Taking accountability. In the wake of Holly Madison‘s claims that Hugh Hefner cultivated a “cult-like” atmosphere in the mansion, Playboy released a statement of “support” for the former bunny.“Today’s Playboy is not Hugh Hefner’s Playboy,” the magazine said in a statement released on Thursday, January 20. “We trust and validate these women and their stories and we strongly support those individuals who have come forward to share their experiences.” Adding that the brand stands believes that “safety, security, and accountability are paramount,” Playboy promised to “actively listen and learn” from all of the women who have shared their experiences.“We will never be afraid to confront the parts of our legacy as a company that do not reflect our values today,” the statement continued, referring to the changes that have been made to the organization since Hefner’s death in 2017 at the age of 91. “We are committed to our ongoing evolution as a company and to driving positive change for our communities.”In an exclusive sneak peek of the upcoming A&E docuseries Secrets of Playboy, Madison, 42, compared living in the Playboy Mansion to being in a “cult.” The Girls Next Door alum lived there from 2001 to 2008 while she was dating the Playboy founder. “We were all kind of gaslit and expected to think of Hef as, like, this really good guy,” she said. “You started to feel like, ‘Oh, he’s not what they say in the media — he’s just a nice man.'”The Vegas Diaries author also recalled the way Hefner kept his girlfriends “isolated” in the mansion away from their loved ones and prevented them from working. “You had a 9 o’clock curfew, you were encouraged to not have friends over.
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