Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson Opens Up About Hulk Hogan’s Racist Rant, Using N-Word

Dwayne Johnson, shared his thoughts on Hulk Hogan’s racist rant at HBO’s TCA (Television Critics Association) press tour in Beverly Hills on Thursday.

Dwayne Johnson Speaks On Hulk Hogan Racist Rant, Using N-Word

Hogan made headlines this week when a sex tape he made in 2008 surfaced, which shows the wrestler repeatedly using the N-word among other racist remarks.

The tape is currently at the center of a high-profile $100 million lawsuit against the website Gawker, after the site published a part of the sex tape in 2012.

Johnson was promoting his dramedy HBO series Ballers at the TCA tour, when a critic asked him about Hogan’s racist rant.

“I was pretty disappointed at what I heard,” said Johnson. “I’ve known [Hulk Hogan] for a lot of years. My dad helped train him in Florida in the ’70s when he was breaking into the business. My uncles helped train him as well. So I’d not known him to be racist.”

“It’s funny, it’s one of those things where—I’m not justifying what he said—but we’ve all talked trash. Especially in private. He said what he said and now he’s paying the price,” Johnson added.

Hogan has been persecuted by fans and the media, despite apologizing in a statement for using “offensive language.”

“It was unacceptable for me to have used that offensive language; there is no excuse for it; and I apologize for having done it. … I am disappointed with myself that I used language that is offensive and inconsistent with my own beliefs,” Hogan admitted.

The WWE has cut ties with Hogan, removing him from their website. He’s no longer listed as a member of the WWE Hall of Fame, and his merchandise can no longer be found at the WWE Shop.