The Academy Awards includes an In Memoriam segment each year to recognize artists and filmmakers who have passed away in the past year. This year, fans noticed that the late WWE Hall of Famer Hulk Hogan, who died from a heart attack in July, was not included in the segment.
Hogan had a long career in both wrestling and acting, appearing in films such as Rocky III alongside Sylvester Stallone and the 1989 movie No Holds Barred. Additionally, he is absent from the In Memoriam list on the Academy Awards’ website.
According to Dave Meltzer on the latest edition of Wrestling Observer Radio, each year, several notable figures are often overlooked in the In Memoriam segment, whether during the live broadcast or even on the AMPAS website. Meltzer mentioned that he has read various articles discussing who was included and who wasn’t, and he noted that many articles did not consider Hogan significant enough to include in the discussion of those omitted.
Meltzer suggested that Hogan's earlier controversy regarding his racist comments may have contributed to his absence from the segment and the AMPAS list of artists who passed away in 2025.
Hogan faced a temporary suspension after a secretly recorded video surfaced, revealing his racist remarks. He later sued Gawker for publishing the tape in a highly publicized legal battle. Following the release of the video, he was temporarily removed from the WWE Hall of Fame but was reinstated in 2018.
