Holly Madison shares details about her 'cult' experience at the Playboy Mansion

It turns out not everything that glitters is gold.

Holly Madison, the former Playboy Playmate appears in the upcoming A&E docuseries Secrets of Playboy, sharing her story of what it was really like to live in the famous residence beside the late Playboy founder Hugh Hefner.

"The reason I think the mansion was very cult-like in retrospect is because we all had a little gas and expected to think of Hef as a really good guy," Holly explains in a sneak peek. "And you started to feel like, 'Oh, he's not what they say in the media, he's just a good man.'"

Holly often felt lonely, despite the house being full of people. "Another thing that reminds me of a cult is how easy it is to isolate yourself from the outside world there," she says. "You had a nine o'clock curfew. You were encouraged not to invite friends over. You weren't really allowed to leave unless it was like a family vacation."

Furthermore, their sex life was supposedly so disciplined, with Holly stating she would have sex with Hugh "at the same time on the same night."

"We would go out to the same club every Wednesday and Friday," recalls Holly, who was in a relationship with Hugh from 2001 to 2008, "and that was to be expected when we got home."

As The Down the Rabbit Hole author adds that Holly originally kept her job as a waitress to have "something easy to come back to" if her Playboy career didn't work out. Holly claims that even though he only worked one day a week, "Hugh said it made him jealous and he'd appreciate it if I quit my job. So instead they gave us a thousand dollars a week as an allowance." 

In a previous statement, the magazine said, "After nearly 70 years in business, there are many elements of Playboy's long history that we are immensely proud of, and there are elements that we find unworthy of our principles. Today, we strive to live up to the positive aspects of our legacy and are proud of the work we have done over the years to uphold freedom and equality while advancing our mission of pleasure for all. The Hefner family is no longer associated with Playboy ."

The premiere of A&E docuseries is set on January 24, they will be also featuring interviews with Hugh's personal assistant Stefan Tetenbaum, Playboy Mansion West resident Jennifer Saginor, former "Bunny Mother" PJ Masten, former Playmate director Promotions, Miki Garcia, and Hefner's other ex-girlfriends, together with Bridget Marquardt and Sondra Theodore.

Previously, Holly opened up about her relationship with Hugh, who died in September 2017, at the age of 91.

"I fooled myself into thinking I had feelings for Hef," she wrote in her 2015 memoir. "He had that gentlemanly look, he was smart, and I loved watching old movies with him. I focused on the positives, not the negatives." ".

Despite the fact that Hugh accused her of lying to make himself look better, "I've had my fair share of romantic relationships with wonderful women," she told E! in a statement at the time. "Sadly, there are some who have chosen to rewrite history in an attempt to stay in the spotlight." Holly thought it was important to share her version of her story with the world.

"So many people would come up to me and say, 'Don't you miss the mansion?' or 'I'm sorry Hef didn't marry you and I'd see everything written about me and people would think they knew me just because they knew a side of me from the TV show," she told E! "I just didn't think it was a very good message to women in general because the best part of my life has been the seven years since I left the mansion."