Hulk Hogan’s secret struggle revealed by daughter Brooke

Brooke Hogan has lifted the lid on her late father’s troubled life, insisting the real battle for wrestling icon Hulk Hogan wasn’t drugs, but a desperate need for “validation”.

The WWE legend, who passed away in July 2025 aged 71 after a heart attack, has been the subject of a new Netflix docuseries exploring his turbulent final years, including claims he relied on prescription fentanyl during his time with TNA Wrestling.

But Brooke paints a very different picture.

Speaking candidly, she revealed: “What people don’t know is my dad quit cold turkey for a long time… I don’t think he had an addictive personality towards drugs. His addiction was validation — especially from women.”

She suggested her father’s struggles were deeply tied to insecurity, constantly questioning himself: 

“Am I still young? Am I still strong? Am I still attractive?”, a cycle she believes fuelled his public scandals and personal downfall.

Brooke, who chose not to appear in the documentary, didn’t hold back in her criticism either, calling it a glossy portrayal that ignores the darker truth. 

“It’s missing 98 per cent of real life… it didn’t touch the underbelly,” she said.

Their relationship, once close, became painfully strained over the years. 

Brooke admitted she never received a genuine apology for the hurt she endured, saying forgiveness came only from her own love.

In a shocking revelation, she even removed herself from his will to avoid “drama” and legal battles, fearing money would only deepen family wounds.

Despite everything, her final words about her father are filled with emotion.

“If I could speak to him again,” she said, “I’d tell him I loved him more than anyone ever could. My love for him was endless.”

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