Few pop culture transformations are as striking—and as deeply personal—as Holly Madison’s. Once known to millions as one of Hugh Hefner’s girlfriends on The Girls Next Door, Madison has reshaped her public persona into that of a truthful storyteller, a dedicated mother, and a media powerhouse. Holly Madison today is a testament to growth, resilience, and owning your narrative.
How Holly Madison turned a controversial past into powerful storytelling gold
Madison’s new role as host of The Playboy Murders (returning for Season 3 on May 5) isn’t just another gig—it’s mission-driven. Airing on Investigation Discovery and streaming on Max, the true crime series digs into the dark underbelly of the Playboy empire. And who better to guide viewers through it than Holly, who lived inside that world?
“It’s definitely emotionally heavy,” Madison told the New York Post in an exclusive interview. But the weight of the stories she shares—about women like Kimberly Fattorini and Adrienne Pollack—only fuels her commitment. “Since they have to be told, I try and do it the best way possible and try to honor her memory as much as I can.”
What separates Madison’s hosting from mere commentary is her connection. She’s not speaking from a distance. She lived the experience. She knew the people. And now, she’s turning those tragic tales into something meaningful.
Behind the scenes of Holly Madison’s complicated relationship with Hugh Hefner
It’s impossible to discuss Holly Madison without addressing her time with Hugh Hefner. But rather than glorify the past, Holly is candid—almost clinical—in her reflection. She calls the environment of the Playboy Mansion what it was: a “cult mentality,” likening it to “Scientology” in its unchallengeable devotion to Hefner.
“You looked at Hefner as not human, and infallible,” she said. “You couldn’t even say something bad-adjacent about him without being, like, excommunicated.”
Madison admits she was young and impressionable, and that her mindset was clouded by what she now recognizes as a form of Stockholm syndrome. “I thought I was connecting with somebody when really, I was just somebody who had trouble connecting with people my whole life, and I met somebody who was a master manipulator.”
Her honesty on this front is striking. It’s the kind of self-reflection that transforms a persona from tabloid fodder into a genuine human story. And that’s exactly the space Holly inhabits now.
Holly Madison’s family life remains her most cherished role
Despite her busy career—balancing TV hosting, executive producing, and podcasting—Holly Madison keeps her personal life grounded and private. She is the proud mother of two children, Rainbow (12) and Forest (9), whom she shares with ex-husband Pasquale Rotella. Holly Madison kids are rarely in the spotlight, and that’s by design.
“Motherhood is definitely what comes first,” she says, “but I keep my kids private. That’s more my real life.”
Her relationship with Rotella ended in 2019, and since then, Holly has remained resolute about her dating life—or lack thereof. After her recent split from Zak Bagans, the Ghost Adventures star whom she dated on and off for five years, Holly says she’s not interested in dating right now.
Why Holly Madison isn’t rushing into romance after Zak Bagans breakup
“I’ve never been much of a dater,” Madison confided in In Touch Weekly. “I’m not interested in it. I’m fine being single!”
She makes it clear that when she does date, she wants it to be meaningful. “I just want the next person I meet to be ‘the one.’ I don’t have time for it. It’s really ‘the one’ or nothing.”
And don’t expect Holly to jump into dating for the sake of exposure. She says she’d “never” do a reality dating show because she’s not attracted to men who crave that kind of spotlight. Her type? “More businessmen.”
Holly Madison’s brother and personal life remain largely out of the spotlight
While Holly Madison’s public life is vibrant and multifaceted, she keeps certain parts of her personal life—like her Holly Madison brother—well away from the glare. There’s little mention of family beyond her role as a daughter and sister, and that seems to be a choice born from protecting what matters.
Her focus is squarely on what she calls her “real life”: storytelling, motherhood, and growth.
Where Holly Madison is now proves that reinvention is not only possible, but powerful
Looking back, Madison says she once felt “one-dimensional” in the eyes of the world. Playboy Bunny. Hefner’s Girl. Reality TV Doll. But today, she’s anything but. With two books under her belt (including the bestselling Down the Rabbit Hole), a hit podcast co-hosted with Bridget Marquardt, and a true crime series that gives her agency over a world she once survived, Holly Madison has reclaimed her story.
“I like where I ended up,” she says. “Life is meant to be experienced and you’re here to learn.”
And for Holly Madison, that learning has transformed into a legacy.