Crystal Hefner Weighs In on Explosive Allegations Against Husband Hugh

Crystal Hefner wrote that her late husband, Hugh Hefner, kept "thousands" of photos of various women. She said she "destroyed every single one" of the disposable camera photos.

Crystal Hefner has weighed in on the explosive new TV series about her late husband, Hugh Hefner.

The 35-year-old model spoke out on Twitter to address some of the allegations in the A&E docuseries Secrets of Playboy, which premiered Jan. 24. 

She seemed to reference one of former Playboy bunny Holly Madison's claims in the documentary involving a stash of photos.

Onscreen, Madison said she was "afraid" to leave the Playboy Mansion, because Hugh allegedly had "a mountain of revenge porn waiting to come out." She said she thought about killing herself, but eventually found a new "sense of purpose" by starring on The Girls Next Door from 2005 to 2009.

After the docuseries premiered, Crystal said that Hugh kept images of women.

While not mentioning the show directly, she tweeted, "I found thousands of those disposable camera photos you are talking about @hollymadison." 

Crystal, who has also spoken out about feeling like the mansion was akin to a "prison," said that she got rid of Hugh's stash. "I immediately ripped them up and destroyed every single one of them for you and the countless other women in them," she shared. "They're gone."

Holly responded to her co-star with a simple "Thank you."

Last year, Crystal reflected on her time with Playboy by posting a photo of herself at the mansion in 2016. She recalled, "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."

This week, the A&E series uncovered more allegations about the publishing empire. Among the bombshells were claims that Hugh had blackmail on people that lived in the house, pressured women into getting plastic surgery and was allegedly involved in trafficking drugs.

Hugh's son Cooper Hefner publicly defended him in light of the recent claims. "Some may not approve of the life my Dad chose, but my father was not a liar," he wrote on Twitter. "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."

Playboy itself also issued a statement after an early teaser showed Holly saying that the mansion was "cult-like" and the women were all "gaslit." The company responded in part, "The Hefner family is no longer associated with Playboy, and today's Playboy is not Hugh Hefner's Playboy. We trust and validate these women and their stories and we strongly support those individuals who have come forward to share their experiences."

Playboy additionally published an open letter calling for its team to listen as "these women share their stories."

Read through the allegations below.  

Hefner had blackmail on those who lived in the house, according to numerous people:

In episode one, bunny mother PJ Masten alleges that Hefner had sex tapes of women as "collateral." His ex-girlfriend Sondra Theodore adds, "The thing is, he had tapes on everybody." Hefner's former security guard, Stefan Tetenbaum, says that it wasn't just sexual in nature: "Every place had microphones and little cameras... we had to be very careful because we knew we were being monitored." In episode 10, Miki Garcia and Theodore reveal that they were told in the case of Hefner's death, his executive secretary Mary O'Connor was instructed to "destroy" all sex tapes. Former executive assistant Lisa Loving Barrett says that she was told they were put in a barrel and thrown out to sea.

Holly Madison doesn’t think she actually loved Hefner:

In the past, the bunny used to say she wanted to marry and have kids with Hefner, but she now says, "I think I definitely thought I was in love with Hef but it was very Stockholm Syndrome." Madison adds that she used to think everyone disliked her because they were jealous but later realized "Hef always pits the main girlfriend against the other girls." Theodore thought he did this intentionally, speculating, "If everyone's a little unsure of themselves, he can get his way."

Holly alleges were pressured into getting plastic surgery:

Madison says that Hefner expected all the women to look a certain way, claiming, "The plastic surgery amongst the girlfriends in the mansion was compulsive, everybody was doing it with very few exceptions." According to numerous individuals, Hefner would tell the women they weren't "photogenic enough" and then pay for them to go under the knife. Madison later rebelled against Hefner by cutting her hair, which angered him, according to Madison and Marquardt.

In 2008, Madison left after Hefner became “even meaner”:

According to Marquardt, Hefner was "pretty abrasive in the way he said things to Holly" and would berate her for her appearances. Eventually, Madison wanted to leave but she was "afraid" to, because he had "a mountain of revenge porn waiting to come out." She contemplated committing suicide but the Girls Next Door series "saved" her because she felt she had a "sense of purpose."

Playboy bunnies were targeted by club members:

Former security guard Jim Ellis and bunny mother PJ Masten claim that the women who worked at Playboy clubs were vulnerable to the club members, alleging that the women were often drugged and assaulted by men who frequented the clubs. In one 1978 incident, six Playboy bunnies were kidnapped, drugged and raped while held captive in New Jersey, according to The New York Times. Masten said at least 40 to 50 women were assaulted, but they were not allowed to report crimes to police or take victims to the hospital. Masten said she was a member of the "cleanup crew," who made sure assaults weren't shared with the public.

Bobbie Arnstein and Adrienne Pollack were accused of trafficking drugs for Hugh Hefner:

The DEA and FBI were convinced that there was rampant drug use going on in the Playboy Mansion, so they targeted Hefner's secretary, Bobbie Arnstein. When the FBI arrested Arnstein, they found cocaine in her purse and tried to make her flip on Hefner. Playmate Adrienne Pollack had previously died of a drug overdose, but the authorities reopened the case after rumors surfaced that she and Arnstein were supplying drugs to the bunnies. According to the New York Times, Hefner said that the FBI was on a "witch hunt" and there is no truth to the rumors. Arnstein later committed suicide in January 1975, at which point the FBI's case went cold. Now, Hefner's ex Sondra Theodore claims that she was "a drug mule" for Hefner, saying in episode four, "Luckily, I had angels watching over me and I never got caught."

Hefner’s sexual desires were fleeting and he always had to find “something naughtier,” according to Theodore:

The ex-girlfriend claims that their sex lives became increasingly wild and she once walked in on him having sex with their dog. "I couldn't believe what I was seeing," she says, adding that she never left him alone with their dog again. PJ Masten alleges that they made porn star Linda Lovelace perform oral sex on a German Shepard, which Theodore was also present for. Shortly after that, Theodore broke up with Hefner but she remains traumatized by the things she witnessed.

Women were pressured into sleeping with Hefner if they wanted to be Playmate of the Year:

Madison recalls most of the women feeling pressured to sleep with Hefner if they wanted to be considered for Playmate of the Year, claiming, "Not every single one of them did, there were a few exceptions, but I think a lot of people felt like they had to."

Hefner allegedly "pimped" bunnies out to VIPs who drugged them, the latter of which Miki Garcia testified about in front of Congress:

According to playboy Dona Speir, it was commonplace for the women to be hired to entertain the high rollers during events, claiming, "It was like they were pimping us out." Former playmate Christy Thom adds that it felt like they were "prostitutes." In 1985, Miki Garcia testified in front of the U.S. Commission on Pornography, claiming that "more than one" playmate participated in an international call-girl ring, according to The Chicago Tribune. In episode seven, Miki claims that women were being "coerced into terrible things" by Hefner and other Playboy staff, who "trapped" the models with "unfair" contracts.

Holly Madison, Page Young and more claim Hugh Hefner was aware of assaults against playmates:

Hefner's former bodyguard Jim Ellis said that Bill Cosby's arrest wasn't a "surprise," claiming, "Everybody that worked at the mansion knew that he was basically a predator." Masten claims in episode eight that she told her boss but was warned that she'd lose her job if she told Hefner. 

Hugh Hefner had a romantic relationship with Dr. Mark Saginor:

Saginor's daughter Jennifer says in episode nine that Hefner was in love with his personal doctor, Mark Saginor, who was arrested on charges of assault (the charges were later dropped). "What I've realized over time is that their connection was much more than just best friends," Jennifer says. "It's my personal belief that the love of Hef's life was my father." Sondra Theodore also claims that Hefner and Saginor were "lovers."

There were “shadow mansions” where women were drugged and assaulted:

Jennifer Saginor claims in episode nine that there were "shadow mansions" that emulated the Playboy mansion. And though Hefner settled down with wife Kimberly Conrad, the mini mansions continued to flourish, with Saginor claiming that the men would set up "fake photoshoots," where they'd promise aspiring models potential contracts. Saginor alleges that the nude photos and videos that were taken of the women were used to blackmail them into having sex with guests.