Holly Madison Accuses Crystal Hefner of Copying Her Writing Style in Playboy Mansion Memoir

Holly Madison accused Crystal Hefner of copying her writing style in her January 2024 memoir, which details her experience of living in the Playboy mansion with her late husband, Hugh Hefner.

“Anybody who’s read my book that came out eight years ago and then read her book, tell me the narrative voice doesn’t sound exactly the same,” Holly, 44, said while appearing on the “LadyGang” podcast. “Drives me up a wall.”

Both Holly and Crystal, 37, dated Hugh and lived in the Playboy mansion. Holly was in a relationship with Hugh from 2001 to 2008, while Crystal began seeing the Playboy founder in 2009. The couple tied the knot in 2012 and remained together until he died at age 91 in 2017.

Holly detailed her experience with Hugh in her June 2015 memoir, Down the Rabbit Hole. Meanwhile, Crystal released her own book, Only Say Good Things: Surviving Playboy and Finding Myself, in January.

While the Oregon native admitted she expected her and Crystal to share similar experiences with Hugh, she said she was surprised that their writing styles were so similar. Holly then pointed out they both used “fairy tale references” and “psychological catchphrases” throughout their memoirs.

“I’m weirded out by it, especially since she had a ghostwriter,” Holly alleged. “Like, do your research and don’t copy.”

After claiming that Crystal didn’t write her memoir by herself, Holly said she found it suspicious that Crystal worked with the same publishing team she did for Down the Rabbit Hole. “You would have thought that it went through somebody reading it that would be like, ‘That’s a little bit too similar,'” she said.

Crystal’s memoir isn’t the only book by a former Playboy bunny that Holly discussed. She also pointed out that Kendra Wilkinson wrote a memoir about her time in the mansion, though insisted her former Girls Next Door costar’s book was written by another publishing team.

“If you take my book and Kendra’s book, it’s two completely different people even though we lived there at the same time,” Holly said. “Like, it’s two completely different voices, as it should be.”

Despite admitting she was suspicious about the similar writing style in Crystal’s book, Holly added she was happy that she was able to share her story.

“It’s always hard to come out and tell your story first, especially when you’re crucified for it,” Holly said. “When my book came out [Hugh] was still alive, it was before the Me Too movement went mainstream … The book was very successful, but I got dragged. Now it’s a little bit easier for other people to come out and share their stories.”

Crystal dropped several bombshells in her memoir, including that the Playboy mansion was “gross.” She wrote, “Everything was moldy and dusty and it was just hoarder central in the mansion.”