Hulk Hogan was undoubtedly crucial to WWE's stratospheric popularity during the 1980s and 1990s, but he was also a hugely controversial figure on screen and off. Hogan (real name Terry Gene Bollea) - who died at age 71 in July 2025 - publicly apologized in 2015 after leaked sex tape footage caught him using a racial slur and referring to himself as "racist, to a point." A source exclusively told Us Weekly following Hogan's death that the wrestler and his loved ones endured "a very hard time" due to the scandal. "We were upset about what he had said and did but we knew in our hearts that wasn't the true Terry," the insider noted. "That it was just a horribly bad time in his life and what had led up to that, he had gone through so much. People need to know that despite all that, he loved the fans above all. He never forgot them. And always posed for pictures and autographs." Wrestlers and Celebrities React to Hulk Hogan's Death at Age 71 The 2015 scandal was the highest-profile blip in a divisive career for Hogan, but he was also accused of blocking the formation of a wrestling union in the 1980s and generally wielding his star power to his advantage behind the scenes at WWE. Keep scrolling for a look at why Hogan was a controversial figure in the wrestling industry: Racism Controversy In July 2015, RadarOnline and TMZ published leaked audio from Hogan's 2012 unauthorized sex tape where he allegedly expressed frustration over his daughter, Brooke, dating a Black man. He was accused of using the N-word multiple times and describing himself as "racist, to a point." (Hogan later won a $115 Million judgment against Gawker over the unauthorized publication of his sex tape in 2016.) A WWE spokesperson confirmed to Us Weekly that Hogan had been released from his contract after the company received a transcript of the offensive comments. "WWE terminated its contract with Terry Bollea (a.k.a. Hulk Hogan)," a company representative told Us. "WWE is committed to embracing and celebrating individuals from all backgrounds as demonstrated by the diversity of our employees, performers and fans worldwide." Hogan's initial response to the media firestorm was a cryptic tweet, in which he wrote that "in the storm, I release control, God and his Universe will sail me where he wants me to be." Hulk Hogan with Jimmy Hart in January 2025. WWE/Getty Images Hogan subsequently spoke to ABC News in August 2015, where he acknowledged feeling "completely broken and destroyed." The wrestling icon said that he'd even contemplated ending his life over the public backlash. "Please forgive me. Please forgive me," Hogan begged fans during his ABC News sitdown. "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." Asked directly by journalist Amy Robach whether he was "a racist," Hogan replied, "I'm not a racist but I never should have said what I said. It was wrong. I'm embarrassed by it." "People need to realize that you inherit things from your environment," he argued. "And where I grew up was South Tampa, Port Tampa, and it was a really rough neighborhood, very low-income. And all my friends, we greeted each other saying that word." Hogan insisted that the offensive slur was "just thrown around like it was nothing" during his upbringing. Wrestling World Reactions Some of Hogan's peers did come to his defense in the wake of his WWE termination, including Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson telling reporters in July 2015 that he'd "not known [Hulk] to be racist." (Dwayne's father, Rocky Johnson, helped Hogan break into the professional wrestling industry in the 1970s.) "It's funny, it's one of those things where, and not justifying what he said, but we've all talked trash, especially in private," Dwayne admitted. "He said what he said and he's paying the price." NBA legend - and Hogan's former tag team partner in World Championship Wrestling - Dennis Rodman tweeted that "there isn't a racist bone" in the 12-time World Heavyweight Champion's body. Hogan was reinstated by WWE and its Hall of Fame in 2018 after making multiple public apologies. While Hogan did meet with WWE wrestlers to explain himself at the company's Extreme Rules 2018 event, several wrestlers expressed conflicted feelings over his apology. Hulk Hogan Was 'In and Out of the Hospital for Years' Amid Health Struggles WWE star Kofi Kingston released a statement on behalf of the New Day tag team - which also included Big E and Xavier Woods - to say they were "indifferent" to Hogan's reinstatement. "We are not happy, or sad, angry or resentful," Kingston wrote. "Who WWE puts into the HOF is totally and completely up to the company and from a career standpoint, there is no argument on whether or not Hogan should have his place. We have no problem with his re-induction in the slightest degree. It is impossible to even begin to mention the history and evolution of the business without mentioning his name and ac