As the world still mourns the loss of Ozzy Osbourne, July 2025 lost another major name in Hollywood. Whereas the Black Sabbath vocalist and co-founder was cheered for his final concert and raising over $190 million for charity, the passing of Hulk Hogan at the age of 71 has been overshadowed by a dark cloud.
Unlike Ozzy Osbourne remaining a beloved icon of the rock music world and beyond, Hogan's later life was plagued with controversy. As well as becoming embroiled in 1994's United States v. McMahon trial, the wrestler also admitted to taking anabolic steroids since 1986 and then faced allegations of sexual assault in 1996. However, Hogan's biggest controversy came from a leaked sex tape that Gawker first published in 2012.
In 2015, a larger excerpt of the tape was released, including Hogan going on an anti-black rant where he appeared to express disgust at the idea of his daughter dating a black man, as well as repeatedly using racial slurs.
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Other examples of him using slurs have since been released, and despite being reinstated to the WWE Hall of Fame, he was booed during January 2025's Monday Night Raw on Netflix.
The likes of President Donald Trump have spoken out about the loss of 'a great friend', with others taking to social media to show their support of the former wrestler. Now, TikTok star Joey Swoll has spoken out after posting a video of him wearing a Hulk Hogan costume to the gym shortly after his passing.
Defending his actions, Swoll (real name Joseph Sergo) said he could dress as Hogan if he 'wanted' to, clapping back at his critics as he added: "If somebody makes a mistake in their life, it doesn’t mean that they haven’t done good things.
“I don’t know what he did or if he said something 20 years ago and apologized for it. The man was nice to me, and he made a mistake. If you have a problem with that, look at yourself."
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There was further backlash after Swoll doubled down on his actions, but seemingly seeing the error of his ways, he then apologized in another video.
Saying he shouldn't have posted an old video of himself in the Hogan costume so shortly after the star's death, he continued: "Since last night, I’ve done a lot of research and learned all of the horrible things that man has done.”
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He said it was “way more than just making a mistake and being human,” continuing: “I have taken the video down, and I apologize to anyone that I have offended."
Still, this wasn't enough for many, especially after Swoll used the term 'colored' to describe people of color, with one person writing: "Oh god, all the white people in here accepting the ‘apology’ saying he never did anything wrong, while using AAVE [African-American Vernacular English]."
Another critic said: "I realize I'm losing money so let me go ahead and quick apologize🙄."
Others supported him, with his girlfriend chiming in: "As his girlfriend, and someone from a biracial family, I couldn’t be more proud of the man he is. Every day, I see how he treats people, with genuine respect, compassion, and the kind of integrity that shows even when things get tough."
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Things have continued to escalate, and taking to X, Swoll seemed to announce he would be taking a break from social media. Saying that he has tried to inspire people and do good in his life, Sergo concluded: "You either die a hero, or live long enough to be the villain. Thank you for your support. I am done."