Brooke only thinks she knows best

Hulk Hogan's daughter finds it hard to set a good example

The thing about intelligence is that people who possess it usually don't go around telling others how smart they are. They don't need to. They understand that their actions usually do far more to prove their intellect than any declaration ever could.

The thing about Brooke Hogan is that she spends a lot of time telling people how smart she is.

The fair-haired reality star has been in the spotlight ever since the 2005 premiere of Hogan Knows Best, a show about the day-to-day lives of wrestling legend Hulk Hogan and his immediate family. The lighthearted series quickly became a hit on American network VH1 and on MuchMoreMusic in Canada, making Hulk Hogan relevant once again and giving his family a taste of fame.
Wrestler and actor Hulk Hogan (right), with wife Linda beside him and their children Brooke and Nick.View Larger Image View Larger Image
Wrestler and actor Hulk Hogan (right), with wife Linda beside him and their children Brooke and Nick.

But then the Hogans experienced a few setbacks, to use the term lightly. After nearly 24 years of marriage, Hulk and Linda Hogan began harsh divorce proceedings and Linda started dating a 19-year-old.

To make matters worse, Nick Hogan, 17, was arrested and sentenced to eight months in prison for a car crash in which his passenger suffered permanent brain damage. It's not exactly the kind of subject matter that makes for a light, fluffy reality show, so the series was retooled to focus mainly on Brooke, the Hogan family member with the least PR problems.

Now titled Brooke Knows Best, the series chronicles her experiences after moving out of her parents' house and into an apartment with friends Glenn Packard and Ashley Menendez.

"I thought of the show as an opportunity to, first of all, be a better role model for all these people that look up to these stars and stuff and idolize stars," Hogan, 20, says. "I told Ashley and Glenn, I was like, 'Guys, we have to be different than all these other people and really make a difference, whether it's with what we say or what we promote.' Whatever it is, we have to make it positive because there's so much stuff that's negative right now."

Of course, now that she's the centre of attention, Hogan is beginning to realize just how difficult it can be to set a good example. On an episode of Brooke Knows Best that recently aired south of the border, she was captured saying that she's "not that into voting" and that Hillary Clinton's presidential bid was "kinda crazy."

"Women deal with a lot of emotions and menopause and PMS and stuff," Hogan said during the episode. "Like, I'm so moody all the time, I know I couldn't be able to run a country, 'cause I'd be crying one day and yelling at people the next day, ya know?"

Unsurprisingly, her comments sparked outrage. Asked about the incident, Hogan insists that the media made an issue out of something that wasn't a big deal.

"It was just a comment taken out of context on TV and everybody ran with it.

"And honestly, people know that I'm a smart girl. People know that I care about things like this."

But expressing one's ambivalence towards voting doesn't exactly create an image of an educated, concerned citizen.

"The thing is, is that, like, almost half of Americans that are registered to vote don't even vote and the other half of them make uneducated voting decisions," she replies. "It's like, I would just rather know what I'm talking about, know what I'm doing and then really make a wise decision for our country. Instead of like, 'Oh! I'm voting for Obama because he's cool.' I want to be more in the loop, you know?"

Fair enough. Many would agree that it's often better to make no decision at all than make the wrong one. But setting aside any specific issues or facts, surely Hogan has a rough idea of which qualities she wants in a future president.

"Somebody that would bring home our troops, first of all," she says. "And start making right decisions for our country instead of making selfish decisions."

"Like I said, I'm not up-to-date on this stuff."

For a minute, it feels almost cruel to be hounding Hogan about this. She's had a pretty difficult year.

But unfortunately, Hogan's publicists have made it clear that she will not answer any questions about her parents' divorce or her brother's jail sentence, so to avoid talking about her "music career" for 20 minutes, any crises of conscience must be ignored. After all, Hogan did say that she sees Brooke Knows Best as her way to be a role model -- surely a good role model would see the value in learning about the issues, especially in an election year.

"Yeah, yeah, of course," she acknowledges. "I do want to vote. But, you know, I don't want to make a stupid decision. I want to know what I'm talking about and right now, my life is so crazy that I don't even turn on my TV."

Brooke Knows Best airs Sundays at 5 p.m. PT on MuchMoreMusic.

canada.com