Kendra Wilkinson Says Playboy 'Really Messed Up My Whole Life'
Twenty years after living in the Playboy Mansion, Kendra Wilkinson has decided to talk about her experiences as one of Hugh Hefner's former Playmates.
In an interview with People, the then-girlfriend of the Playboy founder looked back at her experiences after she moved into the mansion at age 18 and co-starred in E!'s reality series "Girls Next Door."
"I've had to face my demons. Playboy really messed up my whole life," Wilkinson said.
"Why did I have sex with an old man at that age? Why did I do that? Why did I go to the mansion in the first place? Why did I get boobs? Why did I bleach blonde my hair? Why did I?" she questioned while feeling regretful about her past relationship with Hefner.
"I really got into deep regret [afterward]... deep. I struggled with depression before and at the mansion. I drank a lot," she added.
The former reality star also clarified that she only stayed at the Playboy Mansion at the time for the sake of partying.
"I was not there for Hugh Hefner to be my boyfriend," she confessed.
Kendra Wilkinson attends Evereden Celebrates The Launch Of Their New Clean Kids Line With Kendra Wilkinson And Vanessa Simmons on April 24, 2021.
After being sent to the emergency room for a panic attack in September 2023 and being placed on Abilify, an antipsychotic medication, on her next hospital visit, Wilkinson began outpatient therapy thrice a week at UCLA.
There, professionals reportedly helped her tackle her unresolved trauma from her life as a Playboy model and her 2019 divorce from footballer Hank Baskett after almost 10 years of marriage.
"I would never go out of my way to kill myself, but it was just like 'God, take me. God, take me,'" she talked about her depression.
Hugh Hefner poses with Playboy Models at the Yves Saint Laurent Grand classics Screening of 'Sweet Smell of Success' at the Playboy Mansion on November 11, 2004.
The former Playboy Playmate also defended herself for getting high at a Sublime concert in California after Hefner died from sepsis and cardiac arrest in September 2017 at age 91.
"Look, at the end of the day, I owe Hef nothing," Wilkinson said.
She continued, "I'm not going to sit here and protect him. Hugh Hefner decided to date millions of girls, right? That's not my responsibility. And whatever happened with him, with his relationships, that was his thing. It's not my responsibility to protect a man for his life choices."
She also spoke about her former co-Playmates Holly Madison and Bridget Marquardt and Hugh's ex-wife Crystal Hefner after they came forward and exposed their experiences with the late Playboy publisher.
"I respect what Holly, Bridget [and] Crystal are saying. I respect what they've been through -- I respect their stories."
