Hugh Hefner’s Widow Has a Reminder for Jessica Biel

Key Points:

• Crystal Harris, Hugh Hefner’s widow, urged Jessica Biel to reconsider portraying a fictionalized version of Hefner’s wife in the film Playmates, warning against romanticizing Hefner or Playboy due to Harris's own experiences of abuse and exploitation in that relationship.
• Harris shared a direct message with Biel on Instagram, highlighting allegations from herself and other women about sexual, emotional, financial abuse, coercion, drugging, and concerns involving minors linked to Hefner and Playboy.
• Jessica Biel will play a fictional character inspired by Hefner’s wives but is not portraying Harris or Hefner’s other real-life spouses; the film, directed by Lorraine Nicholson, explores a young girl’s friendship with an aspiring Playmate at the Playboy Mansion.
• Playmates, featuring Bill Pullman as Hefner and Lily-Rose Depp as the aspiring Playmate, is based partly on Nicholson’s own experiences at the Playboy Mansion, which she described as a place where she felt safe and free during her childhood.
• Harris, who was married to Hefner from 2012 until his death in 2017, released a memoir in 2024 detailing the abuse she endured, describing Hefner’s power and generosity as manipulative and controlling, and expressing feelings of imprisonment during her time at the Playboy Mansion.