Chances are, when you think of Playboy, you think of one of two things: the magazine spreads that were eraser than what you’d see on other shelves, and/ or the infamous founder Hugh Hefner. While many revered him as one of the people who revolutionized being open about one sexuality, people who worked with him tell a different story of who he was really like behind closed doors, and the allegations are nothing short of disturbing.
There were many women that were a part of the Playboy empire. Along with some models who turned into Hugh’s partners, there were playmates, Playboy bunnies, part-time models, bunny mothers, and more; and so many of them have come forward with their stories.
Whether they discussed it in one of their memoirs or in the Secrets of Playboy special, many detailed the occurrences that happened behind closed doors, ranging from finding hidden cameras and unsightly places to public weight check-ins.
Before we dive in, we would like to give a trigger warning: this post discusses many disturbing topics, such as rape, assault, mental illness, drug use, weight, and overall mental anguish. Almost everything we’ve heard from the former Playmates and bunnies has been nothing short of heartbreaking, and we’re proud of them for telling their stories.
Ahead of the release of Hugh’s widow Crystal Hefner’s long-awaited memoir, Only Say Good Things: Surviving Playboy and Finding Myself, we need to talk about what we’ve learned over the years about what life was really like in the Playboy empire.
Below, see what former playmates and bunnies have said about working with Hugh.
If you or someone you know has or is being sexually assaulted, call the National Sexual Assault Hotline at 1-800-656-HOPE (4673) or go to online.rainn.org for safe, confidential help.
Crystal Hefner Said There Were ‘Little Spy Holes’ in Hugh’s Bed
In Crystal Hefner’s new book Only Say Good Things: Surviving Playboy and Finding Myself, she claimed she found “little spy holes” at the foot of Hugh’s bed. Not only that, but when she confronted him about taping his sexual encounters, he basically insinuated that he didn’t care what the other party had to say, and did it without people’s knowledge.
He Was Said to Take Nude Photos of His Playmates in His Limo
It was alleged in Secrets of Playboy that Hugh would force girls to strip in his limo, so he could take photos of them fully exposed.
He Made Women Live Under Strict Curfews
It’s been alleged numerous times, but Jenna Bentley said to DailyMail that Hugh made his girlfriends and Playmates abide by strict 9 pm curfews, and if you missed it? You’d sleep on the lawn. While some of the employees who lived in the mansion didn’t have this rule, his girlfriends weren’t able to go out unsupervised, either.
He Forced Them to Dye Their Hair
In 2024, Crystal Hefner told People that one of Hugh’s strict rules dictated that his girlfriends had to be bleach blonde, and it did so much damage to her scalp.
“So I’d have to go bleach it and it would burn my scalp and I’d have blisters,” she said.
The Bunny Suits Caused Health Problems
Per Secrets of Playboy via USWeekly, PJ Masten, who worked as a bunny mother for a decade, talked about how the insanely tight corsets the bunnies had to wear caused serious health problems with some of the girls.
“A lot of girls had kidney infections because we were cinched in,” she said. “We used to go into the ladies’ room and take our shoes off — which were encrusted with blood — and stick [our feet] in the toilet bowl and keep flushing it. It was like a whirlpool to get the swelling down and hope that your shoes could fit.”
The Bunnies Had to Do Public Weight Check-Ins
Going off on that, if the bunnies gained any weight, the costumes wouldn’t be adjusted accordingly. Masten also alleged in Secrets of Playboy via USWeekly, “Once a month we got weighed in, and there was a chart in the bunny room next to the scale, and it was humiliating.”
Masten added, “Everybody could see it, and if you were five pounds over, you had a warning. If you didn’t get it down for next month, you were suspended until you got your weight down.”
There Was No Protection for the Bunnies After Work, Getting to Their Cars
A former Playboy bunny, Suzanne Charneski, claimed that there was a major incident where a fellow bunny was raped, and the bunnies had no protection when leaving the club to their card.
“About a year or so before I got there, there was a group of girls who were approached by some men who came into the resort and told them they were big Hollywood producers, and they wanted them to be in a movie,” she said, noting that the men reportedly drugged and raped the women. “There were girls that were silenced after being raped in parking lots outside the clubs. In the 10 years that I worked for Playboy, I would venture to say that there were probably 40 to 50 young women that were silenced by Playboy because of abuse, sexual abuse.”
Many Couldn’t Leave the Mansion Except for One Reason
Holly Madison said, per Page Six, that she wasn’t allowed to leave the mansion for a day unless it was a family holiday, but even then, many complications would arise with Hugh.
Kendra Wilkinson Said Her Job Inclued One Minute Sex With Hefner
Kendra Wilkinson told the Sun that one part of her job was to have sex with Hugh. “At about the minute mark, I pulled away and it was done. It was like a job,” she said. “Clock in, clock out. It’s not like I enjoyed having sex with him.”
She’s not the only one to allege that their time at the Mansion included having to have sex with Hugh.
They Had to Sign NDAs at the House
NDAs are always intimidating, but having to sign one when you go to the Playboy Mansion? Terrifying. Former Playboy model Jenna Bentley said to Dailymail that she signed an ‘iron-clad’ NDA so she wouldn’t be able to reveal what she saw behind closed doors.
Hugh Didn’t Allow His Girlfriends to Have Other Partners
While he could have as many partners as he wanted, his girlfriends? Nope, they could only date him. Holly Madison once revealed that to LAD Bible, saying, “You weren’t allowed to date other guys, which I was fine with too, because I wasn’t interested in dating at that point in my life.”
Hugh Forced Them to Do Certain Makeup
Along with the bleach blonde hair, Hugh allegedly never wanted his girlfriends to wear red lipstick, and only have nude nails, per the podcastAhead of the Curve.
Karissa & Kristina Shannon Were Diagnosed With PTSD After Their Time With Hugh
During a bonus episode of Secrets of Playboy, Karissa and Kristina Shannon alleged that they caught chlamydia from Hefner, and Karissa fell pregnant. This incident, plus their time at the mansion led them to both be diagnosed with PTSD.
The Playboy Mansion Was Bugged
It’s been alleged that, for Hugh to keep track of everyone, he had cameras and microphones everywhere in the mansion, even on the bodies of some staff members.
Strict Social Media Rules
Melissa Howe talked about the strict rules in the house, even the ones that restricted social media use. “If you do something wrong, you’ll get an email. There’s a strict code of conduct. There are even rules about Instagram and Twitter,” she said per NZ Herald. “You’ve got to show everything in a good light and if you’re drunk in a picture you’ll be in trouble.”
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