The Tragic Side Of Nick Hogan's Real Life

The following article includes mention of mental health, suicide, and allegations of domestic violence.

Nick Hogan may have grown up with a pretty cushy life as the son of a world-famous wrestler, but money and fame can't put a band aid on everything. The reality star has faced plenty of obstacles while living under Hulk Hogan's shadow — from his parent's messy divorce to his bad track record with the law. 

Fans got their first glimpse into Nick's life in 2005 when the former hit VH1 show, "Hogan Knows Best," aired. The reality series featured him, his father, his mother Linda, and his sister Brooke as they balanced life in the spotlight and all the crazy antics of their family dynamic. Despite Nick having all the tools and financial backing to make a name for himself, things haven't turned out as some might have hoped for Hulk's only son.

Once a promising race car driver in his teens, the reality star's future hit a standstill due to his recklessness and carelessness behind the wheel. While you might remember the rambunctious teenage prankster cracking jokes on "Hogan Knows Best," what he's been through isn't a laughing matter.

Nick Hogan was responsible for a devastating tragedy that left his former best friend in 24/7 care for the rest of his life. The incident occurred in August 2007 when he and some friends were racing in a 40 MPH zone on their way to a steakhouse. Hogan was behind the wheel, while passenger John Graziano rode shotgun, when he lost control of the vehicle in slick conditions, leading the car to spin out of control and crash into a median and a palm tree.

The "Hogan Knows Best" star was left in serious condition following the crash, but Graziano, a Marine and an Iraq war veteran, was faced with even graver consequences. He wasn't wearing a seat belt at the time of the collision and ended up breaking his skull and suffering severe brain damage. He was left permanently paralyzed and minimally conscious, unable to function without full-time nursing care.

Hogan was hit with several charges over the crash, including reckless driving involving serious bodily injury, driving under the influence and the legal drinking age, and having illegally tinted windows on the vehicle. The former race car driver was ultimately given an 8-month jail sentence, 500 hours of community service, as well as a three-year suspended driving license. Hogan ended up behind bars for less than six months of his total sentence after he was let go due to good behavior.

Nick Hogan and his father, Hulk Hogan, were left with serious consequences following the tragic car crash. Nick, under Hulk's guardianship at the time, was driving his father's car that day, making Hulk complicit in a civil law case they faced from the victim's family.

John Graziano's family sued Nick and Hulk following the accident for an undisclosed amount due to the immense costs of their son's round-the-clock care. According to the St. Petersburg Times (via Wrestling Inc.), the Graziano family reportedly received an around $5 million settlement, but after subtracting legal and medical costs, only about $1.5 million would remain.

Attorneys for the family were disappointed with the outcome, given Hulk's estimated net worth at the time was said to be over $30 million. "It's appallingly low. I was stunned. It's a tenth of the value I had anticipated," said an attorney for the Grazianos at the time.

Nick faced yet another tragedy after his father revealed that he came close to committing suicide in 2009. At the time, Hulk and his ex-wife Linda had recently finalized their messy divorce, ending over two decades of marriage together, and he was dealing with the impact of his son's devastating car crash. By that October, the former WWE star was on the brink, mixing dangerous concoctions of rum and Xanax and contemplating ending his life.

Hulk said one phone call from his "American Gladiators" co-star Laila Ali changed everything. "All of a sudden the phone rang, and it was Laila, and she said, 'Hey, what's going on? You're on the set. You're all depressed. We're worried about you. You going to be okay?'" he told Today. The legendary wrestler said Ali checking up on him was a serious wake-up call. "It snapped me out of it. At that moment I switched gears. I got sick and tired of being sick and tired. Her voice saved my life, it really did," he explained.

Hulk revealed that he had spent time away from his family's former home to do a project in South America, but none of his children had visited him while filming. Upon returning, he was hit with depression. "When I went to the house, every room was empty ... Every closet I went in, all the clothes were gone." Eventually, however, the wrestling champion began to change his mindset, learning to grow from the obstacles and remain hopeful until he came out the other side. "I just felt if I could survive through this and change my thinking and switch gears — I just wanted people to know that life is good. You don't have to run around with your head down. Stay positive. Stay happy," he advised.

If you or someone you know is struggling or in crisis, help is available. Call or text 988 or chat 988lifeline.org.

Nick Hogan's life was forever altered following the tragic crash in 2007. Three years after the ordeal, he gave a glimpse into how he was coping in an interview with "Good Morning America." In tears, the reality star admitted that it was hard to come to terms with how his actions led to his best friend's condition. Hogan admitted that John Graziano's family refused to let him visit the war veteran, a move not surprising given some of their comments during his criminal trial. "What Al Qaeda could not do to my son, Nick Bollea did in a matter of minutes," said father Edward Graziano during the trial.

The "Hogan Knows Best" star said that learning to move on is a step-by-step process, telling "GMA," "I pray every day that I will be able to deal with it ... It's something that I carry with me every day." Hogan revealed that he was placed in solitary confinement for 23 hours a day during his prison sentence, due to being underage in an adult prison. "I was in the middle of going really, really into the deepest depths of mental insanity being in solitary confinement," he said, adding that he was "so desperate and out of it" while serving his time.

Many failed to sympathize with the star, however, especially after audio calls between him and his parents showed him bad-mouthing his permanently paralyzed best friend. "I know [John] was pretty aggressive and used to yell at people and used to do stuff. For some reason, man, God laid some heavy (DELETED) on that kid, man," Hulk told his son in one recorded prison call (via CNN), to which Nick responded, "John was a negative person." Linda also chimed in, calling out John's mother, Debra, by saying, "She's not sad, she's just acting angry like she just wants the money."

If you or someone you know needs help with mental health, please contact the Crisis Text Line by texting HOME to 741741, call the National Alliance on Mental Illness helpline at 1-800-950-NAMI (6264), or visit the National Institute of Mental Health website.

Once news broke in 2007 that Linda and Hulk Hogan were calling it quits, it seemed to turn into a vicious cycle of he-said-she-said between the former spouses. A drawn-out divorce battle waged on for two years, and many salacious claims about the two surfaced while they waited for the dust to settle. Linda made several accusations about her former beau, including that she feared for her life while with him.

In her 2011 tell-all book, "Wrestling the Hulk: My Life Against the Ropes" (via Fox News), Linda alleged that her former husband had a drug problem. "From the very onset of our marriage, he took a lot of steroids; he was always on drugs, recreational drugs," she wrote, alleging that Hulk would get increasingly rageful throughout their marriage. "I had a little bit of shoving; sometimes he'd squeeze my arm or squeeze my face really hard when he was talking to me, or shove me onto the bed," Linda explained. "I just tolerated that, but as the years went on it got worse. Broken lamps, hair pulled out, furniture broken, he threw the dog off the bed."

Eventually, Linda's well-being took a turn for the worse. "I thought he could kill me. He had his hands around my neck one time on the bed and he started squeezing my throat," she recalled. "He just went into this trance and I looking at him and saying, 'Terry, stop, stop. I can't breathe.'" The mother of two realized at that moment that their marriage was over. Hulk denied the accusations against him, which included his ex-wife claiming he was unfaithful throughout their marriage. The former WWE star filed a defamation suit against Linda in 2011, but as of the time of writing there's no word on how the parties resolved the suit.

If you or someone you know is dealing with domestic abuse, you can call the National Domestic Violence Hotline at 1−800−799−7233. You can also find more information, resources, and support at their website.

Nick Hogan experienced a major health scare in 2018 after being sent to the hospital due to fainting. Hulk Hogan announced the news on X, formerly known as Twitter, at the time, writing, "Sorry about last week with the shout outs,retweets and bday wishes that didn't go out but with my son in the ER for 12hrs and the ongoing drama family is first." According to The Blast, the reality star fainted near his father's home in Clearwater, Florida.

"He just overdid it with work," an insider told the publication, adding that Nick has "just been training so hard and didn't eat enough that day." The source claimed that the former race car driver was hard at work at Dash Radio at the time, working behind the scenes with electronic music operation. Nick was eventually released from the hospital and made a full recovery.

It seems Nick Hogan hadn't learned his lesson about reckless driving over 15 years after he was behind the wheel of a nearly fatal crash. In 2023, the "Hogan Knows Best" star ran into more problems with the law when he was arrested for a DUI in Clearwater, Florida after declining to take a breathalyzer test. The police stopped him just over a mile from where he and John Graziano's life took a fateful turn in 2007.

According to a police report obtained by RadarOnline, Hogan sped by three patrol cars that were mitigating a traffic incident. "[The officer] used his department-issued flashlight in an attempt to signal the said vehicle to move over," wrote the report. "However, the said vehicle did not vacate the median and did not reduce speed by 20 mph under the posted speed limit." Officers performed a field sobriety test on Hogan, which he failed. In body camera footage released after the incident, an officer can be heard mentioning the smell of alcohol on his breath, to which Hogan claimed he had been kissing his girlfriend shortly before.

Hogan pled guilty to the DUI charge and violating the "Move Over" law, which requires vehicles to yield to first responders and law enforcement vehicles. The former race car driver was given 100 hours of community service, a year's suspension on his license, a required DUI course, a fine, and a 12-month probation (reducible to six months) following the incident. Speaking to the court during his sentencing, the reality star expressed remorse for his mistakes. "I'm very sorry for all of this going on," he said at the time (via the Tampa Bay Times). "I never wanted to be in this position again."

Nick Hogan may say he's sorry for his actions, but the mother of his former best friend isn't ready to forgive him just yet. After learning the news of Hogan's 2023 DUI arrest, John Graziano's mother, Debra, said it's a case of history repeating itself.

"I can only pray that at some point in his life, while he still has the chance, that he turns his life around. Until then I hope no one else gets hurt," she told TMZ. Debra, who has remained by her son's side to ensure his round-the-clock care in the years following the crash, still feels the impact of the devastating crash daily. "I grieve the virtual loss of my son on a daily basis. I thank God daily that at least I have John here with us at home," she told the publication. Debra admitted to ABC Action News that while her son is "aware" of his surroundings, he still cannot speak, walk, or eat following the crash.