Latest news with #DowntheRabbitHole
Fox News
05-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Fox News
Former Playboy model Holly Madison admits bedroom activities she didn't like to do with Hugh Hefner
Holly Madison revealed the bedroom activities she wasn't fond of during her time in the Playboy mansion. Madison, now 45, opened up about her sex life with longtime partner Hugh Hefner while appearing on the podcast "In Your Dreams." "Well, it's a very different story between when we were just, like, by ourselves than with everybody else in the room," Madison said when asked if Hefner was good in bed. "Everybody else in the room, no. That was disgusting. I hated it. I made it very known I hated it." "But if it was just me and him, it was a lot more normal than you would think," she explained. "I would not think it would be normal, to be honest," podcast host Owen Thiele noted. "Nobody does," Madison responded while laughing. I think everybody has this, like, real horror story of like, how gross an old man's body must be." Madison, a former Playboy model and one of Hugh Hefner's longtime girlfriends, left the Playboy Mansion in 2008. In her new interview, Madison admitted she was written into the magazine founder's will at one point before she left the lifestyle behind. Hefner died on Sept. 27, 2017. He was 91. "I was put in the will at one point," she told Thiele. "And this is kind of sad. But when I broke up with him, I was packing my stuff. And then one day … there was a folder set out on my side of the bed because he knows I'm going to look at it. Like everybody knows I'm the biggest snoop in the house." "So I look at it, and it's his will all printed out, all the details. This is who's getting what and ... he was leaving me $3 million," Madison claimed. "But it was kind of sad though, because I'd already broken it off with him, and he was trying to get me to stay. So it was kind of like a low-key bribe but also sad because he can't, like, sit me down and talk to me about it." The "Girls Next Door" star went her separate way and said she later earned the $3 million left behind on her own. Madison was 21 when she moved into the Playboy Mansion. She made her exit at age 29 after wrapping "The Girls Next Door," a reality TV series about Hefner's multiple girlfriends. In 2016, she wrote a memoir, "Down the Rabbit Hole," alleging years of verbal and emotional abuse. Looking back at her experience, Madison would advise any hopeful model making her way to Hollywood for a big break to look at the "cautionary tales" of others before diving in. "I remember being 18 and 19 and thinking I was such a badass and that I could just take on the world and that I could have sex like a man and have no emotional attachment," she reflected in an interview with Fox News Digital. "But it's really not like that. Doing things like that carries a lot of emotional weight. I think looking into people's stories who are honest about all the sides of the industry is a really good thing to do. And look at some of the cautionary tales before you just dive in." On Monday, Madison is kicking off season 3 of Investigation Discovery's true-crime series, "The Playboy Murders," which explores high-profile tragedies and crimes associated with the iconic magazine brand.
Fox News
04-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Fox News
Former Playboy model Holly Madison blasts Hollywood as dark place teeming with ‘leeches'
Holly Madison, a former Playboy model and one of Hugh Hefner's longtime girlfriends, left the Playboy Mansion in 2008. After telling her story over the years, she's certain about one thing – Hollywood can be an evil place. "There's definitely a dark underbelly," the 45-year-old told Fox News Digital. "There's kind of an energy in Hollywood that I felt ever since I moved here. There's this energy of when you're that young woman who steps off the bus from the Midwest or wherever you're from. "There are leeches looking to take advantage of and destroy you and use you everywhere," the mother of two added. "And I'm not just talking about rich, powerful people. I'm talking about pimps on the street. I'm talking about people trying to bait and switch and get girls involved in sex trafficking. … It's really everywhere here. I saw it firsthand when I moved here at 19." On Monday, Madison is kicking off season 3 of Investigation Discovery's (ID) true crime series, "The Playboy Murders," which explores high-profile tragedies and crimes associated with the iconic magazine brand. Looking back, Madison said she felt Hollywood's darkness "right away." WATCH: FORMER PLAYBOY MODEL DETAILS THE 'DARK UNDERBELLY' OF HOLLYWOOD "It's almost ironic because I felt like Playboy, when I moved into the mansion, felt kind of safe in a way, even though there were all these things going on that I hated and didn't like," said Madison. "It felt like almost the sanitized corporate version of sexuality. But it felt a lot safer to me to be living in this big, guarded house than to be out driving around in my car that's ready to break down, struggling to make ends meet and people approaching you on the street." "I thought I was going to end up like the Black Dahlia or something," Madison remarked, referring to one of LA's most notorious murder cases. "I thought Playboy was my safe haven." Madison was 21 when she moved into the Playboy Mansion. She made her exit at age 29 after wrapping "The Girls Next Door," a reality TV series about Hefner's multiple girlfriends. In 2016, she wrote a memoir, "Down the Rabbit Hole," alleging years of verbal and emotional abuse. Looking back at her experience, Madison would advise any hopeful model making her way to Hollywood for a big break to "keep your circle of friends" close. "Hopefully, they can give you some level-headed advice or let you know if something seems to be getting a little out of control," she advised. "And do your research. [Dive] in on the downsides of every different industry." "I remember being 18 and 19 and thinking I was such a badass and that I could just take on the world and that I could have sex like a man and have no emotional attachment," she reflected. "But it's really not like that. Doing things like that carries a lot of emotional weight. I think looking into people's stories who are honest about all the sides of the industry is a really good thing to do. And look at some of the cautionary tales before you just dive in." Madison never crossed paths with Kimberly Fattorini, a Playboy casting associate and part-time model. Fattorini's 2017 death is the subject of the season's first episode. "The story came to my attention because several of her friends were messaging me on Instagram after season 2 of 'The Playboy Murders' aired, and they're like, 'Can you please cover Kimmy's story?'" said Madison. "Everything about her story just looks so familiar to me. … It was really scary to me because I feel like I've been in many situations where you're just out with friends, and there are guys who don't have people's best interests in mind." According to the episode, Fattorini died from ingesting a lethal cocktail of alcohol, cocaine and the date rape drug gamma hydroxybutyrate, or "GHB." She was 30 years old. According to the episode, a wrongful death lawsuit filed by Fattorini's parents against former NFL linebacker Shawne Merriman, promoter Eli Wehbe and model Monica Maass is pending. It noted that Merriman, Wehbe and Maass declined to discuss Fattorini's death for the series. They've previously denied accusations that were connected to Fattorini's death. "[It was] determined there wasn't enough evidence for a criminal trial, but there are text messages that seem to indicate she knew somebody had drugged her drink," said Madison. "It seemed like there was a lot of negligence and people around her who should have helped her and didn't. "It's just a really scary feeling to look at a case like this and feel like this could have been me or one of my friends when we were out partying and just having fun, [being] normal young people," she said. "I hope her family can get some answers and closure on that." When asked if Playboy should have stepped in at the time and pushed for answers, Madison admitted it was complicated. "Playboy was such a huge company with so many people working for it," she explained. "That's why we've been able to find three seasons' worth of cases. There were Playboy Clubs all over the country with so many women working as Bunnies. I think it's impossible for one company to really … babysit the lives of everybody who's ever worked for them, especially if something happened while the person wasn't on the job. "I don't think it's so much Playboy's responsibility, but somebody needs to be held accountable for sure," she added. Madison noted that when you're part of a "high-stakes environment," there are plenty of risks to face. That's why it's crucial, she said, for aspiring models to keep a close circle of friends who aren't from Hollywood. "You're going into Playboy and there's so much potentially to be gained," she said. "There's fame, there's money, there's opportunities. And when you are the person who gets those opportunities, there can be a lot of jealousy, a lot of possessiveness. It's living life in the fast lane. "When you're doing that, more extreme things can happen," she said. "Even though a lot of people can have a positive experience in that setting, a lot of crazy things can happen too." Today, Madison calls Las Vegas home. She has credited the series with helping her connect with other women from her Playboy past who've faced their own struggles in Hollywood. "It was healing to share my story," she said. "I felt like when I [went] out, just based on the TV show that I was on, people thought I had this magical relationship, and they expected only positive things. I would only say positive things at first, just because I thought it was the nice thing to do. But it started to feel like I was living a lie. "So just getting that off my chest and being able to be truthful about my experience is so healing for me. … To see other people who went through similar things as me, to be able to feel empowered enough to come out and tell the truth. … It feels good." "The Playboy Murders" airs Mondays at 9 p.m.
Daily Mail
03-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Daily Mail
Hugh Hefner's ex Holly Madison details the 'disgusting' sex acts she 'hated' with the Playboy mogul
Holly Madison has opened up about life as one of Hugh Hefner's girlfriends, and what she did and didn't like about it when they were behind closed doors. The former The Girls Next Door star dished on her sex life with the Playboy founder and revealed she wasn't crazy about group bedroom activities. 'Well, it's a very different story between when we were just by ourselves than with everybody else in the room,' she said on the In Your Dreams Podcast with Owen Thiele. 'Everybody else in the room, no. That was disgusting. I hated it. I made it very known I hated it,' she declared. However their one-on-one time was different. 'if it was just me and him, it was a lot more normal than you would think.' Regarding the 50-year age different between the Hefner and his bevy of beautiful girlfriends, the reality star said, 'I think everybody has this real horror story of how gross an old man's body must be.' 'I feel like there was a time when I couldn't post anything without some dumbass in the comments like, "Oh, old balls," or something like that and look, maybe some people's balls do get old and nasty, but I've never seen such a thing.' That could be because the lights were out when the two were together and 'All cats are grey in the dark.' Madison was Hefner's 'number one girlfriend' on TGND from 2001 until she left in 2008. 'This is kind of sad, but when I broke up with him, I was like packing my stuff, and then one day there was like ... I don't know why I'm laughing ... There was a folder set out on my side of the bed because he knows I'm going to look at it. Everybody knew I was the biggest snoop in the house, so I looked at it,' she said. Madison said she was a snooper because she felt she had 'zero control.' 'You didn't know who was showing up, who was going to be in the bedroom the next day and I just wanted to be prepared,' she explained. She has also revealed in the past that Hefner controlled her finances and would not allow her to earn any money outside her role at the mansion. While gathering her things, the influencer said, 'This was very clearly for me to see, my side of the bed, so I look at it and it's his will all printed out, all the details,' she revealed. 'This is who's getting what and blah, blah, blah. He was leaving me $3 million.' Madison said the gesture was 'kind of sad.' 'I'd already broken it off with him and he was trying to get me to stay, so it was kind of like a lowkey bribe but also sad because he can't sit me down and talk to me about it. It was just like, "Oh, maybe if she sees this,"' the Down the Rabbit Hole author guessed. Hefner died in 2017 at age 91. Hefner died in 2017 at age 91; Pictured in Holmby Hills, CA in February 1999 Madison has been able to turn her time at the mansion into a viable career that helps her support herself and her two children with jobs hosting The Playboy Murders and Lethally Blonde. Her parents, obviously know about her time with Hefner, but her children, Forest, about nine, and Rainbow, about six, don't. She shares her kids with ex-husband Pasquale Rotella. 'They don't know anything about it. They're very sheltered. They go to a very sheltered school. Their dad hates all that stuff, so he doesn't talk about it, but also kids that age have no idea what that is,' she explained. When it comes to revealing the past, Madison said she isn't sure how she'll break the news to them. 'I mean, you never know with kids how you're going to explain anything until it comes up.'
New York Post
02-05-2025
- Entertainment
- New York Post
Holly Madison bashes ex Hugh Hefner as a ‘master manipulator': I ‘didn't know him'
Ex marks the spot. Former Playboy bunny Holly Madison is reflecting on her ex-boyfriend, late mogul Hugh Hefner. 'I just didn't know him well,' Madison exclusively told the Post. 'I had this mindset of being in love, and it was kind of tinged with a little bit of Stockholm syndrome.' 8 Holly Madison talking to the New York Post in April 2025. 8 Holly Madison, Hugh Hefner, Bridget Marquardt, and Kendra Wilkinson in 2005. ©E! Network/Courtesy Everett Collection 8 Kendra Wilkinson, Bridget Marquardt, Hugh Hefner and Holly Madison in 2006. Shutterstock Madison, 45, hosts 'The Playboy Murders,' (returning for Season 3 Monday at 9 p.m. on ID and streaming on Max), which looks into various deaths and murders of people associated with the Playboy world. Playboy founder Hefner, who died in 2017 at age 91, dated Madison from 2001 to 2008, when she was in her 20s, and he was in his 70s. 8 Holly Madison and Hugh Hefner at the wedding of Film director Charlie Matthau, son of Carol and Walter Matthau, and Ashley Lauren Anderson a former principal dancer for the American Ballet Theatre in 2004. FilmMagic Madison, who has also written books like 'Down the Rabbit Hole,' lived in the Playboy mansion during her time dating Hefner. 'I thought I was connecting with [Hefner], when really I was just somebody who had trouble connecting with people my whole life,' the former 'The Girls Next Door' star explained. 'And I'd met somebody who was like a master manipulator.' 'So I look back and I just see somebody who was young and impressionable and just kind of in a fog almost.' 8 Holly Madison arrives at One Drop Foundation's 'One Night for One Drop' at Hakkasan Nightclub at MGM Grand Las Vegas on March 22, 2025 in Las Vegas, Nevada. Getty Images for One Drop 8 Hugh Hefner and girlfriend playboy model Holly Madison in 2002. Getty Images In 2023, Madison revealed that she had been diagnosed with high functioning autism. When asked if the 'fog' she referred to was related to that condition, she said, 'I think the fog was more just having such a warped mindset.' 'Cognitive dissonance,' she clarified. 'Thinking I'm in love with somebody, and realizing I got in way over my head and made a bad decision – but always trying to justify that. Or trying to say, 'okay, well, I'm here [at the Playboy mansion], and it's affected this part of my life. It's affected my reputation. How do I make it okay?'' 8 Holly Madison's show on ID 'The Playboy Murders.' ID She added that she was 'lucky' to be able to 'turn lemons into lemonade, with things like the reality show, and other side hustles' she was 'trying to get going.' However, during the eight years when she dated Hefner and lived in the Playboy mansion, 'it was just a very, very confusing time to me.' Madison compares life in the Playboy mansion to 'being a goldfish in the goldfish bowl.' 8 Holly Madison and Hugh Hefner in 2007. WireImage 'You know, when you're in the goldfish bowl, everything looks all blurry and distorted,' she told the Post. 'And you don't see things clearly until you're outside of the gold fish bowl.' The reality star is now a mom of two, welcoming daughter Rainbow and son Forest in March 2013 and August 2016, respectively. She and ex-husband Pasquale Rotella married in October 2013, but finalized their divorce five years later. Hefner, for his part, was married to his third wife, Crystal Hefner, for nearly five years before his death in 2017. Crystal, 39, would go on to claim their marriage as 'very traumatic' and 'emotionally abusive.'
Time Out
23-04-2025
- Entertainment
- Time Out
There's an adorable new ridable life-sized carousel outside the PUBLIC hotel
Spring is in the air, and so is a splash of nostalgia. The PUBLIC hotel just dropped one of the city's most Instagrammable art installations yet: a fully rideable, life-sized carousel in the middle of Chrystie Park, the hotel's front courtyard. Dubbed 'Down the Rabbit Hole,' the surreal centerpiece is the brainchild of artist Pose (of 'Beyond The Streets' fame) in collaboration with hotelier Ian Schrager. Inspired by New York City's 1980s graffiti heyday and the imaginative pull of storybooks, this public art piece transforms the familiar childhood ride into a riot of color, symbolism and urban soul. Set to spin outside the hotel through the end of August, the carousel isn't just a pretty photo op: it's an immersive art experience that allows you to climb aboard, encouraging you to take in the layers of visual storytelling at play. Pose's signature style fuses comic book flourishes with pop art punch, resulting in a dreamy yet gritty aesthetic that feels both nostalgic and entirely new. 'New York was my amusement ride,' says Pose, who embedded personal memories into the piece. 'I don't want to give too much away cause it's meant to be explored and owned experientially by the viewers and riders.' From flowers cracking through concrete to emergency axes symbolizing escape, the ride is loaded with metaphor. But don't worry if you're just in it for the vibes—between the candy-colored panels and the whimsical yellow path that leads to it, the installation doubles as a mini escape amidst downtown chaos. You'll find it outside the PUBLIC Hotel at 215 Chrystie Street, beckoning locals, tourists and curious art lovers alike to take a spin—literally—through one artist's joyful, chaotic, very NYC mind.
