When Hugh Hefner’s Ex-girlfriend Holly Madison Said Living in Playboy Mansion Felt Like a ‘Cult'

Holly Madison revealed several details about her relationship with Hugh Hefner. She frequently visited the Playboy mansion during her college years and decided to move in, in 2001, when she was just 21 years old. Madison has been candid about her experiences living in the legendary mansion. Before the documentary Secrets of a Playboy premiered, she described the mansion as having a "cult-like" atmosphere.

She disclosed that living in the mansion meant abiding by some strict rules. "The reason I think the mansion was very cult-like, 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.' Another thing that reminds me of a cult is how it was so easy to get isolated from the outside world there." As reported by Unilad, she also claimed that her having a job made Hefner 'jealous' and so he urged her to quit.

"Instead, we were given $1,000 a week as an allowance. You had a 9 o’clock curfew and you were encouraged to not have friends over. You weren’t really allowed to leave unless it was, like, a family holiday," she further revealed. She also recounted the first time she got intimate with Hefner and other women after they came back to the mansion from a night out. Madison said, "There was definitely no romance or seduction or anything like that. It was dark in the room, but there was a giant movie screen of p*rn in front of the bed. He was in the middle of the bed and then the women were surrounding him."

As reported by Business Insider, she alleged, "It was all very mechanical and robotic, and you would kind of follow the other women's lead. The impact it had on me was so heavy. I never expected to be the first person to have s*x that night or to be pushed into it." She also recalled, "When I first arrived, it seemed like most of the women who were coming through and testing for Playmate felt like they had to sleep with him to get Playmate of the Year. Not every single one of them did; there were a few exceptions, but I think a lot of people felt like they had to."

In 2015, Hefner reacted to Madison’s explosive tell-all book, in which she exposed the emotional abuse she claimed to have suffered while living with him. He said, "Over the course of my life, I've had more than my fair share of romantic relationships with wonderful women. Many moved on to live happy, healthy, and productive lives, and I’m pleased to say, remain dear friends today." As reported by Entertainment Tonight, he added, "Sadly, there are a few who have chosen to rewrite history in an attempt to stay in the spotlight. I guess, as the old saying goes, You can’t win them all!"