Brooke Hogan was involved in one WWE storyline and was a key character in TNA for a couple years. But Hulk Hogan's daughter has had a far more eventful life outside of wrestling.
Category
🥇
SportsTranscript
00:00Brooke Hogan was involved in one WWE storyline and was a key character in TNA for a couple
00:06years, but Hulk Hogan's daughter has had a far more eventful life outside of wrestling.
00:12Brooke Hogan was born in Tampa, Florida, on May 5, 1988, to Terry Bollea, aka Hulk Hogan,
00:19and his first wife, Linda Hogan. Her younger brother, Nick Hogan, was born in 1990. Hulk
00:23was the biggest wrestling star in the world at the time, but Brooke told Big Frog 104
00:29that life at home was pretty normal.
00:30The only time that we really knew that something was going on with Dad, that he was different
00:35than the rest of the dads, was, you know, when we'd see him on TV.
00:39By the time of Brooke's birth, the Hogans had a lavish lifestyle, with homes in Florida
00:44and Connecticut, and were just getting started building a mansion in California's San Fernando
00:48Valley. But the Hogans' day-to-day living wasn't interrupted by the paparazzi, because
00:52they mostly resided in Clearwater, Florida. Brooke told the Hollywood Raw podcast that
00:57the city is a little hidden gem for avoiding unwanted attention.
01:02Brooke was an all-around talent growing up. She played the piano starting at 5 years old,
01:07and learned gymnastics and dance. She went to Clearwater Central Catholic High School
01:11and was part of the cheerleading squad. Although fans may assume that Brooke was popular because
01:16of her well-known family name, that couldn't be further from the truth. Instead, she was
01:20isolated and an easy target for mean students. She revealed in an E! Network documentary
01:25about her dad,
01:26It was really miserable. Oh my gosh, it was so clicky. I'd sit at the end of the lunch
01:30table just eating my weird sandwich that I had, and I was just itching to get out of
01:34high school."
01:35But Brooke did have long-lasting friendships. In a 2018 Facebook post, she shared pictures
01:40with Rachel Speck in honor of their 10-year friendship. Two years later, Brooke gave a
01:44shout-out to a childhood friend, John Monaco Vaci, who showed up to her autograph signing.
01:49She wrote,
01:50Her best guy friend since kindergarten came by the signing today and our childish ways
01:54came out.
01:56The reality show Hogan Knows Best premiered on VH1 in July 2005, giving fans a look into
02:02the lives of the Hogan family. Its first season covered many storylines, including Brooke's
02:07first date and burgeoning music aspirations, Nick's dating life, and Hulk's induction into
02:12the WWE Hall of Fame.
02:14The series was canceled in 2007 after a four-season run. One of the biggest factors was that Linda
02:19and Hulk split up amid accusations of Hulk having an affair with Brooke's best friend.
02:24Afterward, Linda started dating Brooke's schoolmate, Charlie Hill, which led to a strained relationship
02:29between mom and daughter. The family had also just lost their enthusiasm for the series.
02:34Linda told Good Morning America in 2009,
02:36"[We all worked really hard and way too much to the point where we really didn't have any
02:40emotion left."
02:41Nick was also involved in an August 2007 car crash that left his best friend severely injured,
02:47and he eventually had to serve time. These unfortunate events in the Hogans' lives drove
02:52Hulk into a depressive state. The former wrestler said that he considered taking his own life.
02:57I got to that point where I said, you know what? Maybe this would be easy."
03:01It took a phone call from Hulk's American Gladiators co-host, Laila Ali, for him to
03:06rethink his decision.
03:09Brooke made her mainstream music debut in July 2004 when she released her single,
03:14The song made it to No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 single sales chart. It took a little
03:19over two more years for her to drop her debut album, Undiscovered.
03:23The project came on the heels of a record deal and was a result of long working hours.
03:28Brooke told IGN,
03:29"[It was four months of 20-hour days. Once I signed with Sobe Music and Scott Storch,
03:34there was a deadline to get the album out, so we started working and working hard. We
03:38just got in there and busted it out."
03:40The album was a commercial success, with 30,000 copies sold in its first week of release.
03:45It debuted at No. 28 on the Billboard album chart. Its lead single, About Us, featuring
03:50rapper Paul Wall, reached No. 33 on the singles chart. Three years later, Brooke released
03:55her second album, The Redemption. It was a commercial flop, only selling a little over
04:003,000 copies on its release week. It charted at No. 144.
04:05Brooke's reality spinoff, Brooke Knows Best, premiered on VH1 in July 2008. The series
04:11documented her decision to venture out on her own. Brooke told the Hollywood Raw podcast
04:15that the move was influenced by the need to get away from the difficulties within her
04:19family. She said,
04:20"...there was so much drama back home that I was like, I cannot wait to move out."
04:25Brooke left home at 18 and moved into a luxurious Miami apartment she shared with her friends.
04:30Throughout the show's two-season run, she got a tattoo in honor of her independence,
04:34tried out pole fitness, and even found herself at a peculiar yacht party. She also supported
04:39good causes like Becca's Closet, an organization that helps less fortunate high school seniors
04:44get prom dresses. To promote the show, Brooke connected with her fans through MySpace.
04:48"...we actually start filming our second season of Brooke Knows Best next month, so we're
04:54gonna be filming every single day."
04:57Brooke Hogan made her first WWE appearance alongside her dad in 2006 as part of a storyline
05:02with Randy Orton. She made her return to wrestling in 2012 when the 24-year-old was brought in
05:08as the head of TNA's Knockouts division. Brooke claims that she did not get the job through
05:12her dad, but an existing friendship with TNA's president. She told Sway in the Morning of
05:17Hulk's reaction,
05:18"...I think I gave him a heart attack. He actually didn't know."
05:22Then-TNA Wrestling President Dixie Carter expressed that she was impressed by the singer's
05:26passion for the sport. Carter said,
05:28It was us, Girl Power, talking about the most important girls in the wrestling business
05:32today. You excite me when we talk about this, and I'm really, really, really looking forward
05:36to all you're gonna do for us."
05:38Brooke made a quiet exit from the company in August 2013. PW Insider noted she was let
05:43go amid an organizational budget reshuffle.
05:47In June 2013, Brooke and former Dallas Cowboys center Phil Costa got engaged. Costa popped
05:53the question in Las Vegas, and a thrilled Hogan took to Instagram to share the good
05:57news, captioning a now-deleted post,
05:59"'Happiest moment of my life. I am marrying my best friend. I wouldn't choose anyone else.
06:04I am so lucky and so grateful.'"
06:06Luck wasn't on their side after all, though. Brooke reportedly called it quits with Costa
06:10in November of that year so she could concentrate on making music. In an August 2014 conversation
06:16with CBS News, Hulk took responsibility for the breakup, though. He said,
06:20"...I put a bullet in that really quick. There was no way my daughter was going to marry
06:24somebody that I don't like, that got me mad, or has got in my face."
06:28In July 2015, The National Enquirer released audio of Hulk Hogan using a racial slur, reportedly
06:34having directed the words at Brooke's Black boyfriend eight years earlier. As a result,
06:39Hulk was temporarily removed from the WWE Hall of Fame and the WWE website, though he
06:44was reinstated to both a few years later.
06:47Hulk issued an apology, and amid the chaos, Brooke came to his defense. In a since-deleted
06:51poem posted on Facebook, Brooke wrote in part,
06:54"...I bet your father or someone that you love maybe regrets something they wish they'd
06:58never done."
07:00In May 2016, Hulk took media company Gawker to court over the leaked material. They reached
07:05a reported $31 million settlement in November 2016.
07:10Brooke's music career took a turn in 2015. She ventured into country music with the September
07:14release of a five-song EP titled I Wanna Be Your Girlfriend. In an interview with Entertainment
07:20Tonight, she said the genre became more appealing over time.
07:22As I got older, it started making sense with being a songwriter. It started to mean more
07:28to me, and this just was pulling me in that direction."
07:31Hogan released her second country project, an EP called So Many Summers, in April 2018.
07:37She has since released several more country tracks, including Love People, Move, and Boomerang.
07:43Brooke told Big Frog 104 that she fell in love with Nashville and learned songwriting
07:47She eventually settled in the city and owns an interior design business there,
07:51BB Designs by Brooke.
07:53With little fanfare, Brooke married former Orlando Solar Bears hockey player Stephen
07:58Alexie on June 8, 2022. The couple met through friends and had their low-profile nuptials
08:03in Orlando, Florida. Brooke told TMZ in 2024 that they opted to stay low-key to avoid the
08:09meddling that comes with stardom. She also asked her family and friends to respect her choice.
08:13She said,
08:14It's just that I've been through so much stuff in my life. I was like,
08:17the one thing that feels like it's just so untouched and it's so pure.
08:21I was like, I just don't want to, you know, let the claws of fame sink its teeth into it."
08:25Brooke added that she took her time to find the one,
08:28especially since she'd been through a ton of heartbreaks. She posted her first public
08:32photo with Alexie on January 1, 2024. The couple looks very cute in a black-and-white selfie.
08:38Hogan showered praises on her beau, writing in part,
08:41The kindest, sweetest badass you'll ever meet.
08:44I'm really lucky. God did me a solid on this one.