His dad may be a rich and famous wrestling icon, but Nick Hogan has no desire of getting into the ring himself. And, as it turns out, being Hulk Hogan's son isn't all it's cracked up to be.
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00:00His dad may be a rich and famous wrestling icon, but Nick Hogan has no desire of getting
00:06into the ring himself. And as it turns out, being Hulk Hogan's son isn't all it's cracked
00:11up to be.
00:12In August of 2007, Nick Hogan was responsible for a devastating tragedy that left his former
00:18best friend in round-the-clock care for the rest of his life. The incident occurred when
00:23he and some friends were racing in a 40-mile-per-hour zone on their way to a steakhouse. Nick was
00:28behind the wheel while his friend, John Graziano, rode shotgun. Nick ultimately lost control
00:34of the vehicle and crashed it into a palm tree.
00:37The Hogan Knows Best star was left in serious condition following the crash. Graziano, however,
00:42wasn't wearing a seatbelt and was left permanently paralyzed.
00:46I understand why people would be angry with me.
00:49Nick was hit with several charges over the crash, including reckless driving and driving
00:54under the influence. He was ultimately given an eight-month jail sentence. In order to
00:59do 500 hours of community service. However, Nick ended up behind bars for less than six
01:04months after he was let go due to good behavior.
01:08Since Nick was driving his dad's car that day, Hulk Hogan was complicit in a civil lawsuit
01:13from the victim's family. Graziano's family sued Nick and Hulk for an undisclosed amount
01:19due to the immense costs of their son's round-the-clock care.
01:23According to the St. Petersburg Times, the Graziano family reportedly received a $5 million
01:29settlement. After subtracting legal and medical costs, however, only about $1.5 million would
01:34remain.
01:35Despite the settlement, Nick carried the consequences of the crash with him every day. In a 2010
01:41interview with Good Morning America, he said that learning to move on is a step-by-step
01:45process, adding,
01:46It's still hard for me to think about. I'm sorry.
01:49He also expressed deep remorse for his actions, telling Graziano's family during the trial,
01:54I will never, ever be able to say I'm sorry enough.
01:58However, many failed to sympathize with the star, especially after recorded prison phone
02:02calls showed him bad-mouthing his paralyzed best friend. In one of the leaked calls, Nick
02:07said,
02:08John was a negative person.
02:11In 2007, Nick's parents announced they were getting a divorce. Over the next two years,
02:15a drawn-out divorce battle ensued. During that time, Linda Hogan made several accusations
02:20about her former husband, including that she feared for her life while she was with him.
02:25In her 2011 tell-all book, Wrestling the Hulk, My Life Against the Ropes, Linda alleged
02:31that her former husband had a drug problem, and that he would get increasingly rageful
02:36throughout their marriage. She wrote,
02:38I had a little bit of shoving. Sometimes he'd squeeze my arm or squeeze my face really hard
02:42when he was talking to me, or shove me onto the bed. I just tolerated that. But as the
02:47years went on, it got worse. Broken lamps, hair pulled out, furniture broken. He threw
02:52the dog off the bed.
02:54Eventually, Linda's well-being took a turn for the worse. She recalled in her book,
02:58I thought he could kill me. He had his hands around my neck one time on the bed, and he
03:03started squeezing my throat. Hulk denied the accusations against him and filed a defamation
03:08suit against Linda in 2011. However, nothing has been made public on how the parties resolved
03:14the suit.
03:16In 2018, Nick experienced a major health scare after being sent to the hospital. According
03:20to The Blast, the reality star fainted near his father's home in Clearwater, Florida.
03:25An insider told the publication that the reality star didn't eat enough that day and overdid
03:29it with work. At the time, the former race car driver was working behind the scenes at
03:34Dash Radio. Nick was eventually released from the hospital and made a full recovery.
03:40In 2023, Nick ran into more problems with the law when he was arrested for a DUI in
03:45Clearwater, Florida. According to the police report, Nick sped by three patrol cars that
03:50were mitigating a traffic incident. Officers performed a field sobriety test on Nick, which
03:54he failed. In body camera footage released after the incident, an officer can be heard
03:59mentioning the smell of alcohol on his breath.
04:02Nick pled guilty to the DUI charge and violating the Move Over Law, which requires vehicles
04:07to yield to first responders and law enforcement vehicles. Following the incident, Nick was
04:12given 100 hours of community service, a year's suspension on his license, and a 12-month
04:18probation. During his sentencing, the reality star expressed remorse for his mistakes, telling
04:22the court,
04:23"...I'm very sorry for all of this going on. I never wanted to be in this position again."
04:28However, John Graziano's mother, Debra, said Nick's DUI arrest was a case of history repeating
04:33itself. She told TMZ in 2023,
04:35"...I can only pray that at some point in his life, while he still has the chance, that
04:40he turns his life around. Until then, I hope no one else gets hurt."
04:45Nick faced yet another tragedy after his father revealed that he came close to committing
04:49suicide in 2009. At the time, Hulk and his ex-wife Linda had recently finalized their
04:55messy divorce, and he was dealing with the impact of his son's car crash. By that October,
05:00the former WWE star was mixing dangerous concoctions of rum and Xanax while contemplating ending
05:06his life.
05:07"...I wasn't doing well at all."
05:09However, Hulk said one phone call from his American Gladiators co-star, Laila Ali, changed
05:15everything. He told Today,
05:16"...She said, hey, what's going on? You're on the set, you're all depressed, we're worried
05:20about you, you going to be okay?"
05:22The legendary wrestler said Ali checking up on him was a serious wake-up call. He told
05:27Today,
05:28"...It snapped me out of it. At that moment, I switched gears. I got sick and tired of
05:31being sick and tired. Her voice saved my life, it really did."
05:35Eventually, the wrestling champion began to change his mindset, learning to grow from
05:39the obstacles and remain hopeful. He told Today,
05:43"...I just wanted people to know that life is good. You don't have to run around with
05:46your head down. Stay positive, stay happy."
05:49If you or someone you know is struggling or in crisis, help is available. Call or text
05:54988 or chat 988LIFELINE.ORG.