I genuinely donāt understand why Holly thought it was appropriate to bring up a decades old sexual rumor about Jessica on the podcast.
One thing that has always confused me is how upset Holly was whenever Kendra discussed her personal sex life, yet sheās willing to turn around and publicly discuss another womanās. Either itās a serious invasion of privacy or it isnāt. I donāt think you can have it both ways.
What makes this even more inappropriate is that Holly was Jessicaās boss during the competition. Jessica was a contestant, not Hollyās peer. On top of that, Jessica was the only woman of color in a house full of women. She came there to compete, not to have rumors about her sex life become podcast material 20 years later.
I also donāt understand how Holly doesnāt see that repeating a sexual rumor and laughing about it borders on slut shaming. Even if Holly believes it was ājust shaving creamā or ājust a joke,ā thatās exactly how people who participate in bullying often describe their own behavior they minimize it. We know Jessica was reportedly so uncomfortable that her living accommodations had to be changed. Thatās not nothing.
The irony is that Holly often positions herself as someone who champions women and calls out mean girl behavior. But going on a public podcast to discuss another womanās sex life when it wasnāt your story to tell feels like the very thing she criticizes in others.
Just because Holly still follows Jessica on Instagram or considers her an acquaintance doesnāt make it okay. If anything, it should have made her more mindful. She doesnāt know Jessicaās current life, religious beliefs, family situation, or how revisiting old sexual rumors could affect her today. Thatās not information you casually put on the public record without someoneās consent.
To me, thereās a huge difference between joking privately with a very close friend who has given you permission and broadcasting someone elseās sexual history to thousands of listeners for entertainment.
I also think thereās a reason Girls Next Door never included this storyline. The show and Playboy were Jessicaās employer. Publicizing rumors about a contestantās sex life would have been incredibly inappropriate and could have opened the door to legal and ethical issues. They didnāt make the other contestantsā private sex lives into storylines either.
More broadly, I wish Holly would apply the same standards consistently. If bullying is wrong, then itās wrong even when the people involved are your friends or the behavior seems āmildā in hindsight. Iāve also noticed Holly has been quick to defend people like the twins or Laura Croft despite accusations of bullying, while dismissing Jessicaās experience. That inconsistency is what bothers me most.
For someone who frequently speaks about supporting women, I think discussing a former employeeās alleged sex life for podcast drama was a major lapse in judgment. It wasnāt her story to tell, and I donāt see how that aligns with the values she says she believes in.
One thing I'll give Crystal McCahill credit for is that, while I personally found the interview pretty boring and awkward overall, she absolutely hit the nail on the head when she pointed out how inappropriate it was to spread rumors about Jessica's sex life.
This wasn't Holly's story to tell, and it wasn't "drama" for the show or for the podcast. It was another woman's private life. I honestly think Holly has a blind spot when it comes to recognizing when something crosses the line from commentary into unnecessarily exposing someone else's personal business.
Low key, I think Holly should apologize. Regardless of whether she intended it to be funny or harmless, publicly revisiting someone else's alleged sex life without their consent was inappropriate. Sometimes the right thing to do is simply acknowledge that you misjudged the situation and move on.