What did Michael Rapaport say about Hulk Hogan? Comedian responds to backlash over video defending late wrestler over past controversies

Actor Michael Rapaport is defending the comments he made after wrestling legend Hulk Hogan passed away. After Hogan died following a cardiac arrest on July 24, Rapaport defended the wrestler in the wake of the various controversies that the WWE star had been involved in, gaining renewed attention.

During an episode of his podcast, I Am Rapaport, the comedian insisted that people should not focus on Hogan’s controversial stands, and instead celebrate the star’s wrestling legacy. Using the name the ‘Hulkster,’ as Hogan was popularly known, Rapaport said,

“The great Hulk Hogan has passed away at seventy one years old. And I'm gonna tell you what we’re not gonna do, when Hulk Hogan passes away, we're not gonna disrespect the Hulkster. That's what we're not gonna do is, we're not gonna be disrespecting Hulk Hogan, the Hulkster. I don't care if he had some controversy outside of the ring. I don't care if he endorsed Donald Trump.”

Rapaport also posted a clip from the podcast on his social media pages. Continuing his heartfelt defense of the wrestler, Rapaport added,

“We're talking about one of the most original characters in American popular culture history. Whether you know wrestling or you’re a fan of wrestling or not, we are talking about a guy who created something out of his imagination that captured the world's attention…And like I said, I don't care about him endorsing Trump. I don't care about the stuff that was controversial. We’re not gonna to be disrespecting the man with the 18 inch pythons, brother, We're not gonna be disrespecting the Hulkster for the joy that he gave. Forget you as an adult, sicko, forget you, think about the kids, think about you as a kid. Talk about a real life superhero.”

 

 

 

 

 

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Michael Rapaport’s comments defending Hulk Hogan brought out the wrestler’s controversial past

In the wake of Michael Rapaport’s impassioned support of Hulk Hogan, the WWE wrestler’s controversial past was highlighted on social media. Netizens took to social media to dig into the racist statements that Hogan made in the past, and criticized Rapaport for lending support to the wrestler.

In 2015, an audio recording, which consisted of Hogan using racial slurs against his daughter Brooke Hogan’s Black ex-boyfriend, became public as a result of a lawsuit involving Hogan and a gossip site, as per KRON 4. The news outlet noted that in a verified transcript of the original audio recording, Hogan used a racial slur and said,

“I mean, I’d rather if she was going to f*** some n****r, I’d rather have her marry an 8-foot-tall n****r worth a hundred million dollars! Like a basketball player…I guess we’re all a little racist. F***ing n****r.”

The fallout from the transcript being made public resulted in the termination of Hogan’s contract with the WWE at the time. The wrestling organization also released a statement upholding its commitment to equality.

Hogan himself made a statement apologizing for his comments. As per People Magazine, Hogan said at the time,

“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. This is not who I am. I believe very strongly that every person in the world is important and should not be treated differently based on race, gender, orientation, religious beliefs or otherwise. I am disappointed with myself that I used language that is offensive and inconsistent with my own beliefs.”

 

 

 

Michael Rapaport defended his comments in wake of the backlash

After being slammed for defending Hulk Hogan despite his controversial statements over the years, Michael Rapaport released another video to his social media defending the context in which he spoke about the wrestler. Rapaport sought to remind the public that while speaking about Hogan, he alleged that he did not know much about the controversies involving him. He said,

“When I did my now controversial Hulk Hogan video two hours after he passed, right after he passed, I saw all this derogatory stuff about his association with Trump and I said in the video, ‘what we’re not going to do is disrespect somebody who brought so much joy to the world.’ In the video, I also said I know he was involved with some controversy and I wasn’t aware of it!”

Reiterating the stance that he was not up to date with Hogan racial statements, Rapaport added,

“I’m not a Hulk Hogan super fan. I’m not a wrestling-head. I’m not a Hulk Hogan documentarian. I don’t know everything about the life and times of Hulk Hogan. I was not aware at the time from the bottom of my heart that he was involved with that racial controversy, the N-word controversy, obviously, I knew that, at the time, I wouldn’t have done the video, or my video would have been a lot different.”

 

 

 

 

 

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In the video, Rapaport also clarified his stance on social justice issues, and noted,

“I have openly condemned racism, sexism, anti-semitism, all of that on this platform with my face on wax, have you? Have you? I have spoken out loud and proud since this platform came into existence about George Floyd, ‘I can’t breathe,’ Charlottesville, LGBTQ, women’s rights, every single person’s right with my face on wax all over and over again. Again, I did not know about the remarks Hulk Hogan made. I don’t fact check these videos that a lot of times people love and repost, I do not fact check my videos…I didn’t do any research. Botton line, I never want to offend anybody.”

In the following episode of his podcast, Rapaport also clarified that he came to know of Hogan’s controversial statements upon reading the comments on his video supporting the wrestler.