The secrets of the Playboy mansion are being brought to life in an explosive new documentary. Holly Madison, one of the original bunnies, is lifting the lid on the sordid details that went on inside the house, claiming that she was afraid to leave because of the “mountains of revenge porn” which Hugh Hefner kept of all the women.
“He’s taking all kinds of naked pictures of these women when we were wasted out of our minds,” the 42-year-old said. “It was just gross.”
Speaking to Toofab in December, Holly explained that Hefner would make “copies of the photos he took” and “hand them out to everyone who had gone out that night.”
Crystal Hefner (the wife of the late magazine magnate) confirmed Holly’s claims, tweeting:
“I found thousands of those disposable camera photos you are talking about @hollymadison. I immediately ripped them up and destroyed every single one of them for you and the countless other women in them. They’re gone.”
Holly then retweeted Crystal, writing “thank you.”
Later in the documentary, Holly detailed her personal life and the circumstances which lead her to the mansion. She said that she had trouble connecting with people as a young woman, and considered herself to be “kind of asexual” before meeting Hefner. She moved to Los Angeles to finish college, and moved into the mansion at the age of 21. After taking part in Hefner’s “group sex” bedtime routine, she asked him to move in, claiming she was drawn to the sense of “community” the mansion fostered.
It wasn’t long though, before the illusion shattered, with Holly now comparing Hefner’s organisation to a cult.
“The reason I think the mansion was very cultlike, looking back on it, is because we were all kind of gaslit and expected to think of Hef as, like, this really good guy. You started to feel like, ‘Oh, he’s not what they say in the media — he’s just a nice man,’” she explained.
The 10-part docuseries, titled Secrets Of Playboy will be airing on BINGE sometime later this year, but the date has not yet been confirmed. You can stream the first episode on Foxtel Now on the 24th April.
A few days ago, Playboy released an open letter on Medium which addressed the allegations brought forth in the documentary. The company condemned the actions of Hefner, calling them “abhorrent actions” and reaffirming the company’s stance on
“We trust and validate women and their stories, and we strongly support the individuals who have come forward to share their experiences. We will continue to confront any parts of our legacy that do not reflect our values today, and to build upon the progress we have made as we evolve as a company so we can drive positive change for you and our communities.”
