Press "Enter" to skip to content

Haven’t They Learned Their Lesson? Gawker Is Being Shut Down A Second Time After Posting Another Hulk Hogan Sex Tape

Digital media history is repeating itself as the popular celebrity gossip site Gawker is being shut down once again for committing the exact same blunder that got them shut down before: Posting a sex tape starring Hulk Hogan. 

Oof. This is terrible news for Gawker’s writers and staff, but they definitely should’ve known better.

The graphic video, which features 46 minutes of grainy footage of a man clearly recognizable as Hulk Hogan having sex with an unidentified female while complaining that he ate too many tacos beforehand, was posted to the site’s home page at 7:30 EST this morning under the headline “WE GOT A SEQUEL, BROTHER! HULK HOGAN IS BACK AT IT WITH ANOTHER SEX TAPE” with a blurb stating, “Whatcha gonna do when Hulkamania runs wild on you? Apparently set up a tripod and film every last lurid, grunt-filled moment.” Within hours of the sex tape going live, parent company BDG Media announced plans to suspend publication of Gawker effective immediately, clearly seeking to distance itself both editorially and legally from the blog that in just 2016 was slapped with a $140 million judgment for posting a different Hulk Hogan sex tape.

The costly judgment, which pushed Gawker into bankruptcy, has since served as the ultimate cautionary tale for digital media companies looking to push the boundaries of free speech. The site was later purchased and relaunched by BDG Media, which presumably did so with zero intention of ever incurring another exorbitant, no-holds-barred legal battle against an elderly professional wrestler bankrolled by billionaire Peter Thiel. 

C’mon, Gawker. Sure, everyone wants to see the Hulkster in action, but you really should’ve learned your lesson after what happened last time.

Your heart goes out to the writers who are going to be lining up at the unemployment office come next Monday, but you also can’t help wondering what the hell they were thinking. Did they really think posting another Hulk Hogan sex tape would result in a positive outcome? They’ve got no one to blame but themselves here.