously change over the years." She then goes on to mention that "my family has experienced A LOT of change. With all of it happening in the public eye." Brooke does her best to remind readers that she is, in fact, her own person, and that she's on her "own journey to healing and happiness." This journey not only includes having better boundaries around her family, but also filling her life with "people and things that heal my heart."

While needing to take space can often feel harsh, Brooke reminded her followers that it doesn't mean she's stopped loving her father. She ends the post by saying, "I wish him well," with a heart emoji.

In March 2025, Hogan family drama spilled into the public sphere when Linda Hogan lamented that her daughter was no longer speaking to her. Shortly after Linda's Instagram outburst, a source close to Hulk Hogan also claimed that Brooke Hogan wasn't actively communicating with him either. The insider dished to Us Weekly that the silence between Hulk and Brooke was a "much more recent thing," and that Hulk "doesn't specifically know why Brooke won't speak to him." Once again, Brooke took to Instagram to clear the air, and her response poked at the shady side of the Hogan family.

In the Instagram post, Brooke admits that her reasons for not speaking to either parent are separate and then goes on to divulge that she was "EXTREMELY verbally and mentally abused since childhood," and that "Sadly, it would frequently turn physical." Brooke holds her ground in refusing to name names, but she does point out that she's been repeatedly "ASKED to defend poor behavior to the public...only to find I was misinformed," which has led to her feeling "manipulated." 

However, like many children caught in the middle of shedding an abusive past and reclaiming their own space, Brooke still admits to having warm feelings for her parents. "I absolutely LOVE them...which deep down I think they know," she includes in her post — a hopeful reminder that relationships with parents are allowed to be complicated.

If you or someone you know may be the victim of child abuse, please contact the Childhelp National Child Abuse Hotline at 1-800-4-A-Child (1-800-422-4453) or contact their live chat services.