- More than 100 million George Foreman Grills have been sold since 1994
- WWE legend Hulk Hogan claimed he was offered the deal before the boxing icon
- That has been debunked amid a family row involving his ex-wife and daughter
WWE legend Hulk Hogan‘s claim that he was once offered George Foreman’s iconic grill sponsorship has been debunked by the product’s inventor.
George Foreman Grills have been a staple of more than 100 million kitchens and gardens since they burst onto the scene in 1994.
The cookers helped to cement the boxing’s legend status as a household name and made him more money than his gloves ever did.
Foreman, a two-time world heavyweight champion, died aged 76 last week, and now Hogan’s long-standing claim about his business interests has been shot down.
It comes amid a toxic family feud, with Hogan’s ex-wife, Linda, accusing him of being a ‘complete liar’ and ‘sex addict’, while their daughter Brooke has cut them off.
In 2014, Hogan claimed that bck in the 1990s he missed a phone call from his agent offering him the grill sponsorship, so his agent offered it to Foreman instead.
Hulk Hogan’s claim that he was offered George Foreman’s grill deal has been shot down
Foreman, who died aged 76 last week, cemented his legacy outside of the ring with the George Foreman Grill sponsorship
More than 100 million units have sold, but Hogan said in 2014 that he was offered it first
But Pablo Torre says he has spoken with the grill’s original inventor, Michael Boehm, and heard that the deal was only ever offered to Foreman.
‘We went to the grill’s inventor Michael Boehm and his family issued a statement to us,’ he said on Pablo Torre Finds Out.
‘They dispute the Hulkster’s cataloging of events. “George Foreman was the only celebrity our dad approached about endorsing the grill. We don’t know who started the story about Hulk Hogan being approached but it isn’t accurate.”
‘The agent Hulk Hogan cited was a guy named Sam. He repped Hulk Hogan and George Foreman. Unfortunately, Sam passed away last fall, but they shared a lawyer.
The lawyer is a guy named Henry Holmes and he told us, “The Hulk Hogan story is not my recollection. In fact, it was two other celebrities sharing representation that their agent was asking about.”
In 2014, Hogan claimed that he was initially offered the grill – but endd up with his blender deal.
‘I missed the phone call,’ Hogan told Dan Le Batard on Highly Questionable in 2014. ‘George Foreman and I had the same agent.
Brooke Oleksky, daughter of Hulk Hogan, has posted a family picture purportedly from 2023 to hit back at her mother Linda’s claims in a family feud
It comes after Linda Hogan hit out at daughter Brooke’s claims she was abused
Brooke (center) claims she was subjected to verbal and mental abuse during her childhood
‘My kids were complaining that I was always towards the end of the line picking them up from school. They get out of school at three and the soccer moms are lining up their minivans and talking shop so I would come quarter to three and I was at the back of the bus.
‘I went to McDonald’s early, got diet cokes, burgers, fries, and it was a big surprise. I got to the school a quarter after two and I was the first one in line. My kids came out, they were all excited, I have the drinks and hamburgers.
‘We get home, I check my answering machine. My agent (had) called me, “Hogan, I got two things, a grill and a blender. Two choices for you and George.”
‘When I called him back, my agent says, “I called you first and I figured you would take the grill, but you weren’t home so I called George and he took the grill.”
‘450 million dollars later, we got the George Foreman Grill in every size and color you can imagine and I got the blender tha you put eight ounces of water in, scoop the protein, put in a double A battery and it spins three times, farts, and cuts off.’
The debunking comes amid a week of back-and-forth shots between his ex-wife Linda and estranged daughter Brooke.
Linda posted a troubling video earlier this week in which she sobbed uncontrollably and accused Hogan of being a ‘complete liar’ and a ‘sex addict’.
She also accused the wrestling icon, whose real name is Terry Bollea, of leaving their family ‘in the worst mess’ after Brooke cut both her parents out of her life.
The drama escalated on Thursday, when Brooke fired back at her mom and insisted her father was not the only reason behind the divide.
Linda responded by denying she ever abused her daughter and even claimed she was attacked herself. She accused Brooke of being ‘a narcissist just like her dad’ and claimed ‘I haven’t talked to her for seven years – almost eight years now’.
But now her daughter – who married former NHL star Steven Oleksy in 2022 – has responded by posting a family picture, purportedly from June 2023, which she says disproves her mother’s claims.
‘First of all. it appears my mother may not have actually read what I wrote,’ she wrote on social media. ‘She absolutely did make false claims like she had “never met my husband and she doesn’t even know what his name is,” then deleted it.
‘She says she hasn’t spoken to me for a number of years, yet I have a picture with her and my husband together on a day we did lunch together.
‘I did not ask for this, nor did I even want to make a statement, but I also couldn’t let people continue to speak for me. My name is continuously brought up in the constant drama of my family.
‘My post did not directly accuse anyone of the behaviors mentioned. So if she’s triggered by something, I think that speaks volumes.
‘She is however making a serious accusation against me directly that has zero validity. And THAT I take seriously.
Hulk Hogan (right) and Linda Hogan (left) were married for 26 years before splitting in 2009
Brooke claims arguments with her parents would frequently turn physical during her childhood
I have plenty of people who know the truth, and I know the truth, so I am not afraid. I showed compassion for her in my post. At this point, I think her response says more about her than it does about me.’
Following accusations that the family picture was ‘photoshopped’, Brooke provided a time stamp of the ‘live photo’ on her iPhone.
Hogan and Linda were married for 26 years between 1983 and 2009. They have two children together – Brooke, 36, and Nick, 34.
Hogan remarried in 2010, tying the knot with Jennifer McDaniel, but they split 11 years later. He married his third wife – Sky Daily – in 2023, in a ceremony that Brooke did not attend.