Playboy founder Hugh Hefner‘s lavish lifestyle was known for many things. But no aspect of his life of the adult entertainment empire he built was more iconic or gossiped about than the swinging parties that used to be thrown at the luxurious Playboy Mansion.
And while plenty of aspects of Hefner’s life were rumored and speculated on years before his passing in September 2017, it turns out the stories about the parties were all true.
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At least that’s what former playmate Sarah Robertson said. The former model recalled the mansion’s parties in an interview with LADbible.
“Playboy Mansion parties are amazing, wild and crazy,” Robertson said. “There was so many famous people there – from Pamela Anderson, Paris Hilton, P Diddy, Jenny McCarthy, Snoop Dogg, Sir Richard Branson and astronaut Buzz Aldrin.”
Hefner was known for throwing enormous mansion parties, most famously the Midsummer Night’s Dream Party on the first Saturday of every August. But the magazine tycoon also threw events to raise money for charities like the Karma Foundation.
“The nights may start off quite formal but by the end, people are going crazy,” Robertson said. “There’s been naked girls in the grotto and people jumping into the pool in their suits as the night goes on – everyone has a lot of fun. The grounds are really big, and whether you go to the games room or red room, there’s always a group of people partying in every corner or behind every door you open.”
Robertson, know a DJ, told the site she used to end up working as the disc jockey for several of the parties.
“It’s always surreal DJing at these parties – you never really know who is going to rock up,” Robertson said. “I’ll just have someone come up to me behind the decks and say, ‘Paris Hilton has just arrived’, or ‘P Diddy needs the mic’.
“Playboy definitely cemented my DJing career. I’ve been touring full time for six years thanks to the kick-start my career got from being a part of the Playboy family.”
Hefner’s passing leaves the future of the Playboy brand uncertain. The mansion was bought by Daren Metropoulos back in 2016 for $100 million, though he did not move into the house until after Hefner’s death. The company is also reportedly considering shutting down the magazine and partnering with nightclubs and casinos instead.
