Nearly a decade after Hulk Hogan’s racist comments scandal rocked WWE, Vince McMahon has broken his silence with his most candid assessment yet of the controversy that severed ties with wrestling’s biggest star.
In a revealing TMZ special that aired Tuesday night on Fox, McMahon opened up about the 2015 incident that led to Hogan’s immediate removal from WWE programming and the Hall of Fame. The wrestling mogul’s comments reveal the deep personal conflict he experienced between his decades-long relationship with Hogan and the corporate responsibility to address the scandal.
“It was unforgivable. And I was aghast. ‘What happened?’ And when those things occurred.. ‘that’s not like him. What in God’s name is going on?'” McMahon told TMZ’s Harvey Levin, describing his initial reaction to learning about Hogan’s recorded racial slurs.
The revelation prompted swift corporate action from WWE, despite McMahon’s personal feelings about the wrestling icon he had worked with for decades. “As soon as it happened, I was made that company didn’t have anything to do with me anymore. We even took them out of the Hall of Fame,” McMahon explained, detailing the immediate severing of ties.
However, McMahon’s most striking comments came when he defended Hogan’s character while condemning his words. “I knew he wasn’t a racist. I’ve been with him for so many years. He wasn’t racist. He said some racist things and he should pay for that and he did. But in the end, I think that everyone saw the real Hulk Hogan and Terry Bolea and they felt, ‘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.”
This nuanced stance highlights the complex challenge facing entertainment companies when personal scandals involve their biggest stars. McMahon’s comments suggest a distinction between momentary actions and fundamental character, though he acknowledged the severity of Hogan’s words.
The interview provides rare insight into WWE’s crisis management during one of its most sensitive controversies, revealing how quickly the company moved to distance itself despite the personal relationships involved. McMahon’s willingness to publicly defend Hogan’s character while maintaining the comments were “unforgivable” demonstrates the ongoing tension between personal loyalty and corporate accountability.