Holly Madison blasts ‘puppet masters’ for Playboy girlfriends’ feud
Holly Madison has no problem with reality TV drama – as long as everyone is in on the joke.
The "Girls Next Door" alum told Fox News Digital she would "100%" embrace manufactured conflict on a show like "Real Housewives of Las Vegas," but claimed manipulation by the "puppet masters" behind her former series contributed to lasting rifts among the cast.
For years, Madison had seemingly closed the door on reality television, previously saying she would never return after her experience on "The Girls Next Door." But with time and a different perspective on how manufactured drama could work, she admitted she has reconsidered that hard-line stance.
"You know what, I've changed my thought on that," the Grant a Gift Gala ambassador explained. "I would do manufactured drama if I was in on the joke. I always say that to Bridgette watching 'Girls Next Door,' I'm like, if we knew what the drama was and the three of us were gonna play it out on screen and not take it home with us, so to speak, when the cameras are done rolling, that would have been so much more fun to me than being manipulated from the puppet masters above."
Playmate Holly Madison, Hugh Hefner, Bridget Marquardt and Kendra Wilkinson promote "Girls Next Door" on June 12, 2007. (Pascal Le Segretain/Getty Images)
"Some of us from the cast are still not speaking today because of things like that, so. I would actually do manufactured drama, 100%. I would throw down on like a 'Real Housewives of Las Vegas.' I just don't want to be puppeted again."
The former reality star also pointed to another major difference between the television landscape then and now: the audience.
"Editing's crazy," she noted. "But I also appreciate that viewers are a little more sophisticated now. I mean, back in the 'Girls Next Door' days, they could edit something to be not what it was. And everybody watching was like, 'Nope, that's your character. That's who you are.'"
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Former Playboy Bunny Holly Madison rose to fame on the hit reality TV series "The Girls Next Door" about the Playboy Mansion. (Michael Bezjian/WireImage)
There is one non-negotiable for the former Playboy model.
"I would never put my kids on TV, ever, ever, ever," she told Fox News Digital.
Madison shares a daughter, Rainbow, and a son, Forest, with ex-husband Pasquale Rotella. She said her kids know bits and pieces about her Playboy past, but the once-iconic brand barely registers with their generation.
"So it's all kind of vague, and they don't see it as like a bad thing. Like anytime it's brought up or mentioned, it's kind of laughed about," Madison added. "So I'm glad that whoever's bringing it to their attention or bringing it up – because it's not me or their dad – whoever's bringing it up is bringing it up like it's a positive or a cool thing or a funny thing. It's not like bad or shameful or gross or anything."
Holly Madison, Hugh Hefner and Bridget Marquardt attend a Hollywood event on Dec. 13, 2007. (Jason LaVeris/FilmMagic)
Madison became a household name through her years at the Playboy Mansion and her relationship with Playboy founder Hugh Hefner. She later moved to Las Vegas, headlined the stage production "Peepshow" and starred in her own reality series, "Holly’s World." Madison also became a bestselling author: her 2015 memoir, "Down the Rabbit Hole," debuted at No. 1 on The New York Times bestseller list.
But Madison’s perspective on those years has continued to evolve. An autism diagnosis later in life gave her a new framework for understanding everything from the people she gravitated toward to why she thrived in certain environments and struggled in others.
She was formally diagnosed with autism in 2023, although she had speculated for years she might be on the spectrum.
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Holly Madison (right) moved into the Playboy Mansion in 2001 at age 21 and went on to become Hugh Hefner's longtime girlfriend. (Robert Mora/Getty Images)
"I understand some of the people I would gravitate to and some of decisions I made differently," she told Fox News Digital. "I always felt like not being able to connect with other people and not being able to connect with boys my age was some kind of like mystical fated thing. Like I'm just not meant to do this."
Madison said those struggles led her down different paths as she tried to navigate social situations she didn’t always understand.
"Sometimes I would look back and think, 'Oh, that person hated me and I could never figure it out.' And now I'm like – I kind of get it," she explained. "I think they were taking some of my mannerisms and some of ways of communication the wrong way. So, it's just really opened everything up for me."
Holly Madison was the host and executive producer of Investigation Discovery's "The Playboy Murders." (Denise Truscello/WireImage)
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Looking back, Madison said she better understands why her role at the Playboy studio suited her. Working with incoming Playmates gave her a clear framework: She could give them tours, explain how things worked and ask questions about their lives rather than having to navigate an unstructured social situation.
"So I can definitely see why I was thriving where I was thriving and why I was failing where I was failing," Madison said.
Madison’s own experience has also given her a personal connection to the autism community. She is now using her platform to support Grant a Gift Autism Foundation, a Southern Nevada nonprofit that provides resources and services to individuals with autism and their families.
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She's returning as an Event Ambassador for the 16th annual Grant a Gift Gala, supporting Grant a Gift Autism Foundation, Ackerman Center – on Oct. 22.
"It's so helpful, you know, to give them some steps and some therapies and some things the kids can do," Madison explained. "And it's also important to remember that autism is such a spectrum. You know, there are families who are really struggling with kids that need a lot of support."
"So, I love being a part of that and being able to help with that."
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