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The following article includes mention of suicidal ideation.
Hulk Hogan has been a mainstay in the WWE world for decades, but he and his family rose to fame together through the VH1 reality show “Hogan Knows Best.” Running for four seasons between 2005 and 2007, the show introduced the family dynamics between Hulk, whose real name is Terry Bollea; his then-wife, Linda Hogan; and their children, Brooke Hogan and Nick Hogan. Linda’s association with the wrestling legend gave her recognition and other opportunities, but it came at a steep price.
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Her marriage to Hulk ended abruptly amid a cheating scandal, which was then followed by a messy legal battle. Linda made a pretty penny from the divorce, getting 70% of their liquid assets and 40% ownership of Hulk’s many enterprises in addition to about $10 million from property and investments. But the money didn’t buy her happiness. While Hulk moved on with his life, Linda continued to suffer the effects of the split. “My family’s in the worst mess,” she shared in an emotional social media video in March 2025 (via TMZ).
Amid a series of family feuds, Linda lives life mostly alone. “I’m just home by myself today — again, as usual. I’m okay with most things, but today something hit, I don’t know what,” she said, fighting back tears. “I look terrible because I’ve been crying.” Linda has largely sat back and watched as her ex-husband prospered. Similarly, she has watched Brooke distance herself as she focuses on her life. Life post “Hogan Knows Best” hasn’t been kind to Linda.
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Linda Hogan believes she was cheated on with a family friend
Hulk Hogan found out Linda Hogan filed for divorce during an interview, suggesting it was a spur-of-the-moment decision rather than a thought-out conclusion they arrived at together. “I’m kind of shocked … You caught me off-guard. Holy smokes. Wow, you just knocked the bottom out of me,” he told the St. Petersburg Times reporter who called him for a comment in 2007. What spurred Linda’s actions was the discovery that Hulk reportedly had an affair with Brooke Hogan’s best friend, Christiane Plante.
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She held nothing back. “Two words: HULK’S CHEATING!” her rep told E! News. Hulk denied his ex-wife’s claims and accused her of attention-seeking. “It is unfortunate Linda Hogan will do virtually anything to keep herself in the public spotlight,” his attorney said. “We are not going to demean this process nor the family any longer by responding to what amounts to pathetic pleas for attention.”
However, Plante confirmed they had had a fling but denied she was the reason Linda and Hulk got divorced. “My relationship with Terry [Bollea] began at a time when Terry and Linda privately knew their marriage was ending,” Plante told the National Enquirer (via Today). Plante also claimed Linda had already left Hulk when she started her relationship with him. She added that she regretted the affair but not because of Linda. “I will never be able to fully forgive myself for this. I have lost an amazing friend,” she said.
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Linda Hogan’s son was in a catastrophic accident
Just three months before she filed for divorce, Linda and Hulk Hogan’s son, Nick Hogan, was involved in a car accident that left a friend with permanent brain damage. Then 17, Nick was behind the wheel when he crashed his yellow Toyota Supra into a tree in August 2007. He had been speeding and drinking, though his blood alcohol content was within the legal level in Florida, the Tampa Bay Times reported. He was arrested for reckless driving with serious bodily injury and charged as an adult.
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His friend, U.S. Marine and Iraq War veteran John Graziano, then 22, was left in a coma with a broken skull. “What al Qaeda couldn’t do to my son, [Nick] did in a matter of minutes,” Graziano’s father told ABC News in 2010. Linda’s statements after the accident focused on John. “Nick is currently at the hospital with John and his family. His sole concern is for the well being of his friend,” she said (via TMZ). Graziano, who wasn’t wearing a seat belt, still needs full-time care.
In 2008, Graziano’s parents filed a lawsuit against Hulk, accusing him of enabling his son’s reckless behavior, Reuters reported. Linda, Nick, and another friend of Nick’s whom he was reportedly racing were also named. In 2010, Linda settled with the family for an undisclosed amount. “With the resolution of this matter [The Grazianos] can have finality and Linda is able to assist John,” her lawyer told TMZ.
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Linda Hogan’s daughter cut her out of her life
The Hogans were once a tight bunch. But Nick’s accident, Linda and Hulk’s acrimonious split, and his reported affair with Brooke’s friend fractured the family. Linda expected to drift apart from her ex-husband but never expected to become estranged from her daughter. In 2025, she revealed the two had no contact since around 2017. According to Linda, Brooke stopped talking to her after falling out with Hulk. “I don’t know how that reflected onto me but she cut me out too,” Linda revealed in the Instagram Stories clip shared by TMZ.
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Brooke denied that was the case. “I have completely separate reasons for going no contact with each of my parents … This decision was made based purely on how they have each dealt with me my entire life,” she said in an Instagram statement. This wasn’t the first time Brooke shared why she is no longer close with her family. In 2021, she revealed her relationship with her mother had been up and down for years before she cut her out. “My mom and I don’t talk, which is kind of like our third stint of going and doing that, and it is sad,” she told Distractify.
At the time, Brooke still held out hope she and her mother would find a middle ground and figure things out. “We haven’t been able to have that breakthrough but I’m hopeful though for the future,” she said. She doesn’t seem as hopeful nowadays.
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Linda Hogan hasn’t met her grandchildren
While she previously demonstrated she wanted to have a relationship with Linda Hogan despite their differences, Brooke Hogan proved she made peace with the opposite scenario. She moved on with her life without involving her family of origin. “Brooke doesn’t talk to us. She’s had twins. She got married, she didn’t tell us,” Linda said in the Instagram Stories clip. Brooke secretly married Steven Oleksy in 2022 and welcomed Oliver and Molly in January (all seen above).
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As Brooke shifted her focus to starting her own family, she concluded that staying away from her parents’ drama was necessary to create a healthy environment for her babies to grow up in. “If it were just me, I would continue to take the hits and shrink even smaller to avoid the dangers of speaking publicly. But I have my own family now and it’s affecting more than just me at this point,” she said in her Instagram statement of her decision to speak out following Linda’s claims.
In 2023, Brooke gave insight as to why she hadn’t attended Hulk Hogan’s wedding to Sky Daily after rumors started swirling. “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,” she wrote on Instagram. Amid Brooke’s distance, Linda has put her focus on her pet companions. “Life without animals is so meaningless!!!” she captioned a 2024 Instagram post.
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Linda Hogan never moved on from Hulk Hogan
Linda Hogan may have been the one to pull the plug on the marriage, but she never fully recovered from it. In the Instagram clip, Hulk Hogan’s ex-wife revealed she still hasn’t moved on. “It’s been 20 years and I’m still this sad. Somebody please explain that. I don’t know. It just doesn’t get better,” she said through sobs (via TMZ). Linda also accused Hulk of some questionable behavior, including being a “complete liar” and a “sex addict.”
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She continued: “I have to be honest about what I went through in my marriage with Terry as Hulk Hogan and what it entailed, and what it has caused over the years.” Despite the hurt she experienced, Linda suggested she still sought to reconcile. “I’ve given him more opportunities to come back and make us a family,” she added. Linda also seemed resentful of her fate compared to Hulk’s. “He marches on, like, ‘Oh, I’m promoting my own beer, real American beer. Yeah, look at me,'” she said.
Hulk seemingly had no issues moving on. He started dating Jennifer McDaniels just months after Linda filed for divorce and became engaged in 2009, the same year his divorce was finalized. However, the split was a lot harder on him than he let on to the public, previously revealing he considered suicide in the aftermath. “Obviously I didn’t kill myself, but I came damn close,” he shared in his 2010 memoir, “My Life Outside the Ring.”
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If you or anyone you know is having suicidal thoughts, please call the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline by dialing 988 or by calling 1-800-273-TALK (8255).
