Fox News Flash top entertainment for January 18
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A documentary series into the clandestine life of late Playboy founder Hugh Hefner suggests the magazine magnate was a "vampire" who allegedly manipulated and drugged young women into taking part in debaucherous sex acts – all while promoting the idea of women's rights to freely express their fullest selves.
"Secrets of Playboy" is a 10-part docuseries premiering on A&E on January 24 that promises to peel back the ironclad curtain of the goings-on that allegedly took place at the famed Playboy mansion and its other venues at hush-hush events that were often attended by big-name Hollywood staples and became a draw from others unable to secure a confidential invitation.
The series itself will see testimonies from the likes of Holly Madison and Sondra Theodore – former girlfriends of Hefner – as well as insight from PJ Masten, who was revered in tight circles as the "Bunny Mother."
By many accounts, Playboy is described as an illicit playground for rampant drug use, sexual abuse, and a front for people to exercise their wildest fantasies.
Theodore, 65, recalled alleged occurrences in which the mansion hosted events five nights a week and the ex-bunny said those alleged group sex incidents "broke me like you'd break a horse" while claiming Hefner was a regular drug user who had sent her on cocaine runs on various occasions.
She even claims that cocaine was so prevalent in the mansion that Hefner’s poodles even grew addicted to the substance as it was readily accessible enough for them to lick off the floor.
HOLLY MADISON SAYS SHE WAS IN A 'CYCLE OF GROSS THINGS' WHILE LIVING AT PLAYBOY MANSION
"They had a protocol," Theodore reportedly says in the docuseries according to Daily Mail. "He liked to direct and you didn't segue away from it because you could tell it irritated him."
Other events allegedly hosted at the guarded palatial manor included a weekly "pig night" that supposedly saw Hefner – who launched the first edition of Playboy in 1953 – bring in a number of sex workers he felt were uneasy on the eyes whom he ordered to have sex with his cohort of friends.
Playboy founder Hugh Hefner is buried next to Mariyln Monroe, who graced the first cover of the iconic magazine in 1953. (AP)
Hefner’s former valet Stefan Tetenbaum, who worked for him between 1978 and 1981, alleged in the documentary that Hefner instructed a doctor to examine the women before he allowed them to perform acts on his cronies.
Madison, 42, who moved into the Playboy mansion in 2000 at aged 21, dated Hefner for eight years and opened up in the series about how her time under Hefner led her to consider suicide.
During her time in the mansion, the former "Girls Next Door" star would become Hefner’s "special one" or his main girlfriend and often appeared alongside the man in photos.
The late publisher who died in 2017 at age 91, was just 27 when he started the legendary publication that disrupted conventional media from the get-go.
Playboy issued a statement to Fox News Digital on Wednesday in response to the allegations made in the documentary.
Hugh Hefner and Holly Madison are seen at a Playboy party on July 18, 2006, in Los Angeles, Calif. ((Photo by Chad Buchanan/Getty Images))
"Today’s Playboy is not Hugh Hefner’s Playboy. We trust and validate these women and their stories and we strongly support those individuals who have come forward to share their experiences," the memorandum reads. "As a brand with sex-positivity at its core, we believe safety, security, and accountability are paramount. The most important thing we can do right now is actively listen and learn from their experiences."
The statement continues: "We will never be afraid to confront the parts of our legacy as a company that do not reflect our values today. As an organization with a more than 80% female workforce, we are committed to our ongoing evolution as a company and to driving positive change for our communities."
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Its first issue featuring Marilyn Monroe on the cover went on to sell more than 50,000 copies and at one point in time, circulated 7 million magazines per month – which allowed Hefner to own and operate a string of exclusive Playboy clubs around Los Angeles.
The entity ceased printing physical copies of its magazine in 2020 and most recently announced rapper Cardi B as its brand ambassador.
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