Good thing Hulk Hogan has his nannying and mall Santa experience to fall back on, because as of this morning the pro wrestler and sometime reality TV personality is unemployed. Variety reports that the WWE has dropped the wrestler from its roster and scrubbed any mention of him from its website, defying cynics who believed that a cure for Hulkamania would not be found in our lifetime. Hogan has also been removed from the WWE Hall Of Fame.
In a statement announcing Hogan’s firing, the company says, “WWE is committed to embracing and celebrating individuals from all backgrounds as demonstrated by the diversity of our employees, performers and fans worldwide.” That’s presumably an oblique reference to a recently released piece of audio where Hogan’s use of racial slurs was running wild, brother.
The audio is connected to another of the Hulkster’s recent PR troubles, a honestly pretty gross video featuring Hogan having sex with a friend‘s then-wife. Gawker posted portions of the tape back in 2012, and is currently embroiled in a $100 million lawsuit with the extra-crispy icon of American positivity because of it. The new audio reportedly comes from another portion of the tape that was previously sealed as part of a FBI extortion investigation; in the audio, Hogan repeatedly uses racial slurs when venting to his married lover about his daughter Brooke’s relationship with a black man.
Perhaps realizing that his “Pamela and Tommy Lee” was just upgraded to a “Paula Deen,” Hogan has released this apology to People:
Eight years ago I used offensive language during a conversation. It was unacceptable for me to have used that offensive language; there is no excuse for it; and I apologize for having done it.