Brooke Hogan is opening up about the complicated history she shared with her late father, wrestling icon Hulk Hogan. In a recent interview, Brooke said a major turning point came in 2008 after her father had a relationship with one of her close friends.
Brooke, 38, told Us Weekly that she forgave her father at the time, but their relationship changed afterward. She said she no longer felt he related to her in the same way.
Hulk Hogan, whose real name was Terry Bollea, died on July 24, 2025, at age 71. WWE confirmed his death and described him as one of the most recognisable figures in sports entertainment.
Brooke Hogan Looks Back on Her Relationship With Her Father
Brooke’s latest comments offer more context about the distance that developed between her and Hulk Hogan over the years.
She identified her father’s relationship with Christiane Plante as one of the key moments that changed their bond. Plante was a friend of Brooke’s, and she publicly acknowledged having a relationship with Hulk in 2008.
Brooke said she forgave her father, but the experience left a lasting effect on their relationship.
She also connected the situation to the broader breakdown of her family following her parents’ divorce.
The Hogan Family Changed After Hulk and Linda’s Divorce
Hulk Hogan and Linda Hogan were married for more than two decades before Linda filed for divorce in 2007. Their divorce was finalised in 2009.
At the time, Brooke and her brother Nick were already well known to television audiences through Hogan Knows Best.
The VH1 reality series followed the Hogan family and gave viewers a look at their lives away from the wrestling ring. However, the family dynamic changed significantly as Hulk and Linda’s marriage ended.
Brooke later described the period as a major disruption in her life.
The family separation also came while Brooke was developing her own career in music and television.
Brooke Had Previously Spoken About Family Distance
Brooke’s comments in 2026 are not the first time she has discussed creating distance from her family.
In 2023, she explained that she had chosen to step back from her family as part of what she described as her own healing process.
That distance continued into the final years of Hulk Hogan’s life.
After his death, Brooke said their relationship involved private conversations that outsiders could not fully understand. She also made clear that she could remember the positive parts of their relationship while acknowledging the experiences that caused her pain.
That distinction has remained an important part of how Brooke has described her relationship with her father.
Brooke Hogan Became a Mother in 2025
Another major chapter in Brooke’s life came shortly before Hulk Hogan’s death.
Brooke and former professional hockey player Steven Oleksy welcomed fraternal twins, Oliver Andrew Oleksy and Molly Gene Oleksy, on January 15, 2025. The couple had married privately in 2022.
Interestingly, Brooke’s daughter Molly has the middle name Gene, which was also Hulk Hogan’s middle name.
That connection became especially meaningful following Hulk’s death.
Brooke later spoke publicly about her father and said her children were part of the way his memory would continue within her family.
Hulk Hogan Died in July 2025
Hulk Hogan died on July 24, 2025, at the age of 71.
WWE confirmed his death and highlighted his enormous influence on professional wrestling. Hogan became one of WWE’s defining stars during the 1980s and later reinvented himself as part of the New World Order era in WCW during the 1990s.
His death brought renewed attention to his complicated personal life, including his relationships with his children.
Brooke was not publicly close to her father during his final years, but her statements after his death showed that their relationship was more complicated than a simple estrangement.
Brooke Was Not Named as a Beneficiary of Hulk Hogan’s Estate
Hulk Hogan’s estate became another point of public discussion after his death.
Court documents reported by Us Weekly in September 2025 showed that Brooke was not listed as a beneficiary of her father’s estate. The documents indicated that Hulk had made multiple changes to his will, with the final amendment reported in July 2023.
Brooke later told TMZ that being excluded was not a surprise because she had previously asked to be removed from the will.
She said she stood by that decision and emphasised that she had supported herself independently for years.
The estate’s reported assets included cryptocurrency, personal property and intellectual property, although the handling of the estate and its various assets has remained a separate legal matter.
Brooke Says Both Love and Hurt Can Exist Together
Brooke’s latest reflections add another layer to the public story surrounding her relationship with Hulk Hogan.
Rather than describing their history in only positive or negative terms, she has acknowledged both sides of it.
Her comments suggest that she can still love and appreciate her father while being honest about experiences that changed their relationship.
That perspective is especially significant because much of the Hogan family’s private life unfolded publicly through television, interviews and social media.
For Brooke, however, the relationship was ultimately personal rather than simply part of the Hulk Hogan public story.
As she continues raising her twins and building her own life, her recent comments provide a more personal look at the family relationship behind one of wrestling’s most famous names.