Hugh Hefner Responds To Former Playmate Holly Madison’s Claims About Life At The Playboy Mansion

Hugh Hefner has responded to damning criticism against him made by former Playmate Holly Madison, claiming she’s “rewriting history in an attempt to stay relevant,” The Daily Mail is reporting.

As previously reported by the Inquisitr, Holly Madison – who lived at the Playboy Mansion as one of several of Hugh Hefner’s girlfriends for a time in the early 2000’s – recently published a tell-all book in which she paints a dismal portrait of life inside the mansion. The most shocking revelation was that life inside the mansion was so confining, that at one point she considered suicide.

In a statement via Us Weekly, Hugh Hefner responded to Holly Madison’s allegations. Although he declined to respond to specific claims leveled in Madison’s book (Down the Rabbit Hole: Curious Adventures and Cautionary Tales of a Former Playboy Bunny), Hefner issued a general statement suggesting that Madison is just trying to extend her 15 minutes, at his expense.

“Over the course of my life I’ve had more than my fair share of romantic relationships with wonderful women. 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. I guess, as the old saying goes: You can’t win ’em all!”

In a statement to E! Online, however, Madison stands by her claims.

“The stories in the book speak for themselves.”

Madison describes Hefner as “pathetic and predatory,” and says that he often pitted the Playboy Bunnies against each other, simply because he enjoyed the drama. She also describes her relationship with Hefner as lacking any and all intimacy, and describes their relationship in the budoir as equally disappointing.

So why did Holly Madison stick with a life she hated? Because she was young, broke, and had few other options.

“[Accepting Hefner’s offer to move into the mansion] might seem counterintuitive — ‘I’m not into it, but I’ll come back for more’- but I felt stuck in my life, trying to make ends meet. I lost the lease on my apartment. I felt like I’d already thrown myself to the wolves, so I might as well reap the rewards and not just be one more slut who walked through those doors.”

As of this post, none of the other women who lived in the Playboy Mansion at the same time Holly Madison lived there have publicly spoken about Madison’s claims about Hugh Hefner himself, or what life inside the mansion was like.

[Images courtesy of: Getty Images/Ethan Miller]