Brooke Hogan reveals relationship with dad Hulk 'never recovered' after he slept with her close friend
Brooke Hogan has candidly revisited one of the most turbulent periods of her family's public life, reflecting on how her relationship with her late father, WWE legend Hulk Hogan, permanently shifted after he had an affair with one of her close friends.
Speaking with Us Weekly, the 38-year-old opened up about the emotional fallout that unfolded in the late 2000s, when details surfaced that her father—born Terry Bollea—had engaged in a relationship with her friend Christiane Plante amid the breakdown of his 24-year marriage to her mother, Linda Hogan.
“A major turning point came after he slept with my friend Christiane,” Brooke shared. “I forgive people very easily — sometimes probably too easily — and I forgave him, but something between us changed afterward. I don’t think he ever related to me in quite the same way again.”
The scandal broke publicly in 2008 when Plante came forward to confirm the relationship, telling media outlets at the time that her romance with the wrestling icon began during a period when Terry and Linda had privately acknowledged their marriage was over, despite divorce papers not yet being officially filed.
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The revelation proved devastating for the household. Linda and Hulk finalized their contentious divorce the following year in 2009. Linda later spoke out on Good Morning America about the profound emotional toll the infidelities took on her self-worth, admitting she constantly questioned whether she was to blame for the split.
For Brooke, the aftermath of the high-profile divorce dismantled the sense of stability she had relied on during the peak of their hit reality series Hogan Knows Best.
“The entire family structure changed,” Brooke told the magazine. “Over time, things became increasingly complicated until eventually the relationship I had always believed could survive anything couldn’t survive what was happening around us anymore."
She continued: "That’s probably the biggest thing I wish people understood about the Hogan family: Public perception reduces families into heroes and villains. Real families aren’t that simple.”
The candid reflection comes following the death of the wrestling icon, who passed away on July 24, 2025, at the age of 71 after suffering a heart attack at his Clearwater, Florida home.
In the wake of his passing, Brooke paid an emotional tribute to him on social media, honoring the bond they shared while keeping their complicated history in perspective.
“My Dearest Daddy, You were my everything, and I will always be your girl,” she wrote at the time. “I am PROUD to be your daughter—for all the love, light, and goodness you brought into this world.”
Balancing her grief with honesty, Brooke made clear that time has allowed her to hold space for both love and past wounds: “I can love my father profoundly and still tell the truth about where he hurt me.”
Phoebe Tonks