Hugh Hefner Disputes Holly Madison’s Claims In New Memoir

Hugh Hefner has accused Holly Madison of rewriting history to fill the pages of her tell-all memoir Down the Rabbit Hole: Curious Adventures and Cautionary Tales of a Former Playboy Bunny.

Hugh Hefner Reacts To Holly Madison Memoir

“Over the course of my life I’ve had more than my fair share of romantic relationships with wonderful women,” Hefner, 89, said in a statement to People magazine. “Many moved on to live happy, healthy and productive lives and I’m pleased to say remain dear friends today. Sadly, there are a few who have chosen to rewrite history in an attempt to stay in the spotlight.”

Madison, who was one of Hefner’s live-in girlfriends at the Playboy Mansion for seven years, has painted a troubling portrait of Hefner in her new book. She claims that he offered her Quaaluds, or “thigh-openers” as he called them, the first time she met him, and that his attempts at manipulation knew no bounds.

“I learned Hef was the manipulator and that he pitted us against one another,” Madison noted. “I realized I wasn’t treated well. I’m done being afraid of people. I don’t have any loyalty to Hef. I haven’t talked to him in four years, so there’s no reason to reach out now. Besides, it’s the truth.”

When Madison decided it was time for her to leave Hefner behind, she claims that he made a morbid last-ditch effort to convince her to stay with him, leaving a will on her bed.

“The will stated that $3,000,000 would be bestowed to Holly Madison at the time of his death (provided I still lived in the Mansion). At the time, it was more money than I’d ever know what to do with… But I didn’t want it,” Madison wrote. “I actually pitied him for stooping to that level. I couldn’t help but be offended. Did he really think he could buy me? I put the folder back on the bed just as I had found it and never breathed a word of it.”

After reading Hefner’s statement, Madison has stood firmly behind the veracity of the accounts held within her memoir. Not only does she say that what she’s written is true, but that nothing about the content of the book was designed to elicit a reaction from the octogenarian playboy.

“It wasn’t about having an ax to grind or wanting to get a reaction from him [Hefner], or, you know, inviting him back into my life in any way,” Madison told Entertainment Tonight. “I don’t really care about his response. I wanted to share my story to inspire other women who might be in a bad relationship to get out, or not be branded by bad decisions they’ve made, and take charge of their lives and move on…. I’m definitely not rewriting history. I’m finally telling the truth of my experience. For so many years I tried so hard to be a good girlfriend, and I cared about him and always had his back.”

Down the Rabbit Hole is currently available in hardcover.