Latest news with #TheGirlsNextDoor
IOL News
20-05-2025
- Entertainment
- IOL News
Kendra Wilkinson unplugged: tales from the Playboy Mansion to finding her true self
In happier times, Playboy magazine's late founder, Hugh Hefner, with Kendra Wilkinson. Image: Instagram. Kendra Wilkinson, a former Playboy model, recently shared her experiences as one of Hugh Hefner's girlfriends on "The Skinny Confidential". During the interview, she discussed the realities of life at the Playboy Mansion, her transition to being single, and her journey of self-discovery. Now a realtor, television personality, model and author, Wilkinson first captured the spotlight on the hit reality show "The Girls Next Door", which showcased life inside the Playboy Mansion. Wilkinson, who has also successfully starred in her own series "Kendra" and "Kendra On Top", reflected on how her commitment to authenticity has been the cornerstone of her two-decade long career. "I've always been this party girl, and who says it like it is. I wear my heart on my sleeve as well, which sometimes comes at a cost." Having been single now for seven years since her divorce from Hank Baskett, Wilkinson candidly spoke about the difficulties of dating: "I've been divorced and single for seven years now. I've explored little things here and there, but I have not been in a relationship. "It's going to take a lot to be my boyfriend now. I am not settling for whatever. I'm so used to being single ... Now I look at men and freak out thinking about commitment ... I get really nervous about life getting boring." Wilkinson admitted that while she does struggle with shame and regret, at the time she chose to enter the Playboy Mansion, she was faced with difficult choices in her life. "I was 18 at the time. It was either I was going to be a stripper or take this one-way ticket to LA and move into the Playboy Mansion ... those were the only two options I had, and I knew myself, I knew I could survive, so I took the trip to LA and never looked back." Video Player is loading. Play Video Play Unmute Current Time 0:00 / Duration -:- Loaded : 0% Stream Type LIVE Seek to live, currently behind live LIVE Remaining Time - 0:00 This is a modal window. Beginning of dialog window. Escape will cancel and close the window. Text Color White Black Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Opaque Semi-Transparent Background Color Black White Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Opaque Semi-Transparent Transparent Window Color Black White Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Transparent Semi-Transparent Opaque Font Size 50% 75% 100% 125% 150% 175% 200% 300% 400% Text Edge Style None Raised Depressed Uniform Dropshadow Font Family Proportional Sans-Serif Monospace Sans-Serif Proportional Serif Monospace Serif Casual Script Small Caps Reset restore all settings to the default values Done Close Modal Dialog End of dialog window. Advertisement Next Stay Close ✕ Wilkinson expressed gratitude for her time at the Mansion, describing it as a "safe and healthy environment", highlighting that, contrary to public perception, life there was not as scandalous as it seemed. "It was so amazing, and it was healthy for me, it was happy for me, I was safe, and it's taboo to the world because they don't really know what went on there. In my perspective, it was only one party every few months, and the rest was that we all had sex with Hugh Hefner once a week, and that's the taboo, that we had sex with a 70/80-year-old." "I had room service 24/7. I could eat whatever I wanted, I could eat healthy, I had chefs making me salad every day. Anything I wanted, I got. The parties were fun, I've been to worse parties outside the mansion than I ever did at the mansion. I couldn't have been happier." Wilkinson's insights into her life were not limited to her time in the Mansion; she also spoke on how she began preparing for her future. "I started setting myself up. I started booking my own work, and I hustled my a** of to get my new show, to book appearances around the world. I had issues with the business part of it, but not Hugh. He was a generous, nice person." Looking ahead, Wilkinson, who has a ten-year-old daughter, says that she has made sure that her daughter will never have to make those hard choices like she did growing up. "She's 10 and I already told her that she's going to college." Watch the full episode below.
New York Post
18-05-2025
- Entertainment
- New York Post
Former Playboy twins expose dark reality behind mansion's glamorous facade: ‘We were teenagers'
For four years, former Playboy playmates – and twins – Karissa and Kristina Shannon were thought to have been living a life of luxury and glamour inside the Playboy mansion with boyfriend Hugh Hefner. But behind closed doors, the Florida natives were fighting to survive a web of trauma-filled experiences ignited by jealousy and betrayal. Coming from 'humble beginnings,' the twins, now 35, were first discovered when they were just 16 years old. Two years later, they moved into the mansion with Hefner and his already-established girlfriends and 'The Girls Next Door' stars Holly Madison, Bridget Marquardt, and Kendra Wilkinson. 'We were only 18, it was our 19th birthday when we actually hooked up with Hef,' Kristina told Fox News Digital in an exclusive interview. 'We were teenagers,' Karissa added. 'So, it was like we felt out of our comfort zone. We didn't have fake boobs, we didn't have fake teeth, we didn't have the fake hair,' Kristina continued. 'We were all-natural, and we were just trying to make it, and finding out we were going to be Playmates was the biggest deal to us. And then finding out we could be on the TV show was even bigger.' Upon entering the mansion, the girls instantly felt 'very bullied' by the other women. 'These girls are so mean, and we didn't know what to do,' Kristina said. 4 The Shannon twins, now 35, were first discovered when they were just 16 years old. WireImage The luxurious life they once fantasized about quickly became a nightmare when an STD outbreak got passed around. 'Hugh Hefner did not use condoms,' Kristina claimed. 'Once everybody caught chlamydia, we're like, 'No, we're only 18. We were 18, and we caught chlamydia.' 'We were yelling and screaming, crying. We were so mad,' Karissa added. 'And they're such a hippie mentality. . . . They're like, 'Oh, it's normal sexual activity.' They said, 'When you're sexually active, that's what happens.' We're like, no, we were 18, 19. And we're thinking in our heads, 'You guys are nuts.' Just because you're sexually active does not meet with that, you're catching STDs, then we're not okay with it.' 'From what Hef says, when we all caught chlamydia, is that when you're sexually active, that's what happens,' said Kristina. 'That's what he said. So you cannot go by what he says. You cannot trust him. So you have to watch out for yourself.' 4 'You cannot trust him,' Kristina said of Hugh Hefner. Getty Images Kristina claimed that Hefner would have sex with 'anything walking.' 'Hef, he would definitely a hundred percent have sex with anything walking, anything walking. If he found it somewhat good-looking, he would definitely hook up. . . . So, it was just like we had to deal with it. 'It was very embarrassing,' Karissa added. Due to the lack of protection, Karissa found herself pregnant at 20 years old. 'I didn't want Hef to know, because the first thing I thought of, he was going to want to keep it,' Karissa said. 'I didn't want [anyone] else to know, because I felt like I didn't want to be pregnant by him. I didn't want to have to deal with it.' Karissa ended up getting an abortion, a 'big and emotional' decision, she said. 'Juicy J from Three 6 Mafia was the only friend we had, and his dad was a pastor,' Karissa recalled. 'He took us to get her abortion,' Kristina added. 4 Due to the lack of protection, Karissa found herself pregnant at 20 years old. Getty Images After the procedure, the girls had to film promos for 'Girls Next Door.' 'My stomach was so swollen,' Karissa recalled. 'I was not in any way ready to talk about it. And I was so scared that Hef would find out that he wanted it. And I didn't know what was, I didn't know what to do … I was scared. I just didn't want anyone to know. And I was embarrassed and I felt disgusting.' 'I was so confused and dealing with so much stuff, it really trauma bonded me to my sister, and that's why we went through what we went through, and I'm just so happy that I've come out of it,' she added. By the time they were 22 years old, the girls had had enough and were ready to leave Hefner and the mansion. 'When we moved out, we had a couple of years where we went through this individuality phase,' Karissa recently told People magazine. 'I feel like every set of twins goes through it, particularly in your early 20s. We were both into different things and trying to be individuals, because Hef really did force the twin thing on us, more than anyone else had ever. But we've always been extremely close. I believe we're twin flames, closer than most twins.' 'Everyone was saying we were going through our 'Anna Nicole phase,'' Kristina told the outlet. 'We gained weight. There was alcohol and pills. We were really unhealthy and lost and, even at points, suicidal. We had no one. It was just us trying to figure it out after losing ourselves.' 4 By the time they were 22 years old, the girls had had enough and were ready to leave Hefner and the mansion. WireImage The twins told Fox News Digital that Hefner had really stripped them of their identities in a lot of ways. 'It was very scary for us. It really was, because we lost who we were,' Kristina said. Now, the women, who now live in Michigan, are focused on the future and taking care of their mental, spiritual and physical health. 'We meditate every day together, and we're into meal-prepping and not eating out, really self-care and just taking time for ourselves and learning how to be selfish, learning how to say no,' Karissa said. 'We went in our hearts, we went through our healing era, which took years. I didn't think we would ever come out of it. But Michigan changed us. We love being in Michigan and then going to L.A. or Vegas for work,' Kristina added. As far as their next professional move, the twins are looking for a creative outlet, whether it be a talk show or a podcast. 'Something honest and real,' said Kristina. 'We won't hold back.'
Fox News
18-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Fox News
Former Playboy twins expose dark reality behind mansion's glamorous facade
For four years, former Playboy playmates - and twins - Karissa and Kristina Shannon were thought to have been living a life of luxury and glamour inside the Playboy mansion with boyfriend Hugh Hefner. But behind closed doors, the Florida natives were fighting to survive a web of trauma-filled experiences ignited by jealousy and betrayal. Coming from "humble beginnings," the twins, now 35, were first discovered when they were just 16 years old. Two years later, they moved into the mansion with Hefner and his already-established girlfriends and "The Girls Next Door" stars Holly Madison, Bridget Marquardt, and Kendra Wilkinson. "We were only 18, it was our 19th birthday when we actually hooked up with Hef," Kristina told Fox News Digital in an exclusive interview. "We were teenagers," Karissa added. "So, it was like we felt out of our comfort zone. We didn't have fake boobs, we didn't have fake teeth, we didn't have the fake hair," Kristina continued. "We were all-natural, and we were just trying to make it, and finding out we were going to be Playmates was the biggest deal to us. And then finding out we could be on the TV show was even bigger." Upon entering the mansion, the girls instantly felt "very bullied" by the other women. "These girls are so mean, and we didn't know what to do," Kristina said. The luxurious life they once fantasized about quickly became a nightmare when an STD outbreak got passed around. "Hugh Hefner did not use condoms," Kristina claimed. "Once everybody caught chlamydia, we're like, 'No, we're only 18. We were 18, and we caught chlamydia." "We were yelling and screaming, crying. We were so mad," Karissa added. "And they're such a hippie mentality. . . . They're like, 'Oh, it's normal sexual activity.' They said, 'When you're sexually active, that's what happens.' We're like, no, we were 18, 19. And we're thinking in our heads, 'You guys are nuts.' Just because you're sexually active does not meet with that, you're catching STDs, then we're not okay with it." "From what Hef says, when we all caught chlamydia, is that when you're sexually active, that's what happens," said Kristina. "That's what he said. So you cannot go by what he says. You cannot trust him. So you have to watch out for yourself." Kristina claimed that Hefner would have sex with "anything walking." "Hef, he would definitely a hundred percent have sex with anything walking, anything walking. If he found it somewhat good-looking, he would definitely hook up. . . . So, it was just like we had to deal with it. "It was very embarrassing," Karissa added. "You cannot go by what [Hugh Hefner] says. You cannot trust him. So you have to watch out for yourself." Due to the lack of protection, Karissa found herself pregnant at 20 years old. "I didn't want Hef to know, because the first thing I thought of, he was going to want to keep it," Karissa said. "I didn't want [anyone] else to know, because I felt like I didn't want to be pregnant by him. I didn't want to have to deal with it." WATCH: FORMER PLAYBOY TWINS EXPOSE SECRET DETAILS DURING NIGHTMARE YEARS WITH HUGH HEFNER Karissa ended up getting an abortion, a "big and emotional" decision, she said. "Juicy J from Three 6 Mafia was the only friend we had, and his dad was a pastor," Karissa recalled. "He took us to get her abortion," Kristina added. After the procedure, the girls had to film promos for "Girls Next Door." "My stomach was so swollen," Karissa recalled. "I was not in any way ready to talk about it. And I was so scared that Hef would find out that he wanted it. And I didn't know what was, I didn't know what to do … I was scared. I just didn't want anyone to know. And I was embarrassed and I felt disgusting." "I was so confused and dealing with so much stuff, it really trauma bonded me to my sister, and that's why we went through what we went through, and I'm just so happy that I've come out of it," she added. By the time they were 22 years old, the girls had had enough and were ready to leave Hefner and the mansion. "[Living in the Playboy mansion] was very scary for us. It really was, because we lost who we were." "When we moved out, we had a couple of years where we went through this individuality phase," Karissa recently told People magazine. "I feel like every set of twins goes through it, particularly in your early 20s. We were both into different things and trying to be individuals, because Hef really did force the twin thing on us, more than anyone else had ever. But we've always been extremely close. I believe we're twin flames, closer than most twins." "Everyone was saying we were going through our 'Anna Nicole phase,'" Kristina told the outlet. "We gained weight. There was alcohol and pills. We were really unhealthy and lost and, even at points, suicidal. We had no one. It was just us trying to figure it out after losing ourselves." The twins told Fox News Digital that Hefner had really stripped them of their identities in a lot of ways. "It was very scary for us. It really was, because we lost who we were," Kristina said. Now, the women, who now live in Michigan, are focused on the future and taking care of their mental, spiritual and physical health. "We meditate every day together, and we're into meal-prepping and not eating out, really self-care and just taking time for ourselves and learning how to be selfish, learning how to say no," Karissa said. "We went in our hearts, we went through our healing era, which took years. I didn't think we would ever come out of it. But Michigan changed us. We love being in Michigan and then going to L.A. or Vegas for work," Kristina added. As far as their next professional move, the twins are looking for a creative outlet, whether it be a talk show or a podcast. "Something honest and real," said Kristina. "We won't hold back."
Perth Now
08-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Perth Now
Holly Madison wants to repair relationship with Kendra Wilkinson
Holly Madison would love to repair her relationship with Kendra Wilkinson. The 45-year-old beauty is eager to rebuild her relationship with Kendra, her former 'Girls Next Door' co-star, and Holly hopes that Kendra feels similarly. Speaking to Us Weekly, Holly admitted: "It would be nice to be on good terms for sure, but I really don't know where she's at. "I look back at our relationship and what went wrong and I see a lot of fault with executive producers who [were] working on her show and my show after we left." Holly isn't sure if Kendra even knows "what [their] original falling out was all about". The reality TV star suggested that Kendra, 39, doesn't know all the details that led to their falling out. Holly said: "I just don't know how aware she was of it because at the time, the person who was starting a lot of the drama was a person who was giving her a job. So she doesn't want to see that." Earlier this month, Holly described 'The Girls Next Door' as a "little cult bubble". The TV personality starred on the reality series between 2005 and 2009, and Holly believes 'The Girls Next Door' was a snapshot in time. She told E! News: "I always say it's the one show you can't reboot, because it was like catching this little cult bubble in real time. And you can watch it two different ways. You can watch it for all the eye candy like the first time it came out and say, 'Oh my God, look how fun.' Or you can watch it knowing about all the stuff going on behind the scenes, and that adds a whole other layer." The reality TV show focused on the lives of Holly, Kendra, and Bridget Marquardt, who were the three main girlfriends of the late Playboy founder Hugh Hefner. And Holly has relished the experience of reuniting with Bridget for 'Girls Next Level', their re-watch podcast. She said: "We're going into season four now and there's just so much to talk about. It kind of takes on a whole life of its own for sure."
Perth Now
06-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Perth Now
Holly Madison: The Girls Next Door was a little cult bubble
Holly Madison thinks 'The Girls Next Door' was a "little cult bubble". The 45-year-old TV personality starred on the reality series between 2005 and 2009, and Holly believes 'The Girls Next Door' was a snapshot in time. She told E! News: "I always say it's the one show you can't reboot, because it was like catching this little cult bubble in real time. And you can watch it two different ways. You can watch it for all the eye candy like the first time it came out and say, 'Oh my God, look how fun.' Or you can watch it knowing about all the stuff going on behind the scenes, and that adds a whole other layer." The TV show focused on the lives of Holly, Bridget Marquardt and Kendra Wilkinson, who were the three main girlfriends of the late Playboy founder Hugh Hefner. And Holly has relished the experience of reuniting with Bridget for 'Girls Next Level', their rewatch podcast. She said: "We're going into season four now and there's just so much to talk about. It kind of takes on a whole life of its own for sure." Meanwhile, Holly recently described season one of the show as a "character assassination". The reality TV star believes she was initially portrayed in an unfairly negative way. Speaking to Us Weekly, Holly explained: "The first couple of episodes, we felt like we were characterised in a way that really wasn't flattering. "I was watching it, like, this is character assassination. I don't like it. "But as the seasons go on, we're allowed to show more of our personality, and I think viewers got to know who we really are more - so that feels good." Holly also admitted that herself and her 'Girls Next Level' co-host have contrasting memories of the show. She said: "I think [Bridget] had just tied everything up in such a positive bow and had kind of forgotten any of the negatives. "So when we go back and rewatch and comment on it, she's like, 'Oh my god, I forgot about this.' I remember after watching the first episode, she's like, 'I don't think I can do this podcast.' I'm like, 'No, it gets better. I promise.' I had already rewatched a lot of it from YouTube and that's what gave me the idea to do the podcast. And I'm like, 'Trust me, it gets better. The hardest part is season one and then it gets better."
