Reps for “Real American Beer,” a new beverage line from Hulk Hogan, have responded to racism accusations from a social media influencer who suggested the retired wrestler dropped her as a brand ambassador because she’s Black.
In a statement provided to Vibe on Monday, July 8, a spokesperson for the beer brand insisted “race was not a factor” in the decision to end the model’s contract after one day.
“We are deeply troubled by the false rumor circulating on social media that a brand ambassador hired by a third-party marketing agency was terminated by Hulk Hogan for racial reasons,” the company said in the statement.
“Real American Beer simply terminated its short-term relationship with the third-party marketing agency. Hulk Hogan was not involved in that decision, and race was not a factor,” the statement continued. “We are in communication with the agency in an attempt to clear the misunderstanding and incorrect information, and believe that this false statement will be withdrawn.”
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As previously reported, Essence Jenai made the accusation in a video she posted to TikTok on July 6.
Jenai captioned the video, “POV: Hulk Hogan paid you to be a brand ambassador and cancelled your contract the next day because he realized you were a BLACK brand ambassador.”
In a second post, Jenai shared a slideshow on her TikTok account including an image of Hogan standing next to her as they both smiled for the camera with cases of Real American Beer in the background. A second photo showed her with another Black model as the women posed with cans of the beer on July 2.
She also included photos of models she said were hired the day after her contract was terminated — the two models in the photo are both white.
At the time of publication, Jenai had not responded on social media to Real American Beer’s statement.
