Hulk Hogan, WWE superstar passes away at 71 after cardiac arrest in Florida home: Report
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Time of India
2 days ago
- Time of India
Did Hulk Hogan have an affair with his daughter Brooke's best friend Christiane Plante? Inside the controversy that rocked his marriage
Hulk Hogan's first marriage ended after his ex wife had accused him of infidelity.(Image via Julio Aguilar/Getty) Hulk Hogan, the WWE legend, unfortunately, breathed his last recently and his death has left a gaping hole in the community. Hulk Hogan was 71 years old but never let his age get to his fitness and strength. While his ex wife, Linda Hogan, has expressed her sadness at the death of Hulk Hogan, in 2009, things became controversial when she had accused him of having an affair with their daughter's friend. Did Hulk Hogan have an affair with his daughter, Brooke Hogan's best friend, Christiane Plante ? Hulk Hogan tied the knot with his ex wife, Linda Hogan, in 1983 and the two became parents to two children. The couple were known for their love for each other at one time but in 2009, their divorce sent shockwaves across the communtiy. Hulk Hogan: Feeling Lost at the Height of Fame | Praise on TBN However, things quickly became worse when Linda Hogan accused Hulk Hogan of sleeping with their daughter, Brooke Hogan's close friend, Christiane Plante. As per E! News, a source had revealed that, "When Linda discovered Hulk had [an affair] with Brooke's best friend, Christiane Plante, she made the decision to call it quits on the marriage.' The source added, "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!" However, Hulk Hogan's lawyer had issued a controversial statement responding to Linda Hogan's accusations. The Complicated Family Life of Hulk Hogan At that time, Hulk Hogan's lawyer David Houston said, "It is unfortunate Linda Hogan will do virtually anything to keep herself in the public spotlight..." Christiane Plante had admitted to having an affair with Hulk Hogan As per the National Enquirer, at that time, Brooke Hogan's friend Christiane Plante had admitted to having an affair with the WWE legend, Hulk Hogan. This had caused a number of issues between Brooke Hogan and her father, Hulk Hogan, and she had cut off contact with her parents later. However, after Hulk Hogan divorced Linda Hogan, he did not get married to Christiane Plante. In 2010, Hulk Hogan tied the knot with Jennifer McDaniel and divorced her in 2021. FAQs How old was Hulk Hogan when he breathed his last? Hulk Hogan was 71 years old How many times did Hulk Hogan get married? Hulk Hogan got married 3 times. Also Read: When Hulk Hogan's son-in-law Steven Oleksy tried to reach out but never heard back days after Hogan's ex-wife called him a "s*x addict" For real-time updates, scores, and highlights, follow our live coverage of the India vs England Test match here. Catch Rani Rampal's inspiring story on Game On, Episode 4. Watch Here!
Time of India
2 days ago
- Time of India
How Hulk Hogan destroyed Gawker — after tag teaming with Peter Thiel
'So Hulk Hogan died. As a former Gawker writer (as are all Gawker writers thanks to Hulk Hogan), I won't be the first or the last to say 'f** that guy.' Dance on any grave you want to, but this one's mine. ' — Yvette d'Entremont, former Gawker contributor It was the kind of tweet that needed no context — but got one anyway. Readers quickly pointed out what the internet already knew but chose to forget: Gawker published a clip of Hogan's private sex tape in 2012. Hogan sued. He won $140 million. Gawker Media went bankrupt. Case closed. Except it wasn't just about Hogan. And it wasn't just about sex tapes. It was about power, privacy, and a billionaire's quiet vendetta. TL;DR Hulk Hogan, who died this week, successfully sued Gawker in 2016 for publishing a clip of his sex tape. The lawsuit, Bollea v. Gawker, ended in a $140 million judgment that bankrupted the site. It later emerged that tech billionaire Peter Thiel — whom Gawker had outed in 2007 — had secretly funded the legal assault. The case became a landmark moment in American media law, sparking debates on free speech, privacy, and the weaponisation of the courts. by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like Many Are Watching Tariffs - Few Are Watching What Nvidia Just Launched Seeking Alpha Read Now Undo The Kill Shot In 2012, Gawker posted a grainy, black-and-white video of wrestling star Hulk Hogan having sex with his friend's wife — without his consent. Hogan's legal team argued it was a gross invasion of privacy. Gawker, led by editor Nick Denton, claimed it was newsworthy. The case dragged on for years. Then, in 2016, the Florida jury delivered a verdict that shocked the media world: $115 million in compensatory damages. $25 million more in punitive damages. And just like that, Gawker was dead. But the real twist came months later, when Forbes revealed that the entire lawsuit had been bankrolled by Peter Thiel, the PayPal co-founder and Facebook investor. In 2007, Gawker had outed Thiel as gay — and Thiel never forgot. 'It's less about revenge and more about specific deterrence,' he would later say, sounding like a Bond villain with a Stanford law degree. The Free Speech Paradox The Hogan case was never just about celebrity scandal. It became the most consequential media trial of the digital age. The verdict was cheered by those who felt Gawker's brand of tabloid blogging had gone too far. But it also terrified journalists and First Amendment advocates, who saw in Thiel's secret involvement a dangerous precedent: rich people funding lawsuits to destroy media outlets they dislike. Thiel framed it as justice. Gawker framed it as censorship. Denton called it a "chilling assault on the free press." The courts didn't care. The law was on Hogan's side — because the video was private, and Gawker did publish it without permission. When the Heel Becomes the Hammer In wrestling, a 'heel turn' is when the good guy becomes the villain. But in this case, it was the villain — the loud-mouthed, bandana-clad caricature of 1980s testosterone — who turned out to be the man holding the hammer of justice. Or at least, the man standing in front of the hammer. The hand that swung it was wearing a Silicon Valley watch and holding a grudge. Gawker's brand of gonzo tabloidism was never meant to be polite. It punched up, punched down, and punched sideways. It published things mainstream outlets wouldn't. And for that reason, it always had enemies. But Hogan's death is a reminder that the final punch didn't come from words. It came from a courtroom. FAQ Was Gawker's reporting illegal? Not necessarily. But in Bollea v. Gawker, the jury found that the publication of the sex tape violated Hogan's privacy rights , regardless of his public persona. What happened to Gawker after the lawsuit? Gawker Media filed for bankruptcy. Its assets were sold to Univision. The brand was briefly revived in 2021, then shut down again in 2023. Who funded the lawsuit? Peter Thiel, the billionaire tech investor and early Trump backer, secretly funded Hogan's legal expenses. His motivation was personal: Gawker had outed him in 2007. Did this change US media law? Indirectly. The case sparked a wave of concern about "third-party funded litigation" and how it could be used to silence media outlets — especially smaller, independent ones. Was Hogan the hero or the weapon? Depends who you ask. To some, he was a privacy crusader. To others, just a celebrity tool in a much larger grudge match.
Indian Express
3 days ago
- Indian Express
How Hulk Hogan's sex tape lawsuit bankrupted media company Gawker
Hulk Hogan's victory against Andre the Giant at Wrestlemania III in 1987 has long been considered the greatest of his wrestling career. But as influential as body slamming the 500-pound Giant was, in real life terms, it pales in comparison to the impact of Hogan's civil suit against Gawker for publishing a video of him having sex with his best friend's wife. Here's what happened, including the role of Silicon Valley billionaire Peter Thiel. Hogan, 71, died on Thursday (July 25). An unsavoury video Gawker was a news and gossip website founded by Nick Denton in 2002 with the goal of 'being a snarky insidery blog with a focus on New York City and a long satirical streak,' according to an article by The New York Times. Over the years, Gawker developed a reputation for publishing provocative content, which frequently violated copyrights and privacy, or was illegally obtained. It was one such video that would lead to its eventual downfall. In 2007, Gawker obtained a copy of a secretly recorded sex tape, which featured Hulk Hogan having sex with Heather Clem, the wife of his then-best friend, radio personality Bubba the Love Sponge Clem. Bubba had himself filmed the video in secret but it is yet unclear how the video was leaked to Gawker. In 2012, after Gawker published nine seconds of sexually-explicit footage, Hogan, born Terry Gene Bollea, filed a $100 million civil lawsuit against the outlet. Hogan claimed that the sex tape was filmed without his consent even though the encounter itself was consensual. He even told radio host Howard Stern that the coupling received 'Bubba Clem's blessing'. Hogan would testify in court: 'I was depressed. I gave up and gave in. I felt that those people loved me.' Hogan's case was simple: his lawyers argued that Gawker grossly violated his privacy and that publishing the video did not serve any news purpose. 'To him the privacy part of it was integral. It was important,' Hogan's lead trial attorney, Ken Turkel, told the Associated Press. 'Eight-year-old kids were googling 'Hulk Hogan' and 'Wrestlemania,' and they were getting a sex tape. That was hurtful to him in a real personal way.' Gawker's counsel, on the other hand, argued that the footage is newsworthy and protected by the First Amendment, and that Hogan should not have had an expectation of privacy. The First Amendment to the US Constitution essentially protects the freedom of speech. Legally speaking, the case pitted the First Amendment against the privacy rights of celebrities — an issue on which courts had hitherto leaned towards the former. A landmark verdict This is why Bollea v. Gawker is a landmark verdict. With the jury rejecting Gawker's First Amendment arguments and awarding Hogan a whopping $141 million, a precedent was set for celebrities to be able to persuade a jury that their right to privacy outweighs the freedom of the press — even when the published material was true. 'Now more people, including judges, understand that it's possible to sue someone for revealing something truthful, as long as that something is deeply personal and its publication is highly offensive,' Amy Gajda, a Brooklyn Law School professor, told the AP. The verdict effectively made such cases about establishing the 'news value' of publishing any content. 'As long as there is news value in what is published and the media can argue that effectively, they can get a privacy case dismissed very early on,' Gajda said. Many experts have said that the verdict in Bollea v. Gawker has sparked a trend of libel and privacy lawsuits being weaponised against media organisations, including recent cases against Wall Street Journal, ABC and CBS by US President Donald Trump. Behind the scenes of the case was Peter Thiel, the billionaire Silicon Valley investor, seemingly hell-bent on destroying Gawker out of a deep personal grudge. In May 2016, two months after the verdict, Forbes reported that Hogan's entire lawsuit which bankrupted Gawker was funded fully by Thiel. His motivation: a 2007 blogpost on Gawker titled 'Peter Thield is totally gay, people'. The article was irreverently, some would say tastelessly, commendatory of Thiel, with lines like: '…Like the immigrant Jews who created Hollywood a century ago, a gay investor has no way to fit into the old establishment…' 'I think it's important to say this: Peter Thiel, the smartest VC in the world, is gay. More power to him.' For Thiel, being outed like that was humiliating. He privately plotted revenge, setting up a legal fund that was essentially meant to sue Gawker into oblivion. When the Hogan sex tape dropped in 2012, Thiel's team reached out to the wrestler and indicated that the billionaire was willing to bankroll a massive civil suit. Hogan then filed a $100 million suit. Notably, he refused to settle, as is usual, insisting on taking the matter to court. One legal analyst notably wrote in a blog in early 2016, 'Might a Gawker Hater be Covering Hulk Hogan's Legal Bills?' But Gawker did not recognise Thiel's involvement till it was too late. Ultimately, Thiel's resources were central to why Hogan won the case. Thiel would later tell The NYT that taking down Gawker was 'one of [the] greater philanthropic things that [he had] done'.
