Former WWE star Layla had a chance to take a massive Playboy payday in WWE, but she shut it down fast.
While speaking to Chris Van Vliet, Layla revealed WWE first approached Extreme Exposé about doing Playboy around 2007. That would have included Layla, Kelly Kelly, and Brooke Adams, but Layla said she knew right away it was not happening for her.
“Yes, well, actually it wasn’t just me at first. So what happened was we were called into the office and it was Kelly Kelly and Brooke Adams and myself. And they said, well, this year we want to do, I think it was 2007, when Maria actually did the cover. And they were like, we want to do Extreme Exposé for Playboy. And I was like, no. I was like, no way. I don’t want to.”
WWE then came back with individual offers for Layla and Kelly Kelly, and Layla said her offer was around $250,000. Still, the answer did not change.
“And then because I didn’t want to do Extreme Exposé, they offered Kelly Kelly and myself individually. And I think they’d offered me like $250,000 to do it. And I was like, no, I’m not doing it.”
For Layla, this was not just about comfort on camera. She said her Moroccan heritage, Muslim family background, and especially her brother’s reaction all played into her decision. She felt she was already pushing things far enough in WWE and did not want to embarrass her family.
“Honestly, I was really scared because a lot of people don’t know this, I’m Arab. I’m Moroccan heritage. My family are Muslim and I was always told don’t do anything like that. I knew my brother, oh my God, my brother would have been so mad. So that’s why I said no. I think that’s going too far. What I’m doing already is a lot.”
Layla admitted the money still stings a little because that kind of payday could have changed everything for her financially. But when it came to actually doing the shoot, she said there was no way she could see herself going through with it.
“I’m glad I said no because I really couldn’t see myself going through the shoot. But I’m also sad I said no because I could have probably retired that year. From a financial standpoint, but not like… I couldn’t have gone for a shoot. I just can’t see myself doing it. There was no way. I can’t do it.”
She even joked that she may have sounded cocky when she turned it down, reminding WWE she had just won the 2006 Diva Search and was not about to pose nude the next year. At the end of the day, Layla said it came down to family.
“As soon as he asked me, no. I actually said to him, I think I was so cocky, I said, ‘Well, I won the Diva Search 2006. In 2007, I’m not going naked for that.’ It was also because of my family, my brother. I really didn’t want to embarrass my family, that’s all.”
At the end of the day, Layla knows she walked away from serious money, but she does not regret protecting her boundaries. The $250,000 would have been nice, but for her, family and self-respect came first.
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