Hulk Hogan’s passing remains a topic of interest as investigations began into his cause of death back in August, and an award show came and went without acknowledging his death. The 2025 Emmys left the WWE legend of its “In Memoriam” segment of the show, and his ex-wife Linda has a theory behind why that happened.
Linda Hogan, who divorced her pro wrestling ex-husband back in 2009, spoke to EW and shared her belief that Hogan might’ve been kept out of the “In Memoriam” segment during the ceremony due to his more recent conservative political leanings:
Hogan’s ex is referring to Hulk’s Monday Night Raw appearance in early January. The legendary wrestler came out to loud boos and tried to rally the crowd in what would be his final appearance ever on WWE programming. Some attributed the boos to his vocal support of President Trump in recent years, while others pointed to his past controversies involving racism and other disputes he’s had with wrestlers over the years.
Hulk Hogan was not the only notable name left out of the In Memoriam, as actor Tony Todd’s wife reacted to his exclusion, and King of the Hill’s Jonathan Joss was left off the segment as well. Actor Gene Hackman was also left out of the list, and according to PopCrush, he was once listed on former President Richard Nixon’s list of enemies. It’s fair to say his political leanings differed from those of Hogan, yet both were excluded. (Not that Hackman had as much of a TV presence, but I digress.)
At the same time, Hulk Hogan’s political life was put more in the spotlight in recent years compared to other celebs and wrestlers. He was a frequent guest on Fox News programs and was not afraid to give his thoughts on relevant pop culture news like Kendrick Lamar’s Super Bowl halftime show. President Trump also publicly acknowledged Hogan’s death and paid tribute to the wrestler. As Linda Hogan pointed out, his politics were definitely more front and center to other Americans in his final years.
While he wasn’t in the televised “In Memoriam” segment, the Academy did acknowledge Hulk Hogan and many others who were excluded via its more all-encompassing digital segment. The question remains why these names were remembered when it came to the online tribute, but not included in the broadcast. As of writing, the Television Academy has not responded to requests for a reason behind the decision, or if there even was a deliberate decision to exclude anyone.