Playboy have responded to the 'abhorrent'' allegations made by former bunnies ahead of the newly released documentary Secrets of Playboy. Watch the trailer below:
In the lead-up to A&E's 10-part series, which dropped yesterday (24 Jan) ex-girfriends Holly Madison and Sondra Theodore took aim at Hugh Hefner's alleged actions.
Theodore, now 65, recalled orgies at the mansion five nights a week, which became ‘protocol’.
She also witnessed first-hand how his sexual demands would turn nasty, and admitted he 'scared me at the end... you couldn't satisfy him'.
"He wanted more and more and more," she added.
"The group sex was at least five nights a week.
"They had a protocol.
"He liked to direct and you didn't segue away from it because you could tell it irritated him."
Madison, who dated Hefner for eight years, detailed how the Playboy boss ‘didn’t want to use protection’ and that the Bunny lifestyle led her to even contemplate suicide at one point.
In an open letter, Playboy's group leadership team wrote: "We want to reach out to you in light of the forthcoming A&E docuseries that we understand will recount allegations of abhorrent actions by Playboy founder Hugh Hefner and others.
"First and foremost, we want to say: we trust and validate women and their stories, and we strongly support the 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, and anything less is inexcusable.
"As you know, the Hefner family is no longer associated with Playboy, and today’s Playboy is not Hugh Hefner’s Playboy. Today, our organization is run by a workforce that is more than 80% female, and together we are building upon the aspects of our legacy that have made a positive impact, including serving as a platform for free expression and a convener of safe conversations on sex, inclusion and freedom."
It continued: "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 you and our communities.
"Please join us in doing the most important thing we can do right now — listen.
"It is critically important that we listen as these women share their stories and that we continue to fight harassment and discrimination in all its forms, support healing and education, redefine tired and sexist definitions of beauty and advocate for inclusivity across gender, sexuality, race, age, ability and zip codes."
Topics: Playboy, TV and Film
Anish Vij