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The following press release was issued:
Judge Denies Attempt to Block Documentary on Hulk Hogan’s Sex Tape Scandal
Court Clears Release of Video Killed The Radio Star Documentary After Lawsuit Fails
TAMPA, FL (October 3, 2025) – A federal judge has cleared the way for the release of Video Killed The Radio Star, a feature-length documentary that reveals how Tampa’s cutthroat radio rivalries spiraled into one of the most infamous celebrity scandals in history. The ruling affirms the film’s use of minimal clips from the Hulk Hogan sex tape is protected under the fair use doctrine, clearing the way for distribution.
The lawsuit, brought by Hogan’s son, Nicholas (“Nick”) Bollea, and Terry McCoy on behalf of the Estate of the late Terry Bollea (known professionally as Hulk Hogan), sought to prevent the film’s release. The court found the plaintiffs lacked authority to file the lawsuit at the time of their initial complaint. The court further ruled the documentary’s inclusion of 38 seconds of footage from the video in a two-and-a-half-hour feature is “overwhelmingly likely” to qualify as fair use, and noted plaintiffs’ attorneys omitted relevant adverse case history, including Bollea’s earlier failed attempts to secure similar injunctive relief in the same federal court.
“Concerns raised by the Hogan estate about the documentary were misplaced,” said producer Ian Longen. “Instead of highlighting the sex tape scandal, the main point of the documentary is to expose how Hogan was used as a pawn in a Tampa-based radio war involving shock jock Bubba The Love Sponge® Clem, and the unintended consequences that followed from the unauthorized publication of the Hogan video.”
Video Killed The Radio Star, a gripping 150-minute look at power, betrayal, and fame, situates the Hogan scandal within the backdrop of Tampa’s shock-jock “radio wars” of the 2000s, when personalities like Bubba the Love Sponge® reshaped the boundaries of talk radio and celebrity culture. Through never-before-seen interviews, behind-the-scenes accounts, and archival footage, Video Killed The Radio Star examines media ethics and the cultural fallout of a scandal that began as a local feud but spiraled into a flashpoint that ensnared the world’s most famous professional wrestler and, ultimately, the 47th President of the United States.
The documentary premiered on September 12 on Apple TV, Amazon Prime Video and Google Pay, and is available for purchase or rental.
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