Holly Madison Threw This Unwarranted Shade At Britney Spears In Her Memoir
Holly Madison grew to fame because of her time with Hugh Hefner (and the reality TV appearances that went along with the Playboy lifestyle), but she also earned plenty of criticism for it.
In Madison's memoir, she threw shade at someone unexpected: Britney Spears. For those who are miffed that the two even ran in the same circles, here's what Holly said, and why Britney fans are so bothered by it.
Holly Madison Published A Memoir About Her Time With Playboy
Holly has actually published multiple books at this point, but perhaps her most popular is Down the Rabbit Hole. In the book, Holly shares many details about her life on Hugh Hefner's arm and as part of the Playboy crew.
Holly started out as one of many Hefner girlfriends, but eventually wound up being his 'number one' leading lady, until she later broke up with him and left Playboy altogether.
It's no surprise that Holly takes a negative stance against the entire lifestyle she lived while being one of Hugh's girlfriends; she's since called the relationship "abusive" and "gross."
But there were some surprising details in Down the Rabbit Hole, including a name-drop that fans really weren't impressed by.
Holly Dragged Britney Spears, Her Ex-Boyfriend's Ex
Holly became widely known for her "relationship" with Hugh Hefner between 2001 and 2008. As most know, Hugh passed away in 2017 while married to his wife Crystal, who struggled to move on after Hefner's death.
As for Holly, she had a string of short-term relationships after her split from Hugh, including a nearly-year-long relationship with Criss Angel.
Though Madison dated other big names like Russell Brand, Rob Dyrdek, and Benji Madden, later marrying Pasquale Rotella (who she subsequently divorced), Angel's was noteworthy.
Britney Spears is said to have dated Criss Angel back in 2007 after they were meant to work together, but things didn't pan out.
While it might just be rumored that they were a 'thing,' Holly Madison seemed to know more than fans. In her book, she wrote about Criss' exes, and not nicely.
Madison wrote, as one reader summed up, that Criss' exes were "An A-List Actress, a former child star, a famous heiress, and a post mental breakdown pop star."
The reader assumed Madison was avoiding naming names. However, a few pages later, Madison named Britney Spears as the fourth-listed ex.
Fans Weren't Happy About Holly's Notes On Britney
Though the reader who complained about Holly's diss toward Britney admitted they weren't a huge fan of Holly in the first place, they might have a point.
Many people supported Madison, seemingly ignoring her harsh comments and bad behavior. One person wrote, "I like her a lot and always have." Another outright blamed Holly's having been "caught up in a very weird situation with Hef and his world."
But some agreed that Holly's criticisms of other women are over the top. One wrote, "I didn't like how she referred to some of the other women (calling them stupid, s***shaming etc)."
Other self-proclaimed fans of Holly said she's "definitely shown problematic behavior." Many seemed to think that dragging other women is some sort of side effect of the abuse that she apparently suffered while wrapped up with Playboy.
The bottom line is that it didn't necessarily matter whether it was Britney, another of Holly's exes' exes, or anyone else—most people weren't thrilled about Holly propping herself up above other women.
Holly Madison Has Made Heavy Claims Against Hugh Hefner
Complaints about Holly Madison dragging Britney Spears were rather tame compared to other fan theories about the former Playmate. Given her admissions about changing her story while with Hef, even ardent supporters seem to think that Holly could use some help.
She's flip-flopped on the retelling of her history with Hugh Hefner, declaring that she was told to say certain things (like that she wanted children with the late Playboy founder), then later saying she really meant those things.
Above all, the original reader of Holly's book who complained on Reddit wrote that she has "a very strong self-preservation sense and little to no empathy for others." The theory seems to be supported by the reality star's past behavior, like the fact that she seemed to change her story where it served her.
Although the critique that Holly is "just incredibly misogynistic and insecure," is purely opinion, the follow-up declaration that "If there’s an opportunity to insult a woman, she does it," may ring true.
Of course, fans (or critics) of Madison will have to read her books for themselves, and make judgments based on the claims Madison lays out there.
At this point, since Hefner isn't around anymore, it's more or less the words of his ex-girlfriends against each other, rather than a single source of truth.
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