The brothel, now known as the Moonlite BunnyRanch, first opened in 1955 as the Moonlight Ranch. There is a historical marker on the premises, found just inside of the property's original main gate, as the ranch is located near a stop on the original Pony Express. It operated discreetly until 1971, when Nevada began regulation of houses of prostitution. Dennis Hof, a frequent customer, purchased the business in 1993 for $700,000 and invested another $500,000 in upgrading the facilities and decor. Dennis Hof subsequently purchased another nearby brothel, then known as Madame Kitty's Fantasy Ranch, located about one mile away. To better capitalize on the BunnyRanch brand name, he rechristened it BunnyRanch Two in 2004. Hof has since renamed this establishment. As of June 2008, it became known as The Love Ranch. Jesse Ventura, former professional wrestler and Governor of Minnesota, wrote in his 1999 autobiography I Ain't Got Time to Bleed that he visited the BunnyRanch in the 1970s, had sex there, and received $10 in return for a belt he had made of empty rifle shell casings. On April 23, 2001, an article about Dennis Hof and the BunnyRanch appeared in The New Yorker. In July 2003, Mötley Crüe singer Vince Neil was charged with battery after a prostitute at the ranch alleged that he grabbed her around the throat and threw her against a wall. In February 2009, a new main entrance to the Moonlite BunnyRanch with direct access to U.S. 50 opened to traffic. Constructed by the Nevada Department of Transportation as a business access road, the new street was officially named BunnyRanch Boulevard by Lyon County. In early 2009, due to the recession, State SenatorBob Coffin proposed legalizing prostitution statewide for tax purposes. Hof was prominently featured in a number of media reports saying he would expand into Las Vegas given the opportunity. However, the Nevada lawmakers refused to consider the proposal of statewide legal prostitution during that legislative session.
In the media
The Moonlite BunnyRanch was featured on HBO's America Undercover show specials, Cathouse and Cathouse 2: Back in the Saddle. This led to the series ', airing in two seasons in 2005 and 2007. "Air Force Amy" was featured in HBO's documentaries Cathouse, Cathouse 2 and ', about Nevada's Moonlite Bunny Ranch. She was called "the all-time top earner" and "the master of the game". The "She's Got Game" episode included a personal profile of her. She also appeared in the 2004 BBC television program The Brothel, on the same subject, and the 2005 documentary Pornstar Pets. The ranch was also featured as a supposedly "haunted house" in an episode of Proof Positive and is frequently mentioned on the Howard Stern Show, usually to announce that another porn star has started to work there. In 2008, Moonlite BunnyRanch sex worker Brooke Taylor was featured in the web series "Who's Sleeping with Your Husband", speaking candidly about the reasons she believes men visit brothels and revealing the most popular menu items. In the 2013, Two and a Half Men episode "Cows Prepare to Be Tipped", Jake suggests going to the ranch on a road trip to the Grand Canyon. Later, Berta suggests the same thing. In 2015, Show #73 of The SDR Show was taped from the Moonlite BunnyRanch and featured Air Force Amy – the all time #1 provider from the ranch. In 2016, the Moonlite Bunny Ranch was featured in an episode of This Is Life with Lisa Ling titled . In 2017, ABC's Nightline covered , a grass roots coalition of legal sex workers from the Bunny Ranch organized by Alice Little, the #1 Provider, who came together to oppose the American Health Care Act, also known as Trumpcare. In 2018, Newsy produced an original series investigating prostitution throughout the United States titled , featuring licensed sex workers from the Moonlite Bunny Ranch.
In Gilmore Girls season 3, episode 14 entitled "Swan Song", Lorelai Gilmore wears a T-shirt depicting the logo for "Moonlite BunnyRanch Cathouse USA". In Supernatural Season 4, episode 2 "Are You There, God? It's Me, Dean Winchester", Dean mentions the Bunny Ranch among the other places he would go on a road trip before the Apocalypse happens.
Publicity
In September 2008, a 22-year-old woman calling herself Natalie Dylan announced on The Howard Stern Show that she would auction off her virginity on the BunnyRanch website, and that the act would be consummated at the ranch. While Dylan's sister had worked at the BunnyRanch two years prior, Dylan insisted her sibling had nothing to do with her decision, saying "My sister definitely didn't pressure me into doing this". A recent women's studies graduate from Sacramento State, Dylan planned to use the money to finance graduate school and said "I feel empowered because I am being pro-choice with my body." She retained the right to reject the winner of the auction and pick another bidder, claiming that several bids had exceeded $1 million. Dennis Hof was to receive half of the winning bid. A news report in May 2010 suggested that the episode may have been a hoax, although Hof insisted it was not. It also appears that the transaction was never consummated, as Hof stated: "It didn't work out, but she still made $250,000 out of the deal."
