Jenny McCarthy on What Life Was Really Like at the Playboy Mansion in the '90s

Jenny McCarthy has opened up about what life was really like at the Playboy Mansion, calling the famed estate “Viagra central.” She recollected her experiences Monday night on Watch What Happens Live! McCarthy first appeared on Playboy’s cover in 1993, when she was just 22, and she graced the iconic publication several times since. During the beginning of her career in the early ‘90s, she even lived in the mansion for a spell.

But McCarthy contends that life at the estate wasn’t nearly as luxurious, or sexy, as you’d assume. “There was so much sex going on with like gross celebrities in the grotto area, stuff like that,” she explained. “I went to the parties, so I got to see a lot of that action.”

According to the Witless Protection star, parties at the mansion typically involved “hot women and the ugliest dudes.” McCarthy elaborated: “Unfortunately, for every 20 guys, it was one girl. So the guys were just in heaven. But also the guys were over 70 years old,” she stipulated.

“Oh God, they were like, really, really old. It was like Viagra central.”

Though McCarthy didn’t name names, frequent guests of the Playboy Mansion around that time included Warren Beatty, Jack Nicholson, Pauly Shore, and Donald Trump.

Since Hefner died in 2017, many former Playboy models—including his former wife Crystal—have come forward to criticize Hefner’s behavior and the Mansion’s conditions. They were showcased in an A&E documentary, Secrets of Playboy, but McCarthy said her personal experience didn’t line up with those of others.

“I was there when [Hefner’s] kids were throwing bacon at me in high chairs. It was the perfect time,” she said of her days spent living at the Mansion. “There was that big Playboy scandal TV special, they asked me to be part of it constantly. I’m like, ‘Listen, I didn’t have that experience. Pamela [Anderson] didn’t have that experience.’ We were at a different time, I think," she said.

Even though the parties weren’t her cup of tea, McCarthy maintains a fond appreciation of Hefner because, ultimately, he was the one who launched her career. She spoke about his impact on her life on Sirius XM’s The Jenny McCarthy Show (via People) the day after he died.

“There’s always those people in your life that change the course of your life, and I think about how many people he affected just through me alone,” McCarthy said. “Giving me the opportunity to move my parents out of a bad neighborhood and into a good neighborhood; pay off their debts; pay off my college loan; move to Los Angeles so I could pursue my dream."

She continued: “It was the thing that made me who I am today. [Hefner] was always supportive, always proud. Whenever I would see him he would always say, ‘You’re doing such a good job.’ I hope I did. I hope I did make him proud."

You can check out McCarthy’s Watch What Happens Live! appearance below.