The Real Reason Hulk And Linda Hogan Got Divorced

Hulk Hogan and his now ex-wife Linda Hogan were such a lovable couple on their VH1 reality show Hogan Knows Best, but they ended up splitting in 2007, which resulted in a bitter divorce battle. In November 2007, People reported that Hulk (real name Terry Gene Bollea) found out Linda filed for divorce after a St. Petersburg Times reporter "reportedly broke the news." He responded, "I'm kind of shocked. You caught me off-guard." 

In 2008, Linda's publicist told E! News that she filed for divorce after she found out Hulk had an affair with Christiane Plante, their daughter Brooke Hogan's close friend. Publicist Gary Smith claimed, "Almost every statement that comes out of Hulk's mouth is a diversionary tactic to deflect attention away from the real reason Linda filed for divorce, two words: HULK'S CHEATING!" 

The publicist also alleged, "Hulk Hogan is saying anything he can conjure up to make Linda look bad in the media. Hulk has even implied that the VH1 hit show, Hogan Knows Best, was the cause of split in his marriage." David Houston, Hulk's lawyer told E! News, "It is unfortunate Linda Hogan will do virtually anything to keep herself in the public spotlight. We are not going to demean this process nor the family any longer by responding to what amounts to pathetic pleas for attention."

In 2008, Christine Plante confirmed her relationship with Hulk Hogan in an interview with the National Enquirer. She insisted, "My relationship with [Hulk] began at a time when [Hulk] and Linda [Hogan] privately knew their marriage was ending. She had left him already, although no official papers had been filed." Even so, she did show some remorse, saying, "[Hulk] is a good man, good father and good friend, and he and I grew close at a time when he was going through a very difficult period. It seemed right then, but I know it was wrong."

She also shared some regrets for hurting her former friend Brooke Hogan, telling the publication (via Today), "Having felt the guilt and pain build up, I gave a note to Brooke apologizing for my actions. I will never be able to fully forgive myself for this. I have lost an amazing friend." In response, the wrestler told the outlet, "I've got nothing to say. I just want to protect my family."

Perez Hilton reported that Brooke posted (and then deleted) a message about the scandal on her MySpace page. She reportedly wrote, "When your best friend and one of your closest family members that you have loved unconditionally since your first day on this earth, betray you together, you could MAYBE find it in yourself to forgive one day ... but you will NEVER forget the hurt they caused you and how it hurt the people who mean the most to you."

In a 2008 interview with Access Hollywood, Hulk Hogan claimed that the divorce was completely Linda Hogan's idea. Today reported that he said, "It wasn't an argument, it was, 'Hey, I don't love you, I don't want to be with you, I don't want to see you anymore.' It was the real deal." When Access Hollywood's Maria Menounos asked if Linda ended the marriage "just out of the blue," the former WWE star said, "Yeah, well you know, we'd had problems over the last 10 years but, you know, I thought that when you put your hand on the Bible, you know, until death do us part and for better or worse, I thought people really meant that when they said it."

He also blamed Linda for overcomplicating the "simple divorce" by battling it out in the courtroom. He told Menounos, "We should split it however the judge wants it and walk away, but, you know, my wife's lawyer has told different magazines there's gonna be a war." He claimed that the legal fees were just "wasting" that money. 

The reality TV alum also admitted it was tough to know that Linda — who was in her 50s at the time — was dating Charlie Hill, who was 19 years old, and "using [his] gym, and driving [his] cars, and living in [his] house."

In 2016, Linda Hogan opened up about her split from Hulk Hogan, reading a letter she wrote during an episode of Inside Edition. "I was honest, I was a good wife. I never cheated on him." She went on to declare, "YOU have single-handedly ruined our 25-year marriage and our family ... my trust, my love, my future, our future family with grandchildren, holidays, weddings, our kids' lives, homes, their ability to trust, our poor animals, friends, neighbors, your career, finances, trademarks, retirement, your legacy, your reputation, your health ... even your soul ... You lost it ALL."

She continued, "You took me for granted and never appreciated me or our beautiful family ... blaming me for your horrendous mistakes. And yet you continue in life this very way, still ... Hiding behind those sunglasses, false smile, oh ... and the bandana! Until you can really apologize, to me ... and to our children ... I will never ever forgive you." 

And, unfortunately, that drama never actually stopped.

In 2009, Hulk Hogan and Linda Hogan settled their divorce and the details remained confidential until 2011. E! News reported that Linda was set to receive more than 70 percent of the couple's liquid assets in addition to 40 percent ownership of Hulk's companies. Hulk reportedly also paid her a $3 million property settlement. 

However, the legal issues did not end there and things got a lot more complicated. In 2019, Linda told the Daily Mail, "It has been nine years since our divorce and I have received nothing but frivolous legal battles meant to harass and drain any monies I received upfront from our original divorce agreement." She also claimed that Hulk has tried to get out of paying her.  

Things got even stranger in 2012 when Gawker published a sex tape of Hulk and Heather Cole. He received a big payment from the site and Linda told Daily Mail that she wants to see some of that money. She promised to keep on pushing for the funds, telling the website, "The fight I brought to grow our brand is the same fight I am bringing to get what is rightfully mine. He may have bought some time, but he can't buy justice."

It's unclear if Hulk and Linda and have straightened out their financial issues at this time, but there's clearly no love lost between the exes.