Holly Madison Reveals The Moment She Knew She Had To Leave The Playboy Mansion

The Playboy Mansion is one of the most famous residences in the world, but lately, it's not for the best reasons. Hugh Hefner, the founder of Playboy Magazine, lived in the mansion from 1974 until he died in 2017. He sold the residence in 2016 for $100 million, but was allowed to continue living there for the rest of his life, according to the Los Angeles Times.

A few former Playboy Mansion residents have come forward about their experiences living at the famous home. Izabella St. James, who dated Hugh Hefner from 2002 to 2004, wrote a tell-all book called "Bunny Tales" in 2009. Among some of the revelations, Hefner allegedly popped Viagra twice a week, liked to sleep with up to four girls at once, and encouraged women to have breast augmentations — which of course, he bought them. St. James also claimed she was given a $1,000/week allowance, per The Guardian.

Holly Madison, who dated Hugh Hefner from 2001 to 2008 and starred on E!'s "The Girls Next Door," published her own exposé of the mansion in 2015 called "Down the Rabbit Hole." In the book, she alleged that there was a bedtime routine in which all Hefner's girlfriends went into his bedroom so he could have sex with them. Hefner also allegedly offered her Quaaludes, or a "thigh opener," as he called it. When she tried to leave, Hefner bribed her with his will, according to Glamour.

So, what are the latest bombshell revelations about the Playboy Mansion?

The 10-part docuseries "Secrets of Playboy" premiered on January 24 and claims to explore "the hidden truths behind the fable and philosophy of the Playboy empire through a modern-day lens," according to A&E, where the show is airing. Holly Madison disclosed even more secrets about her time at the mansion during the second episode. She described her first night with Hugh Hefner as "all very mechanic and robotic," according to People. 

Madison also said the environment at the mansion was "very cult-like." She said that while she was living there, she never blamed Hefner for the environment in the mansion. Then in 2008, when a lot of the other women started to leave the mansion, Madison thought she'd finally get the committed relationship with Hefner she'd always wanted.

"At that point, there were no women to pit me against, there was none of that left," the "Down the Rabbit Hole" author recalled. "And that's when I had the realization, and I was like 'Whoa he's been the problem the whole time.'" She continued, "I had been locked into the mentality of the mansion, and had felt like there's no other future for me outside. But I finally saw him for who he was and I had to go. I just felt it so strongly that I had to leave." After leaving the mansion, Madison married Pasquale Rotella and had two children with him. They divorced in 2019.