Hulk Hogan's sex tape scandal and race row as he begged for forgiveness

Hulk Hogan exited the world of wrestling surrounded by scandal as he asked fans for forgiveness. The WWE star was filmedusing the N-word and denied being racist.

He said he was at the "lowest point" of his life and that he had considered suicide. Hulk, whose real name was Terry Bollea, said he was embarrassed by the situation as he hit the headlines 10 years before his death.

The wrestling icon died aged 71 on Thursday morning following reports of a cardiac arrest at his home in Florida. "I was mad at my daughter," he said at the time on Good Morning America.

READ MORE: 'Martin Lewis tip helped me get back £31,674 from HMRC - others are owed money too'

READ MORE: Millions can get TV Licence for free in just 16 minutes with government scheme

"I was upset over a situation that happened between her and her boyfriend. I had no idea I was being taped." Hulk was also caught up in a legal battle at the same time with US website Gawker after he claimed it published a sex tape of him.

He sued the media company for $100m (£65m) and said the racist language was from another part of the same video, which it's thought was recorded in 2006 or 2007.

However, Gawker said the racist recording was from a different time and that it wasn't part of the court case. They said it had nothing to do with its leak or publication.

The infamous audio tape was released by The National Enquirer, which caught Hulk saying: “I guess we’re all a little racist.” He also used the N-word when discussing the love life of his daughter, Brooke, and he spat out the phrase “f***ing n******” repeatedly.

The TV star was talking to his pal’s wife, Heather Clem, during the clip about Brooke launching a music career. He said: “I don't know if Brooke was f***ing the black guy's son... I mean, I don't have double standards. I mean, I am a racist, to a point, f***ing n******."

In another crazy moment, Hulk had to deal with a sex tape being leaked in 2012 involving him and the estranged wife of his best pal, Bubba the Love Sponge. It was the same tapes that landed him in a racism storm years later.

Hulk had his contract with WWE terminated following the release and his name and photo were removed from their Hall of Fame. "Please forgive me," he said. "Please forgive me. I'm a nice guy.

"I think if you look at the whole picture of who Hulk Hogan is, you can see over all the years that there's not a racist bone in my body. It's not the Hulk Hogan that rips a shirt off and bang, bang, bang, slams giants, you know? I'm Terry Bollea. I'm a normal man."

He added: "Everything I've done my whole career and my whole life was like it never happened. Like I'd never existed. It was devastating. I'm not a racist but I never should have said what I said. It was wrong. I'm embarrassed by it."

Following his death, a statement from World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE), on X said: “WWE is saddened to learn WWE Hall of Famer Hulk Hogan has passed away.

“One of pop culture’s most recognisable figures, Hogan helped WWE achieve global recognition in the 1980s.
“WWE extends its condolences to Hogan’s family, friends, and fans.”

Like this story? For more of the latest showbiz news and gossip, follow Mirror Celebs on TikTok, Snapchat, Instagram, Twitter, Facebook, and Threads.