Hulk Hogan has come under fire after blaming alcohol for an astonishing speech directed at Kamala Harris.
The WWE Hall of Famer, who has been incredibly vocal in his support of Donald Trump in ongoing US Presidential race, took at the Democrat candidate and current vice president this week as he sparked another racism storm.
The controversial retired wrestler, 71, was at the Thirsty Cowboy in Medina, Ohio to promote his new beer when he took the mic and tried to turn the clock back to his WWE heyday.
In a video obtained by TMZ, he asked a cheering crowd: ‘Want me to body-slam Kamala Harris? Want me to drop the leg on Kamala?’
He then commented on Harris’ heritage – the politician is bi-racial, as her father is Jamaican and her mother was from India.
He asked the crowd: ‘Is Kamala a chameleon? Is she Indian?’, before being seen raising his hand in a stereotypical greeting associated with Native Americans.
He was heard saying he was ‘going to get heat for that one’, quickly adding: ‘That was not me, that was the beer talking.’
Last month, Hogan – who was fired from the wrestling giant in 2015 after a recording of him using the N-word was leaked during a leaked sex tape lawsuit he filed against Gawker magazine – apologised after an influencer claimed they were sacked from a campaign for his beer brand for being Black.
Essence Jenai accused the star of dismissing her as a brand ambassador because of her race.
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Responding to the allegations, Hogan’s manager Richard Paraiso told Metro.co.uk: ‘Is my client racist? The answer is No. As a Black man, who can confirm better than me that Hulk Hogan is not racist?
‘More than that, he respects the African-American community, you can trust me. There must have been a misunderstanding with Essence Jenai, and Hulk is very sorry about that.’
Weeks later, Hogan spoke at the Republican National Convention in support of Donald Trump days after an assassination attempt, saying: ‘What happened last week… when they took a shot at my hero… they tried to kill the greatest president of the United States. Enough was enough.’
Hogan was reinstated by WWE in 2018 after apologising for his comments leaked in the 2015 trial, and last year he described the scandal as a ‘speed bump’.
At the time of the scandal nine years ago, Hogan apologised for using a slur in the audio, saying in a statement: ‘Eight years ago I used offensive language during a conversation. It was unacceptable for me to have used that offensive language; there is no excuse for it; and I apologise for having done it.’
He added: ‘This is not who I am. I believe very strongly that every person in the world is important and should not be treated differently based on race, gender, orientation, religious beliefs or otherwise.’
Metro.co.uk has contacted Hulk Hogan’s management for comment.
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