Kendra Wilkinson Reveals Her Only Regret from Life in the Playboy Mansion

 Former Playboy star Kendra Wilkinson is looking back on her past with clarity, honesty, and just one lingering regret. In a candid moment during her appearance at the Operation Smile Fiesta earlier this month, the reality TV personality and former girlfriend of the late Hugh Hefner opened up to Fox News Digital about her time in the spotlight—and the chapter that defined much of her early fame.

Wilkinson, who rose to fame as one of Hugh Hefner’s girlfriends on the hit reality series The Girls Next Door, reflected on her years living in the Playboy Mansion. Hefner, the iconic founder of Playboy, passed away in September 2017 at the age of 91. But for Wilkinson, the memories remain vivid—and surprisingly, not all of them are tinged with regret.

No Shame—But One Regret

“I’ve lived a wild life,” Wilkinson admitted. “And I’m proud of how far I’ve come. I don’t carry shame for anything I’ve done.”

However, she did reveal that there is one part of her past she sometimes wishes had played out differently.

“If I could go back, the only thing I’d change is how I handled some of the relationships with the other girls in the mansion,” Wilkinson said. “I was young, defensive, and didn’t know how to deal with all the pressure and jealousy that came with that environment.”

She continued, “There was a lot of love in that house, but also a lot of competition and confusion. If I had the emotional tools then that I have now, I think I could’ve been a better friend.”

Finding Peace After the Spotlight

Now 39, Wilkinson has since stepped back from the public eye. After her divorce from former NFL wide receiver Hank Baskett and the end of her reality show Kendra on Top, she shifted her focus to motherhood and a new career in real estate.

“Life after fame has been a blessing,” she said. “I’m raising my kids, building a real business, and finding peace for the first time in a long time. It’s not flashy, but it’s real.”

Wilkinson is mother to two children, Hank IV and Alijah, and frequently shares her journey as a working single mom. Despite walking away from the glitz of reality TV, she hasn’t entirely closed the door to future media projects—though she’s clear it would need to be “authentic” and “on [her] terms.”

Healing, Helping, and Giving Back

Appearing at the Operation Smile Fiesta, Wilkinson turned the spotlight onto a cause she believes in: helping children around the world receive life-changing cleft palate surgeries.

“It feels so good to be here supporting something that’s bigger than myself,” she told Fox News Digital. “These kids are incredible, and this organization is doing amazing work. It reminds me of what really matters.”

Her presence at the charity event signals a new chapter in her public life—one where she’s more selective about where she shows up and what she supports. According to those close to her, she’s been quietly working on a memoir that will dive even deeper into her experiences, from the Playboy Mansion to her current chapter as a mother and entrepreneur.

Legacy and Moving Forward

As fans continue to speculate about the true behind-the-scenes dynamics of life with Hefner—a subject that has sparked several documentaries in recent years—Wilkinson says she’s ready to tell her story in full, on her own terms.

“Hef gave me a life I never dreamed of,” she said. “But I’m finally writing my own story now, and it feels good.”

While Kendra Wilkinson has lived through the ups and downs of fame, fortune, and heartbreak, she carries her experiences with a surprising amount of grace—and just one, very human, regret.