Why Holly Madison Is ‘Not Interested’ in Dating After Split From ‘Ghost Adventures’ Star Zak Bagans

Holly Madison is one busy woman. The mom of two (she shares Rainbow, 12, and Forest, 8, with ex-husband Pasquale Rotella) is the executive producer and host of Investigation Discovery’s true crime docuseries The Playboy Murders (which returns for Season 3 on May 5) and the cohost of the “Girls Next Level” podcast with her former Girls Next Door costar Bridget Marquardt. Holly starred in the hit E! show — which centered around the lives of late Playboy founder Hugh Hefner’s girlfriends — from 2005 to 2009. She’s also written two books including her 2015 best-selling memoir, Down the Rabbit Hole.

It’s no wonder the single 45-year-old star (she and her on/off boyfriend of five years, Ghost Adventures host Zak Bagans, split in late March) says she has little time — and zero interest — in dating around.

“I’ve never been much of a dater,” she says. “I’m not interested in it. I’m fine being single!”

Here, Holly, who in 2023 revealed she was diagnosed with autism, talks to In Touch’s Lindsay Hoffman about why she’d “never” do a reality dating show, where she stands with former castmate Kendra Wilkinson and the advice she’d give her younger self.

Are you swearing off men?

HM: I just want the next person I meet to be “the one.” I’m not interested in having short flings or anything like that. I don’t have time for it. I’m really busy coparenting and doing my three jobs and traveling and things like that. So it’s “the one” or nothing.

So no dating reality shows for you!

HM: I would never. I’m not attracted to the kind of guy who wants to be on a reality show. My type is more businessmen.

August will mark 20 years since the Girls Next Door premiere. How does it feel to look back on it now?

HM: At first I was kind of embarrassed about it because I didn’t feel like the show captured who I really was. It was like embracing caricature. But as I’ve rewatched it with Bridget, it’s helped me reclaim some of the positive memories, like a really fun girls trip or a nice buffet and movie night at the mansion. It helps me embrace the whole picture.

You and Bridget are clearly still close. What about Kendra?

HM: I don’t speak to [her] anymore. We were driven apart when we were doing our spinoffs. Sometimes the reality TV drama, even off-screen, gets in the way. It’s too bad.

Tell us about the new season of The Playboy Murders.

HM: We have at least one story where people who knew the victim reached out to me on social media and wanted to speak out. It’s really meaningful for me to do stories like that.

You’re a mom, a host and an author. What do you hope to be best known for?

HM: [Motherhood] is definitely what comes first, but I keep my kids private. I’m not too concerned about being seen as a mom in the public eye — that’s more my real life. I’d like to be seen as a storyteller. I like to be honest and open about my own story and also help tell other people’s stories in a respectful way.

What advice would you give your younger self?

HM: Hang on, because it’s going to be a wild ride! And take as many pictures as you can because you might need evidence.

On a Lighter Note…

Holly answers our burning questions!

Favorite book?

HM: That’s a really hard one for me to pick because I have so many favorites. But one book that I love to recommend I’ve revisited in every phase of my adult life: I’m With the Band: Confessions of a Groupie by Pamela des Barres. She just does such an amazing job capturing a time and place. You feel like you were on the Sunset Strip in the ’60s, like Almost Famous in book form.

Favorite travel destination?

HM: I always love going to Paris because it’s such a beautiful, layered city. But I also love Disney resorts. I’ve been to every Disney resort in the world. I’m taking my kids to Aulani in Hawaii for spring break, so I’m really excited about that.

Why the Hawaii one?

HM: It’s not a theme park like the other Disney destinations, but I love Oahu. There are so many different things to do.

What beauty product do you recommend?

HM: It’s so basic, but Tarte Shape Tape. As I get older, I feel like it’s the only undereye concealer I can use that does the job and doesn’t crinkle up.