Hulk Hogan’s Death Spurred This Crucial Conversation — And We Need To Talk About It
Wrestling legend Hulk Hogandied last week at the age of 71 following a cardiac arrest, according to police. While people everywhere have been mourning his death, many have also called attention to his past scandals and racist remarks — and experts think these conversations are important.
Hogan, whose real name is Terry Bollea, was known for his larger-than-life personality and is widely celebrated for helping to catapult what was then called the World Wrestling Federation (now the World Wrestling Entertainment or WWE) into mainstream success. Among his many awards and accolades, Hogan won six World Championship Wrestling World Heavyweight championships throughout his career, and he was inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame in 2005.
In a statement last week, the WWE called Hogan “one of pop culture’s most recognizable figures,” who “helped WWE achieve global recognition in the 1980s.”
But after the news of his death was reported, many took to social media to call attention to some of Hogan’s pastcontroversies, including the documented racist remarks he’s made.
Hogan had sued Gawker Media after the website in 2012 published a secretly recorded sex tape of him with the wife of his former friend. The litigation led to the discovery that Hogan went on a racist rant in 2007 and used a racial slur while discussing his daughter dating a Black man.
“I am a racist, to a point,” Hogan said at one point, according to a transcript of the recording, which also revealed that he used the N-word. The WWE had cut ties with Hogan over the controversy at the time, and the wrestler had publicly apologized. It was also reported in 2015 that the wrestling legend had previously repeatedly used the N-word during a recorded call with his son. (Hogan was reinstated into the WWE Hall of Fame in 2018.)
Tributes from fans and celebrities alike celebrating Hogan’s legacy have been pouring in on social media, but for many, his death spurred an opportunity to reflect on his past scandals, his anti-Black remarks and his ardent support for President Donald Trump.
For David Dennis Jr., an author and senior writer at Andscape, and who is Black, reflecting on Hogan’s legacy isn’t complicated for him at all.
“The Hulk Hogan tributes will still pour in, of course. Many people loved him until the day he died. But his legacy isn’t complicated. It’s simple: Hulk Hogan’s racism is character-defining no matter what came before it,” he wrote last week.
“And it’s inextricable from any story there is to tell about the man himself, regardless of the memories he provided along the way,” he said.
Kazeem Famuyide, who is Black and the co-host of a podcast called “The Ringer Wrestling Show,” told The Associated Press that Hogan was “a superhero to a lot of people, including myself.”
But as it relates to the controversy over his past racist remarks, he said: “You never really got the feeling that Hulk Hogan truly felt remorse.”
Many on X reflected on Hogan’s past controversies in the wake of his death.
Hulk Hogan was a racist.
— zellie (@zellieimani) July 24, 2025
Hulk Hogan may have been racist, but you can never take away the fact that he was racist.
— Jordan Patu (@Jordan_Patu) July 24, 2025
Others on social media suggested that it’s inappropriate for anyone to publicly discuss Hogan’s scandals — especially so soon after his death.
“The body isn’t even cold yet and you’re making sure he’ll forever be remembered for this?” one user on X, formerly Twitter, wrote in response to an article highlighting Hogan’s racist remarks.
But mental health experts emphasize that it is important to discuss a public figure’s past controversies after they’ve died. Read on to hear why.
Not acknowledging Hogan’s controversies would be creating a person that didn’t exist, one expert said.
“People are not only one thing throughout their lives, and it is appropriate for individuals to acknowledge this,” said KaiLi McGrath, a licensed master social worker with Thriveworks. “Disregarding Hulk Hogan’s racist statements after his death would be creating a person that did not actually exist.”
“Ignoring past controversies would make it more comfortable to grieve or easier to justify one’s idolization of the character, however, we also have to acknowledge that duality exists,” she told HuffPost.
Geralyn Fortney, a licensed professional counselor and regional clinic director with Thriveworks, told HuffPost that “it’s OK to choose not to look at people who die with rose-colored glasses.”
“Processing someone’s complicated past is an important part of grief, and acknowledging the harm done ensures that those harmed have a voice,” she said. “People often choose to identify either the good or painful — whatever supports their healing journey. Choosing to ignore the harm may feel invalidating and dismissive to people and their experiences.”
Someone can have a meaningful impact on your life, but still could have caused harm, Fortney said.
Fortney pointed out that people often have parasocial relationships with celebrity figures, especially ones that were a part of their childhoods. “When that celebrity dies, we can mourn a part of our childhood,” she said.
But she emphasized that someone can “have a meaningful impact on your life,” but can also have “caused harm.”
“People are complex and not black and white,” she said. “Not everyone experiences things the same way, and acknowledging everyone’s truth is important.”
“It’s OK to say things like, ‘Hulk Hogan was my favorite wrestler, but I’m having a hard time ignoring the harm he caused,’” she continued. “You can give yourself permission to feel conflicted. No matter your feelings, there are others who empathize with what you are feeling.”
McGrath pointed out that “a whole generation of people” were introduced to wrestling with Hogan.
“Hulk Hogan’s career can affect the way his death is mourned since we are not only mourning the Hulk Hogan persona, but also confronted with Terry Bollea as a human and public figure,” she later continued. “We are seeing some mourn the loss of a figure of nostalgia in their life, some acknowledge the harmful impacts he had on communities, and some are struggling with the mix of the two.”
She later added that Hogan’s legacy is “complicated.”
“Hulk Hogan provided memories, connection to a sport, and a character that people idolized,” she said. “Hulk Hogan was also controversial, made racist statements, and showed the public a lack of remorse for these actions.”
“Both are true,” she continued.
Noël M. Voltz, an assistant professor of history who specializes in African American, early American and African diaspora histories at Case Western University, said that “just like American History, public figures like Hogan can simultaneously be worthy of celebration and critique.”
“I think that it is essential, particularly in this current political climate, that we understand and acknowledge the complexity of human beings and the history of our nation instead of shying away from this complicated past or removing it from our nation’s historic sites and educational curriculum,” she told HuffPost. “We should not feel threatened by criticism because critique should not supplant the value of one’s achievements and contributions.”
“I believe that we can hold and acknowledge multiple perspectives at one time,” she continued. “Hulk Hogan’s death and the conversations surrounding it, are an important reminder of this fact.”