Holly Madison Won't Go on Howard Stern, Fears He'll Ask About Her Sex Life

Holly Madison said she will not appear on Howard Stern's radio show over fears Stern will ask about her sex life with Hugh Hefner.

Madison lived in the notorious Playboy Mansion with Hefner, the founder and editor-in-chief of Playboy magazine, from 2001 until 2008 as Hefner's main girlfriend, despite their 54-year age gap. Hefner died in 2017 at the age of 91.

During Monday's episode of her Girls Next Level podcast, which Madison co-hosts with former Girls Next Door star Bridget Marquardt, Madison said she purposely avoids appearing on The Howard Stern Show.

"We try to be proactive and selective about the press we do. We choose to not do Howard Stern because we don't want to talk about it," the 42-year-old explained, referring to questions about her sex life. "We choose to do stuff we think is gonna be appropriate, but people still think they can ask the grossest questions."

Stern's show made its debut on SiriusXM in 2006, with the host moving to satellite radio after a career in traditional radio and TV that began in the 1980s. Over the years, the New York native has been known for his shock-jock antics and pushing the boundaries in his interviews with celebrities.

Newsweek has reached out to Stern's representative for comment.

Madison released her memoir titled, Down the Rabbit Hole: Curious Adventures and Cautionary Tales of a Former Playboy Bunny, seven years ago and said she made it clear she "wasn't comfortable" discussing certain aspects of her personal life in interviews.

"There were even parts of the sex life that were not consensual for me, and people still think it's OK to ask the goriest details," she said.

The mom of two—who shares kids Rainbow Aurora Rotella and Forest Leonardo Antonio Rotella, with ex-husband Pasquale Rotella—added, "Some of you might be like, 'Well, you're talking about it, you're out here talking about it,' but it's different when I'm the one bringing it up on my platform and I'm sharing," Madison explained.

"It's a different feeling when somebody else is coming at you and they ask you something really specific, like, 'How often did you guys get tested for STDs?'" she said. "It makes me almost feel, like, aggressive, like I want to give a rude comeback, you know what I mean?"

Girls Next Level premiered in August, and Madison and Marquardt, 49, have been spilling behind-the-scenes secrets about their time at the mansion since.

During last week's episode, Madison recalled Hefner using baby oil as a lubricant while they were intimate.

"Hef would use baby oil as lube," she said. "I do not recommend this. It is an infection waiting to happen. It's disgusting. I don't know what his hang-up was with it."

The reality TV alum added that she was "constantly irritated" as a result and was advised by a gynecologist to avoid using it in that way.

Madison claimed, however, that Hefner ignored her concerns and continued using it in secret.

"It got to the point where I refused to use it, but then other people would tell me that he would—in the bedroom—put it on his hand and then put it on me when my back was turned and I didn't know he was doing it," she said, noting it was "so foul and so nonconsensual."

"I had forgotten about that for the longest time, but I was reminded of it for some reason and it made me angry all over again."

In a separate episode, Marquardt said having sex with Hefner was a "chore."

"Everybody just wanted to make it go by as quickly as possible," she said.