Hugh Hefner’s Son Cooper Defends Late Father Against ‘Salacious’ Stories in New Doc: ‘Regret Becoming Revenge’

Cooper Hefner took a passionate stance while defending his late father, Hugh Hefner, hours before the premiere of A&E’s new documentary Secrets of Playboy. 

“Some may not approve of the life my Dad chose, but my father was not a liar,” the 30-year-old tweeted on Sunday, January 23. “However unconventional, he was sincere in his approach and lived honestly. He was generous in nature and cared deeply for people. These salacious stories are a case study of regret becoming revenge.” 

Prior to Hugh’s death in September 2017, Cooper worked as the chief creative officer at Playboy Enterprises in 2016. The U.S. Airman, who is one of Hugh’s two sons shared with Kimberley Conrad, later took over as the chief of global partnerships for the magazine in 2019.  

Although Cooper did not mention the documentary in his message, it came hours ahead of the 10-part series premiere on Monday, January 24, which promises to “lift the veil” on the “long-hidden stories” of the Playboy empire. 

Numerous people who once knew Hugh, including the women that dated him over the years, speak about their alleged experiences at the Playboy Mansion. 

“I didn’t realize that getting into the Playboy world was a dangerous choice,” Girls Next Door alum Holly Madison said in a trailer. 

During her segment, Madison went into detail about her experience being Hugh’s No. 1 girlfriend from 2001 to 2008.

“The reason I think the mansion was very cult-like looking back on it is because we were all kind of gaslit and expected to think of Hef as like this really good guy,” she said in episode two. “And you started to feel like, ‘Oh, he’s not what they say in the media, he’s just a nice man.'”

“You had a 9 o’clock curfew, you were encouraged to not have friends over, you weren’t really allowed to leave unless it was like a family holiday,” Madison claimed. “The sex always happened kind of like the same time, the same night,” she continued. “We would go out to a club every Wednesday and Friday, and that would be expected when we got home.”

Sondra Theodore, Hefner’s girlfriend in the late 1970s, is also featured in the doc, describing him as a vampire who “sucked the life out of all these young girls for decades.”

Following the teaser clips detailing Madison’s story and more, the Playboy organization addressed the claims to E! News.

“Today’s Playboy is not Hugh Hefner’s Playboy,” the brand shared in a statement on January 20. “We trust and validate these women and their stories, and we strongly support those individuals who have come forward to share their experiences … We will never be afraid to confront the parts of our legacy as a company that do not reflect our values today. We are committed to our ongoing evolution as a company and to driving positive change for our communities.” 

Secrets of Playboy premieres on A&E January 24 at 9 p.m. ET.