Vince McMahon Says Hulk Hogan Wasn't A Racist

Vince McMahon doesn't believe Hulk Hogan was a racist, he just sometimes said racist things.

That is what the former WWE Chairman said about Hogan during an interview with TMZ that aired on Fox on Tuesday, August 12, while he addressed Hogan's removal and later reinstatement into the WWE Hall of Fame.

"It was unforgivable, and I was like, aghast. What happened? And when those things occurred, that's not like him. What in God’s name is going on? As soon as it happened obviously, the company didn't have anything to do with him anymore. We took him out of the Hall of Fame. You just don't do those things," McMahon stated.

"I knew he wasn't a racist, I've been with him for so many years. He wasn't a racist. He said some racist things, and he should pay for that, and he did. But in the end, I think everyone saw the real Hulk Hogan, Terry Bollea, and they felt, well wait a minute, this guy, he doesn't act like a racist. He's not a racist. We all make mistakes. That was a big one, but he wasn't a racist."

WWE severed ties with Hulk Hogan in 2015 after leaked audio showed Hogan using the N-word on multiple occasions to describe his daughter Brooke's then-boyfriend. Hogan within the audio, even noted he was a racist "to a point." WWE reinstated him to the Hall of Fame in 2018.

Hogan's comments meant he was a controversial figure for the remaining 10 years of his life until his passing on July 24, 2025. This saw Hogan be booed during his final WWE appearance at the Netflix premiere of Monday Night Raw, something which apparently left Hogan "devastated."

McMahon noted that he was angry about the booing of the Hulkster.

"I was angry because we've known each other for a lifetime, professionally and personally. And setting up, so to speak, this larger than life superhero, you don't just let him walk out there. He deserved something very, very special. More than anyone, they owe him. It's just like, okay, here comes Hulk Hogan. I got angry because that's not the way I would have done it and he deserved much more," McMahon added.

Vince McMahon was a speaker at Hulk Hogan's funeral, during which he had a Wizard of Oz-esque appearance.

H/T F4WOnline

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