Brooke Hogan, Christiane Plante and the Hulk Hogan Affair Timeline

Brooke Hogan is once again speaking publicly about the affair that changed her relationship with her father forever.

In an interview with Us Weekly published on September 24, 2026, the 38-year-old former reality television star and singer described the moment her father, wrestling legend Hulk Hogan, slept with her close friend Christiane Plante as “a major turning point” in their father-daughter dynamic.

“I forgive people very easily, sometimes probably too easily, and I forgave him,” Brooke told the magazine. “But something between us changed afterward. I don’t think he ever related to me in quite the same way again.”

The interview arrives more than 18 years after the affair first became public and just over a year after Hulk Hogan, whose legal name was Terry Bollea, died from a heart attack on July 24, 2025, at age 71. The two were estranged at the time of his death.

For anyone trying to understand what happened, who Christiane Plante is, and how one affair triggered the collapse of one of the most recognizable families in American reality television, this is the complete timeline.

Who Christiane Plante Was in the Hogan Family Story

Christiane Plante was, by every account, a friend of Brooke Hogan. She worked closely with the young singer on her debut album, Undiscovered, which was released on October 24, 2006, through Storch Music Company and SoBe Entertainment.

Plante reportedly worked as a receptionist at Brooke’s record label, giving her regular professional and personal access to the Hogan family. According to multiple accounts, she was frequently at the Hogan home during the height of Brooke’s music career and the filming of the family’s reality show, Hogan Knows Best on VH1.

Linda Hogan later described Plante in her E! True Hollywood Story interview: “She was this beautiful, fair-skinned brunette, and every time she’d come over to the house, she was never offbeat.”

At the time of the affair, Plante was 33 years old. Hulk Hogan was 54. He was 21 years older than her.

How the Affair Started and When It Happened

The affair took place in 2007, during the third season of Hogan Knows Best. Hulk Hogan and Linda Claridge had been married since 1983 and had two children together: Brooke, born in 1988, and Nick, born in 1990.

According to Plante’s own account, given to the National Enquirer in 2008, the relationship with Hulk began when she believed the Hogan marriage was already privately ending. “My relationship with Terry began at a time when Terry and Linda privately knew their marriage was ending,” Plante said at the time. “She had already left him, although no official papers had been filed.”

Whether that framing is accurate has always been disputed. Linda Hogan has publicly stated that discovering the affair was what led her to file for divorce, not the other way around. In 2008, Linda’s publicist told E! News, “When Linda discovered Hulk had [an affair] with Brooke’s best friend, Christiane Plante, she made the decision to call it quits on the marriage.”

Plante later expressed regret about the impact of the affair on her friendship with Brooke. “Having felt the guilt and pain build up, I gave a note to Brooke apologizing for my actions,” Plante told the National Enquirer. “I will never be able to fully forgive myself for this. I have lost an amazing friend.”

The Family Was Already Under Extraordinary Pressure

The affair did not happen in isolation. The Hogan family was navigating one of the most difficult periods in their public life when the news of Plante and Hulk emerged.

On August 26, 2007, Brooke’s younger brother Nick Hogan was involved in a serious car accident in Clearwater, Florida, that left his passenger and friend, John Graziano, with permanent, traumatic brain injuries. Nick was charged with reckless driving, and on May 9, 2008, he entered a no-contest plea and was sentenced to eight months in Pinellas County Jail.

Brooke, then 20 years old, was publicly devastated. In a July 2008 interview with Access Hollywood’s Maria Menounos, she said everything had been “pretty nuts” and admitted she had broken down under the weight of everything happening in her family. She spoke about her closeness with Nick and her instinct to protect him.

It was in the midst of this that Linda discovered the affair with Plante. Linda filed for divorce in November 2007, ending 24 years of marriage. Hulk Hogan reportedly learned about the divorce filing during a media interview, having been unaware his wife had already made the decision.

A Complete Timeline of Key Events

What Brooke Said in the September 2026 Us Weekly Interview

Brooke’s September 2026 interview with Us Weekly was one of her most direct public reflections on how the affair reshaped her family. She was clear that she had forgiven her father but equally clear that forgiveness had not repaired what was broken.

Brooke Hogan recalled how her late father, Hulk Hogan, sleeping with one of her best friends caused an irreparable rift in their relationship. https://t.co/5mkFQ2swOu

— Us Weekly (@usweekly) September 24, 2026

“A major turning point came after he slept with my friend Christiane,” Brooke said. “I forgive people very easily, sometimes probably too easily, and I forgave him, but something between us changed afterward. I don’t think he ever related to me in quite the same way again.”

She placed the affair within the broader collapse of her family structure following her parents’ divorce. “Over time, things became increasingly complicated until eventually the relationship I had always believed could survive anything couldn’t survive what was happening around us anymore,” Brooke explained.

She acknowledged that her father had made his choices as a person, separate from his role as a parent. The affair, in her framing, was not the thing that made him a bad father. It was the thing that permanently altered how she saw him and how he seemed to see her.

Linda Hogan’s Perspective and Her Own Post-Divorce Choices

Linda Hogan version of events has been consistent for nearly two decades: she discovered her husband’s infidelity, and she ended the marriage.

But Linda’s own post-divorce choices added complexity to the family narrative. In December 2007, less than a month after filing for divorce, Linda began dating Charlie Hill, a 19-year-old high school student who was one grade above her son Nick and one grade below her daughter Brooke at the same school. Linda was 48 at the time.

The relationship was widely covered and criticized. Brooke publicly expressed her disapproval in a 2008 interview with Access Hollywood, saying, “I don’t believe what’s going on you know.”

Linda and Hulk’s divorce was contentious. Linda later claimed she “got nothing” in the settlement, despite what she described as her contribution to building his business empire during their 24-year marriage.

The 2025 Family Feud That Erupted Before Hulk’s Death

In March 2025, just four months before Hulk’s death, the Hogan family drama returned to public view in a way that made clear the damage had never fully healed.

On March 26, 2025, Linda Hogan posted an emotional video on Instagram in which she tearfully described her family as “the worst mess.” She called her ex-husband a “sex addict” and “complete liar,” and revealed she was estranged from Brooke.

“Brooke doesn’t talk to us. She had twins, she got married and she didn’t tell us,” Linda said in the video, referring to the secret 2022 wedding to Steven Oleksy and the January 2025 birth of the twins.

Brooke responded publicly on March 31, 2025, with a statement that shifted the conversation dramatically. She alleged she had endured “verbal and mental abuse” since childhood, adding that it “would frequently turn physical, not by the person you assume.” She was careful to state that her issues with each parent were separate.

Steven Oleksy, Brooke’s husband, joined the public exchange to defend his wife. Regarding the secret wedding, he said it “was never our intention” to marry without family knowing but that it “was the only viable option when another party involved said, ‘I don’t do weddings or funerals anymore,’ which is perplexing, considering that same person has attended multiple weddings since then, and even had a wedding of their own.”

Hulk Hogan responded to the feud with a lighter tone. He posted a joint Instagram video with his third wife, Sky Daily, eating popcorn and making dramatic faces. He captioned it, “Getting ready for the new HH TV show coming soon!”

Brooke’s Decision to Remove Herself From Hulk Hogan’s Will

One of the most revealing details about the state of the father-daughter relationship emerged after Hulk’s death. In an August 5, 2025 appearance on Bubba the Love Sponge’s podcast, Brooke explained that she had asked to be removed from her father’s will in 2023.

“I was sobbing,” Brooke recalled. She said she texted her father’s assistant to make the request. “I just said, take me off everything, I don’t want to be a part of it.”

She said she made the decision because she was “scared” of the fighting that would erupt after her father’s death, particularly between her mother Linda and her stepmother Sky Daily. She wanted to remove herself from any financial dispute.

Brooke also said that after becoming pregnant with her twins, she realized that “money didn’t matter” to her anymore. Her focus had shifted to her new family.

Hulk Hogan’s Marriages After Linda

The affair with Plante ended Hulk’s first marriage. His subsequent romantic history is a significant part of understanding the ongoing family dynamics.

Sky Daily became a lightning rod within the family dynamic. Brooke referenced disagreements with Sky in her August 2025 podcast appearance as one of the reasons she stepped away from her father in his final days. Brooke had been navigating a high-risk pregnancy carrying twins when she made the decision to distance herself.

The Legacy of Christiane Plante in the Hogan Story

Christiane Plante has largely stayed out of the public eye since her 2008 National Enquirer interview. The affair became a defining moment in her life not because of any career she built afterward, but because of the family it fractured.

For Brooke, Plante remains a figure connected to one specific decision that changed everything. “My friend Christiane” is how Brooke described her nearly two decades later, not by any professional title, not with any elaboration, just the friendship that existed before the affair ended it.

Plante’s own words at the time make clear she understood the cost. “I will never be able to fully forgive myself for this. I have lost an amazing friend.”

Whether Plante and Brooke ever spoke again publicly is unknown. There is no public record of reconciliation.

Frequently Asked Questions

Who is Christiane Plante?

Christiane Plante is a woman who worked at Brooke Hogan’s record label, SoBe Entertainment, and became a close friend of Brooke during the production of her 2006 debut album Undiscovered. She had an affair with Brooke’s father, wrestling legend Hulk Hogan, in 2007. She was 33 at the time; Hulk was 54.

Did Hulk Hogan actually cheat on Linda Hogan with Christiane Plante?

The affair became public in 2008. Plante confirmed it in an interview with the National Enquirer, though she claimed the relationship began when Hulk and Linda already privately knew their marriage was ending. Linda Hogan has publicly stated she filed for divorce specifically because of the affair. Hulk Hogan never publicly denied the relationship.

When did Hulk Hogan and Linda Hogan get divorced?

Linda Hogan filed for divorce in November 2007 after 24 years of marriage. The divorce was finalized in 2009. Linda has stated the affair with Christiane Plante was the reason she ended the marriage.

Why were Hulk Hogan and Brooke Hogan estranged when he died?

Brooke Hogan has described a series of “respectful disagreements that took an emotional toll” as the reason she stepped away from her father in his final days. She was also navigating a high-risk pregnancy carrying twins with husband Steven Oleksy at the time. She has said the 2007 affair with her friend Christiane Plante was the original turning point that permanently changed her relationship with her father.

When did Hulk Hogan die?

Hulk Hogan, whose real name was Terry Bollea, died on July 24, 2025, from a heart attack. He was 71 years old. He was married to his third wife, Sky Daily, at the time of his death.

Did Brooke Hogan attend Hulk Hogan’s funeral?

Brooke was estranged from her father at the time of his death. She removed herself from his will in 2023 to avoid financial disputes after his death. In a July 2025 Instagram post, Brooke wrote: “We never had a ‘big fight.’ My father and I never ‘fought.'”

What did Christiane Plante say about the affair?

Plante told the National Enquirer in 2008: “My relationship with Terry began at a time when Terry and Linda privately knew their marriage was ending. She had already left him, although no official papers had been filed.” She also expressed regret over the loss of her friendship with Brooke: “I will never be able to fully forgive myself for this. I have lost an amazing friend.”

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Last Updated on September 25, 2026 by 247 News Around The World