Holly Madison Claims Hugh Hefner ‘Flipped Out’ After She Cut Her Hair in ‘Secrets of Playboy’ Documentary

Holly Madison made shocking new claims about her past relationship with the late Hugh Hefner in Secrets of Playboy, alleging the magazine founder once “flipped out” when she returned home with a short haircut. 

After moving into the sprawling L.A. mansion, Holly, 41, said in a sneak peek clip released by A&E on Tuesday, December 7, that she got to a point “where I kind of broke under that pressure [of] being made to feel I had to look like everyone else.” 

“My hair was really long naturally, and I was just like, ‘I’m gonna go chop my hair off so I can, at least, look a little different,'” the model explained. 

“I came back with short hair,” Holly said, alleging the Playboy editor-in-chief was not pleased with her new look. “He was screaming at me and said it made me look old, hard and cheap.” 

Holly, who was often referred to as Hugh’s No. 1 girlfriend on The Girls Next Door, dated the Chicago native from 2001 to 2008. During that time, Hugh was also dating Kendra Wilkinson and Bridget Marquardt. Both lived in the mansion with Holly while filming the E! series for six seasons. After they all went their separate ways, Hugh went on to marry Crystal Hefner (née Harris) in 2012 before dying at the age of 91 in September 2017.

Although Bridget has previously expressed her gratitude toward Hef and the time they spent together, the star said in the teaser clip that Hugh could be “pretty abrasive in the way he said things to Holly.”

“She came down with red lipstick one night, and he flipped out and said he hated red lipstick on girls, [and told her], ‘You need to take it off right way,’ even though other people could wear red lipstick, and it didn’t seem to bother him,” the “Ghost Magnet” podcast host, 48, claimed. “It was very frustrating to live with every day — all of the drama that was going on and the tensions. I could definitely see that she was getting depressed and sad, and her demeanor was starting to change.” 

Holly said at the end of it all, she was ready for the “cycle” to end and move forward with her life. 

The Holly‘s World alum previously shed light on her time with Hef in her 2015 memoir, Down the Rabbit Hole: Curious Adventures and Cautionary Tales of a Former Playboy Bunny, to which he issued a statement in his response. 

“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 they remain dear friends today,” Hugh told Entertainment Tonight in June of that year. “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!”

Secrets of Playboy debuts on A&E Monday, January 24, at 9 p.m. ET.