Kyle Terada-Imagn Images
A lawsuit filed against Bubba the Love Sponge over an unauthorized documentary about Hulk Hogan’s 2012 scandal has been settled. The film centers on the controversy and fallout that ensued after Hulk Hogan and Bubba’s then-wife Heather Clem were caught on video that was leaked online and went viral.
Woltz Films, who produced the documentary titled Video Killed The Radio Star, announced the settlement with Hulk Hogan’s son Nick Bollea, Terry McCoy, and Personal Representatives of the Estate of Terry G. Bollea (better known as Hulk Hogan). Nick and the other plaintiffs claimed that the release of the documentary violates a separate settlement agreement Bubba the Love Sponge (real name: Todd Clem) signed with Hulk Hogan following the 2012 scandal.
The lawsuit also claimed that the film uses “unauthorized images” from the video that started the scandal and that Bubba was “promoting the documentary using Hulk’s trademarks without permission.” The suit requested the release of the documentary be halted and was seeking unspecified damages.
With the settlement now complete, according to Woltz Films, the documentary can be released.
“Reaching this settlement allows all parties to put the legal process behind them and ensures the film can be viewed in its intended form,” said a spokesman for Woltz Films.
What is the Hulk Hogan documentary that led to a lawsuit about?
According to Woltz Films, “Video Killed The Radio Star is a feature-length documentary examining the events surrounding the famous invasion of privacy case, Bollea v Gawker, the media firestorm that followed, and the wider cultural and political fallout. Through archival footage and first-hand accounts, the film highlights both the exploitation and the human impact of the scandal and features never-before-seen interviews and behind-the-scenes accounts. The film offers a comprehensive look of how the plot to remove one of the most infamous shock jocks in the world led to not only the bankruptcy of a media giant but also the ensnarement of the most famous professional wrestler in the world and ultimately the 47th President of the United States.”
Apple TV, where the two-and-a-half hour film can now be watched along with on Amazon Prime and Google Play, gives the documentary a slightly different description.
“When a sex tape featuring Hulk Hogan and the wife of his best friend — radio shock jock Bubba the Love Sponge Clem — was leaked online, it ignited a media firestorm. You’ve read the headlines. Bubba recorded it. Gawker published it. This shocking documentary unpacks the lies, the betrayals, and the lawsuit that rewrote the rules of privacy. But the resulting fallout had much greater consequences than just Hogan crushing Gawker. You think you know the real story. You don’t know anything.”