Hulk Hogan Was Only Worth $5 Million At The Time Of His Death??!! Actually, That's Not The Full Picture, Brother

Hulk Hogan died unexpectedly on July 24, 2025, at the age of 71. For five decades, Hulk was one of the most famous people on the planet. And as you might suspect for someone who was a superstar wrestler, actor, commercial pitchman, real estate investor, restaurateur, and the recipient of a massive Gawker lawsuit settlement, Hulk died a rich man. At the time of his death, we estimated his net worth at $25 million. That figure is even more impressive when you consider that Hulk was nearly wiped out financially by his divorce from Linda Hogan in 2007.

Yesterday, Us Weekly obtained a probate filing made by Hulk's son Nick Hogan. In the filing, Nick revealed the total amount of assets Hulk left behind. The answer? Less than $1 million.

On the other hand, Nick's inventory also included an assigned value of $4 million for Hulk's "right of publicity" — essentially the commercial use of his name, image, and likeness. Add those figures together, and headlines across the web declared that Hulk Hogan was worth "just $5 million" at the time of his death. A few readers even emailed us to point out how off we were.

But that's not the whole picture, brother. Probate filings only capture a small piece of someone's wealth — specifically, the assets that must pass through the court system. They don't include property held in trusts, LLCs, or jointly with a spouse. In Hulk Hogan's case, the difference comes down to smart estate planning and the unique quirks of probate law.

What The Court Filings Showed

According to the documents Nick Hogan submitted to a Florida probate court, his father's estate included the following:

• $200,000 in cryptocurrency
• $799,000 in personal property and intellectual property
• His right of publicity, valued at roughly $4 million
• A potential malpractice claim tied to Hulk's May 2025 neck surgery, which has not yet been filed and therefore carries no defined value

On paper, that adds up to around $5 million. This is the number that grabbed headlines — but it's important to understand what probate documents actually represent. They are not intended to serve as a complete balance sheet of someone's wealth. They're a legal inventory of the assets that must go through the probate process before they can be distributed to heirs.

What The Probate Number Leaves Out

To really understand why Hulk Hogan's probate filings showed only $5 million, it helps to step back and look at how estates work in general. When someone dies without a will — known as dying intestate — all of their assets go into the probate process. That's true whether the estate is worth $10,000 or $10 billion. Probate is a court-supervised procedure where a judge oversees the distribution of the deceased person's property.

The problem is that probate is almost always something you want to avoid. It's slow, it's expensive, and it invites conflict. Court costs and attorney fees can chew up a large portion of an estate. Cases can drag on for years, delaying access to money or property for the people you actually wanted to benefit. On top of that, probate files are public, which means anyone — including opportunists and distant relatives — can crawl out of the woodwork to make claims against the estate. And to make it even worse, the public filings allow a snooping reporter from a website that specializes in talking about the notable people's net worths to learn all kinds of intimate financial details that someone may have preferred to be private.

History is filled with examples of probate disasters. When billionaire Howard Hughes died in 1976 with no valid will, his $2.5 billion fortune (worth over $15 billion today) became the subject of one of the most chaotic estate fights in history. Dozens of supposed relatives and illegitimate children came forward, including a gas station owner in Utah who claimed Howard promised him $156 million after he picked him up as a hitchhiker. The Hughes estate still took more than a decade to resolve and was swallowed up by staggering legal fees. That's especially frustrating because Howard's estate ultimately established a charity that could have had hundreds of millions more in assets in the 1970s, which would be worth tens of billions today.

A trust is a legal arrangement that allows you to move assets out of your name while still retaining control of them during your lifetime. When you die, the assets in the trust instantly bypass probate completely and transfer directly to the beneficiaries you've named. The instructions are private, the process is faster, and the tax treatment is usually far more favorable.

This is why Hulk Hogan's probate filings don't show the full picture of his wealth. His Clearwater Beach real estate — worth an estimated $11 million — almost certainly sat in a trust or LLC. Those properties pass directly to his designated beneficiaries without ever touching probate court. The same goes for other assets, cash, stocks, and other business investments. So while the probate filings list $5 million, they exclude a significant portion of the fortune Hogan carefully shielded through estate planning.

For these reasons, you don't need to be a billionaire to benefit from a trust. Even if all you have is a modest 401(k), if there are people in your life you want to provide for — or others you want to make sure are excluded — creating a trust is the clearest way to ensure your wishes are followed.

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The History of Hulk Hogan's Net Worth

The clearest glimpse into Hulk Hogan's finances during his career came in 2007, during his divorce from Linda Hogan. In a divorce court filing, Hulk revealed that at the time, his net worth was $30 million. That's the same as around $45 million in today's dollars.

Unfortunately, the divorce settlement decimated that fortune. Linda walked away with 70% of the couple's liquid assets, $3 million in cash for property settlements, and a 40% stake in Hulk's various business entities. She also kept luxury cars and other personal property. Hulk later admitted the divorce left him on the brink of bankruptcy.

Thankfully, over the next two decades, Hulk managed to rebuild his fortune. His biggest financial turning point came in 2016 with the conclusion of his lawsuit against Gawker Media. Hulk had famously sued the site after it published a secretly recorded sex tape featuring him and the wife of his former friend, radio host Bubba the Love Sponge. Hogan argued that posting the video was a gross invasion of privacy.

In March 2016, a Florida jury agreed and awarded him $140 million in damages. The staggering judgment forced Gawker into bankruptcy. Its assets were eventually sold to Univision, and as part of a settlement, Hogan accepted $31 million in cash. Gawker's founder, Nick Denton, declared personal bankruptcy in the aftermath, listing his net worth at far less than the damages he owed.

That $31 million payout, combined with ongoing earnings from personal appearances, brand licensing, and his real estate holdings in Clearwater, Florida, allowed Hogan to rebuild his fortune. By the time of his death in 2025, we estimated his net worth at $25 million.

Brooke & Nick Hogan

One of the most surprising details to come out of Hulk Hogan's estate filings is the absence of his daughter Brooke. According to court documents, Brooke voluntarily asked to be removed as a beneficiary in 2023. At the time, she explained that she didn't want to be caught up in bitter money disputes after her father's death, particularly given the complicated relationships within Hulk's inner circle. By stepping away, she effectively avoided any inheritance battles that might have involved Hulk's widow, Sky Daily, or her mother, Linda Hogan.

It's also possible Brooke could still be a beneficiary of trusts established long before her removal from the will. If Hogan set up trusts for his children decades ago — as wealthy individuals often do — those arrangements may remain intact unless he specifically amended them.

Nick Hogan is the sole listed heir to his father's probate estate, with Sky named as the surviving spouse. As a result, Nick was the one responsible for filing the probate paperwork in Florida. Filing probate is a legal requirement when someone dies with assets that need to be formally transferred to heirs, but in this case, it also served a practical purpose: Nick needed official recognition as co-personal representative of the estate in order to pursue legal action.

Specifically, Nick has filed lawsuits to protect his father's legacy and intellectual property rights, including efforts to block the distribution of a documentary tied to the infamous Gawker sex tape. By establishing the probate estate and naming himself a representative, he gained the legal authority to act on behalf of his father's estate in these matters.

The Malpractice Lawsuit Wildcard

One unresolved issue in Hulk Hogan's estate is the potential value of a medical malpractice lawsuit. In May 2025, just two months before his death, Hogan underwent neck surgery that reportedly left him with a compromised phrenic nerve, causing persistent shortness of breath. His widow, Sky Daily, has publicly stated that she believes the surgery contributed to his fatal cardiac arrest in July.

If Sky and the estate pursue litigation and prevail, the damages could add millions to Hogan's overall estate. For now, Nick's probate filing lists the malpractice claim but assigns it no dollar value since no case has yet been filed. In situations like this, the outcome could range anywhere from zero to a significant settlement or jury award, depending on how the courts view the alleged negligence.