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Crystal Hefner Says Playboy Mansion Was a ‘Prison’ and That Husband Hugh Wasn’t Always ‘Good’ to Her
Crystal Hefner (née Harris) is being told to “tell her story” after discussing her time spent in the “prison” that was Playboy Mansion with her late husband, Hugh Hefner.
“I’m always torn when I talk about the Playboy Mansion because in a [lot] of ways, it was a sanctuary to me, but in other ways, it was my prison,” Crystal, 35, shared on Instagram, alongside a photo of herself outside of the Playboy Mansion in Los Angeles, California. “The same with Hef. He was good to me in many ways, but in other ways, he wasn’t. I’m still healing from certain experiences.”
“I like this photo. It was toward the end when I started saying no to things that weren’t me. Hair got more natural, implants came out. No more fake tan or life. I was still sick physically and mentally, but on the road to recovery,” the Girls Next Door alum wrote. In 2016, one year before her husband, who was 60 years her senior, died, the former “Co-ed of the Week” removed her implants due to “breast implant illness.”
Crystal began dating the founder and editor-in-chief of Playboy in 2009 after Hugh’s “number one girlfriend,” Holly Madison, ended their seven-year relationship. In 2010, the pair became engaged; however, Crystal called off the engagement in June 2011, five days before their planned ceremony. Eventually, the couple reconciled and were wed in December 2012. They were married until his death in 2017 at the age of 91.
“It feels very contradictory at times to reflect back. I really want to start opening up and being honest with you guys about it,” Crystal shared with over three million of her followers.
The comment section of her post was flooded with support, including one person sharing, “It’s ok to hold multiple emotions around certain people and experiences. Here for you.”
“Tell your story,” a follower wrote. “I love you and the journey you’re on. Your soul is flourishing more than it ever had before and I love this new and better you! We love the raw real stuff. I don’t think we as a society get that anymore so it’s refreshing when people finally reveal what is actually going on behind the scenes to shed light on so many issues … Keep flourishing!”
Jennifer Saginor, the daughter of Hugh’s personal physician, recently described her life as a child who roamed the estate of the Playboy Mansion.
“At age 6, I would walk into these scenarios where people were in the Grotto involved in group sex,” Jennifer, 51, said during her appearance on The Doctors, which aired on October 25.
Jennifer detailed the drug use in the mansion and admitted that, by 11, she was “very addicted” to prescription medications.
“The loyalty was always supposed to be to the men, not to the women,” she claimed in a sneak peek clip obtained exclusively by In Touch before the interview aired, alleging that Hefner French-kissed her when she was a kid. “I thought it was weird as a child. I just knew most men didn’t kiss like that.”
Jennifer also spoke about the lifestyle at the Playboy Mansion, mentioning the “cult-like” mentality.
Holly, 41, also spoke of the “cultish” rules.
“It’s a very cult-like atmosphere anyway and you’re manipulated to feel that way, but on top of it, my own shame kept me there too. I just couldn’t really imagine a life outside of there,” the Down the Rabbit Hole: Curious Adventures and Cautionary Tales of a Former Playboy Bunny author said in April on the “Call Her Daddy” podcast. “Imagine having sex with somebody in a room full of women who all hate you and you know they’re all talking s—t about you. Like, how horrible? It was gross.”
“I didn’t realize that getting into the Playboy world was a dangerous choice,” Holly said in the upcoming documentary series Secrets of Playboy.
She explained that women in the mansion were given an “allowance” of $1,000 per week to spend on clothes; however, if they were saving the money, other women would inform Hugh’s secretaries. She added that living in the mansion felt like a “life sentence.”
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