Holly Madison says she was once afraid of leaving the Playboy mansion because she feared a “mountain of revenge porn” would come out if she did.
The former Playboy mansion resident, who was Hefner’s “main girlfriend” in the 2000s, opens up about her experience as part of Hefner’s entourage in the new documentary series Secrets of Playboy.
The 10-episode docuseries re-examines the culture Hefner created as the founder of Playboy. It includes archival footage and interviews from various participants, including Madison.
“When I lived at the mansion, I was afraid to leave,” she says in the documentary. “Something that was always lingering at the back of my mind, I think since the very beginning, was that if I left there was this mountain of revenge porn waiting to come out.”
She adds: “When you would go out with Hef – he’s taking all kinds of naked pictures of these women when we’re wasted out of our minds, and he would print out eight copies for him and all the women. He would pass them around.”
Ahead of the documentary’s release, the PLBY Group, the company behind the magazine and its related properties, issued an open letter seeking to separate the current Playboy magazine from Hefner, who died in 2017 aged 91.
“We trust and validate women and their stories, and we strongly support the individuals who have come forward to share their experiences,” the letter reads in part. “As a brand with sex positivity at its core, we believe safety, security and accountability are paramount, and anything less is inexcusable.”
It adds: “As you know, the Hefner family is no longer associated with Playboy, and today’s Playboy is not Hugh Hefner’s Playboy.”
Secrets of Playboy airs on Mondays at 9pm ET/PT. Two episodes aired on Monday (24 January), and an additional episode will air every week until the finale on 21 March. The docuseries is also available on demand and to stream on the A&E app and aetv.com.
