The explosive docuseries Secrets Of Playboy premieres tonight on A&E, and it reportedly details years of abuse, blackmail, and trafficking by legendary Playboy honcho Hugh Hefner.
Hugh Hefner’s exes and former Playboy mansion residents are featured in the four-part mini-series, remarking all of the terrible things the Playboy founder did. Holly Madison, who starred in the reality series Girls Next Door, spoke out about her time living with Hefner, and how she believes she developed Stockholm Syndrome while living with him for nearly a decade. “I felt like I was in this cycle of gross things and I didn’t know what to do.”
Other disturbing allegations, including beastiality, are brought to light by former playmates Miki Garcia and Sondra Theodore. “It was a manipulation from the beginning. [He] groomed us all.” Theodore stated. “Really, he was a monster.”
Theodore, who met Hefner when she was 19, said he also used to film ‘everybody’ and use the tapes for blackmail. “He had tapes on everybody. The first time I looked up at the two screens he had for the TV in the bedroom and I realized it was me, I’m like, ‘Whoa, what are you doing?’ And when we started bringing other people into the bedroom, some girls had the same reaction.” Hefner was also famously close with Bill Cosby.
Hefner, who passed away in 2017, supposedly trapped models into “unfair contracts.” Jennifer Saginor, who was the daughter of Hefner’s personal doctor and close friend Mark Saginor, also claims there were “shadow mansions,” where women were drugged and assaulted while being promised potential modeling contracts.
Last week, Playboy released a statement, insisting that Hefner’s Playboy is different from modern-day Playboy.
“The Hefner family is no longer associated with Playboy, and today’s Playboy is not Hugh Hefner’s Playboy. We trust and validate these women and their stories and we strongly support those individuals who have come forward to share their experiences. As a brand with sex positivity at its core, we believe safety, security, and accountability are paramount. The most important thing we can do right now is actively listen and learn from their experiences. Today, our organization is run by a workforce that is more than 80% female and we will continue to confront any parts of our legacy that do not reflect our values today, and to build upon the progress we have made as we evolve as a company so we can drive positive change for our employees and our communities.”
Secrets Of Playboy premieres tonight at 9pm ET on A&E.