After taking the weekend off the maelstrom surrounding the Hulk Hogan sex tape has continued with the former WWE/WCW champion attempting his own ‘spin control’. For those of you who may have been incarcerated during the early days of the Hogan sex tape fiasco let us bring you up to date–after rumors broke that the tape existed the gossip website Gawker posted stills and a ‘blow by blow’ description (for lack of a better term) of the gruesome black and white footage. Shortly thereafter, Hogan’s former wife Linda gets nabbed on suspicion of DUI which she insisted wasn’t a reaction to the tape’s release. Heather Clem–former wife of Hogan’s best friend Bubba the Love Sponge–expressed remorse over the tape’s release and ‘cut a promo’ on Hulk’s sexual prowess. An adult website offers to buy the tape for big bucks.
Hogan finally addressed the situation firsthand (previous statements had been through his attorney) though his choice of media outlet–the Howard Stern show–suggests that he may be just as interested in fanning the flames of the controversy for professional gain. Then again, he’d usually gone on Bubba the Love Sponge’s show in the past and that probably wasn’t an option this time. ‘The Hulkster’ confirmed that the woman in the video was Heather Clem and that the offscreen voice was that of Bubba the Love Sponge who apparently had no issue with the situation. Hogan did note that the tape is six years old and predates Bubba’s marriage to Clem. Hogan was married to Linda at the time but claims he sought the solace of another woman because Linda was verbally and physically abusive.
Stern offered his unique brand of empathy:
“If a tape of me came out seriously banging somebody, I’d be so embarrassed,”
To which Hogan replied:
“Oh I am. I’m devastated.”
He used the term ‘devastated’ again as he suggested that, surprisingly, his current wife isn’t pleased with the situation:
“My new wife Jennifer is rattled to say the least. I mean, she’s not part of this media life. It’s something that has devastated me.”
The next day or two should be very interesting–was the release of the video a ‘work’ by Hulk and/or other assorted Hogans for the purpose of publicity? Will a miniseries detailing this sordid affair be in the offing? Will it remain newsworthy now that the identity of Clem has been confirmed and the situation given some semblance of a plausible explanation? Stay tuned…
