Latest news with #HughHefner
USA Today
4 days ago
- Entertainment
- USA Today
Here's why Crystal Hefner changed her name
We've seen some name changes in celebrities as of late, and this is one to add to the pile: Crystal Hefner -- the model who was a widow of Hugh Hefner, the famed late Playboy publisher -- has changed her name. Per People: "According to court documents filed on Thursday, June 13, the model and television personality has officially petitioned to change her name from Crystal Margaret Hefner back to her maiden name, Crystal Margaret Harris." Why would she change her name? She's spoken about her name it on Instagram in a post on June 13. Here's what she had to say in that lengthy post: I did accomplish things with the Hefner name. I made eight figures. I launched businesses. I found a version of here's the thing—none of that was ever about the was about me. And now, I want my name Margaret Harris. Not because I'm ashamed of who I was—but because I finally know who I am. There's your answer!
New York Post
4 days ago
- Entertainment
- New York Post
Hugh Hefner's widow, Crystal, files to legally ditch his last name
What's in a name? Hugh Hefner's widow, formerly known as Crystal Hefner, 39, is now going back to her maiden name. She filed a petition in Los Angeles Superior Court to legally change her name from Crystal Margaret Hefner to Crystal Margaret Harris, reported Us Weekly. 'I am a widow and reclaiming my maiden name,' the former Playboy model reportedly wrote in her filing. 9 Hugh Hefner and Crystal Hefner at Playboy Mansion's Annual Halloween Bash on October 25, 2014. Getty Images for Playboy The playboy mogul died in 2017 at 91. Harris was Hefner's third wife – the former couple, who had a 60-year age gap, were married from 2012 until his death. In her 2024 memoir, 'Only Say Good Things: Surviving Playboy and Finding Myself,' she wrote, 'I was never in love with Hef, but I loved this old man in the ways you are supposed to love your elders.' Her name change comes ahead of her upcoming nuptials to microbiologist James Ward. 9 Hugh Hefner poses with Playboy Bunnies Playmate of the Year 2013 Raquel Pomplun (2nd L) and Crystal Hefner at Playboy's 60th Anniversary special event on January 16, 2014. Getty Images for Playboy 9 Crystal Hefner at the Premiere of 'My Truth: The Rape Of Two Coreys' at Directors Guild Of America on March 9, 2020. Getty Images In a lengthy Instagram post in June, Harris spoke out about her desire to return to her maiden name. 'To everyone I've had to block: I'm exhausted. If you've harassed me, you're gone. I don't owe anyone access to my peace,' she wrote. 'But to those who are here with open hearts, who genuinely support my journey — thank you.' 9 Crystal Harris, formerly Hefner, in April 2025. crystalhefner/Instagram 9 Hugh Hefner and Crystal Harris celebrate Hefner's 85th birthday April 9, 2011 in Las Vegas, Nevada. WireImage She explained, 'The media and the trolls of the world told me I wasn't enough without the name, without the house, without the image. I came from nothing. I had spent a lifetime feeling small. So I clung to the story I was fed. And it worked — for a while.' She added that, under the Hefner name, she made 'eight figures' and 'launched businesses.' 'But here's the thing — none of that was ever about the name,' she said. 9 Crystal Hefner attends GBK Brand Bar Pre-Oscar luxury lounge at Beverly Wilshire, on March 8, 2024 in Beverly Hills, California. Getty Images for GBK Brand Bar The star continued, 'It was about me. And now, I want my name back. Crystal Margaret Harris. Not because I'm ashamed of who I was — but because I finally know who I am.' In a 2024 interview with People, Harris said she 'lost herself' in her relationship with the Playboy founder. 'At the time I thought I was on top. I thought, 'Wow, if I just like everything that he likes and do all the things that he wants me to do, then I'm the favorite.' And I was, but I just lost myself in the process.' 9 Hugh Hefner and Crystal Harris celebrate Hugh Hefner's 84th birthday on April 10, 2010 in Las Vegas, Nevada. WireImage 'I realized I was dealing with a really big power imbalance,' Crystal said. 'It seemed like a world of success and fantasy, but everyone's having to sleep with an 80-year-old. There's a price. Everything has a price.' The former Playboy Playmate of the Month also divulged how restrictive the lifestyle at the mansion was for her and the other Bunnies while under Hefner's roof. 9 Crystal Harris on the cover of the July 2011 Playboy magazine. Playboy She added that he would give each of his 'girlfriends' an allowance that he handed to them in neat bills. Harris recalled that when her natural brown hair started to show its roots beneath the blonde dye, 'I'd have to go bleach it and it would burn my scalp and I'd have blisters.' 'But for some reason, I thought this was all normal and that's what it meant to be seen as beautiful in Hef's eyes.' 9 Karissa Shannon, Kristina Shannon, Hugh Hefner and Crystal Harris at AFI Lifetime Achievement Award: A Tribute to Michael Douglas on June 11, 2009 in Culver City, California. Getty Images Hefner's former girlfriend, Holly Madison, 45, had a similar sentiment, exclusively telling The Post in April that the Playboy mansion felt like a 'cult.' 'You can't even say — not even something bad, but you can even say something bad-adjacent about him without being like, excommunicated,' Madison said. In July 2023, Harris told The Post why she decided to name her book 'Only Say Good Things.' Hefner's widow revealed that she once had 'a conversation with Hef and he let me know: 'Once I go, when I'm gone, please only say good things about me.'' She explained, 'I kept that promise for the last five years. After going through a lot of therapy and healing, I realized that I needed to be honest about my time there. The book is about healing from a toxic environment.'
Daily Mail
4 days ago
- Entertainment
- Daily Mail
Hugh Hefner's widow makes shock decision eight YEARS after the controversial Playboy founder's death
Crystal Hefner, the widow of Playboy founder Hugh Hefner, has officially taken legal steps to change her name, nearly eight years after her husband's death. On June 13, 2025, she filed a petition in Los Angeles Superior Court to revert to her maiden name, Crystal Margaret Harris. The filing, which was reviewed by People, indicates that she is seeking to resume the name she held before her marriage to Hugh Hefner. No court hearing date was listed in the petition, but under California law, a legal name change typically requires public notice and a formal hearing before it can be finalized. A lawyer representing Crystal declined to comment on the matter when approached by the outlet. Daily Mail has also reached out to Crystal's rep. Crystal, now 39, was married to Hugh Hefner from 2012 until his death in 2017. In the years that followed, she continued to use the Hefner name in public, but recent actions suggest a clear shift toward redefining her personal identity. Before marrying Hefner, Crystal gained recognition as a Playboy model and television personality under her birth name. Since his passing, she has gradually stepped away from the spotlight to focus on a more private life centered around personal growth and healing. In previous interviews, Crystal discussed the emotional challenges she faced during her time in the Playboy world and her journey toward self-discovery. Speaking with NPR in January 2024, she recalled struggling with her identity after leaving the Playboy Mansion, describing the process as 'depressing and sad,' but ultimately empowering. 'I feel like I'm finally reclaiming myself and my power,' she said during the interview. Crystal also shared that she purchased a farm in Hawaii, where she now enjoys a peaceful lifestyle focused on nature, simplicity, and freedom. She expressed a desire to eventually marry again and start a family. 'I do hope to get married one day and have children,' she said to NPR. In April 2024, Crystal became engaged to James Ward, who proposed at her Hawaii home with a six-carat, vintage mine-cut diamond ring. The couple began dating earlier that year after being introduced by mutual friends. It is not clear if she will change her name again to become Crystal Ward following the nuptials. The same year as her engagement, Crystal released her memoir Only Say Good Things: Surviving Playboy and Finding Myself. In her memoir, she detailed traumas she faced in the Playboy mansion including having a 6pm curfew, witnessing Hugh's alleged opiate addiction, and having to 'beg' for an allowance.
Daily Mail
7 days ago
- Entertainment
- Daily Mail
Former Playboy model Holly Madison steps out with a bandage wrapped around her head in LA
Former Playboy model Holly Madison sparked plastic surgery rumors as she stepped out in Los Angeles on Monday. The 45-year-old Playboy Murders producer-host had a compression bandage wrapped around her head, which are typically worn to manage swelling, bruising, and pain - particularly after surgery or injury. Holly's ex-boyfriend Hugh Hefner previously paid for her to undergo rhinoplasty and breast augmentation during their seven-year open relationship (2001-2008), and she recently confessed that she wanted to tighten her jawline. 'I can't think of anything I want surgery for other than like tightening my jawline,' Madison revealed on the June 23rd episode of her podcast Girls Next Level. 'It's not like my jawline sucks or anything. I can just see where it's kind of headed and I kind of want to get ahead of it, so I would like to do that eventually. That's kind of on my wish list.' The Fashion Nova paid partner's belly was stretched after welcoming two children - daughter Rainbow, 12; and son Forest, turning 9 next month - during her five-year marriage to Insomniac CEO Pasquale Rotella, which ended in 2018 (divorce finalized in 2019). 'I looked like I was pregnant with triplets,' Holly groaned of her second pregnancy. 'I looked like a parody of a pregnant person, so I've got a lot of loose skin a lot of places.' Madison (born Hollin Sue Cullen) continued: 'I would just love if they could figure out some way for like skin tightening or rejuvenation.' The Lethally Blonde host also revealed that the person who injects her Botox recommended that she have C02 laser resurfacing treatment under her eyes. 'It [requires so much] downtime I might do it like right before Christmas,' Holly teased. 'And then [I will] just be like home with family and nobody cares what I look like kind of a thing. He told me to definitely wait until summer's over.' Madison co-hosts Girls Next Level, now in its fourth season, with her former Girls Next Door co-star Bridget Marquardt. Back in 2005, the platinum-blonde pair along with Kendra Wilkinson were paid nothing to star in the 15-episode first season of their E! reality show, which eventually ran for six total seasons. Holly groaned of her second pregnancy: 'I looked like I was pregnant with triplets...I looked like a parody of a pregnant person, so I've got a lot of loose skin a lot of places' The Lethally Blonde star co-hosts Girls Next Level, now in its fourth season, with her former Girls Next Door co-star Bridget Marquardt (L) Holly first moved into the Playboy Mansion in 2001, at age 22, and Hefner went on to control her finances, job opportunities, imposed a strict $1K clothing allowances and 9pm curfews, and pressured her to engage in twice-a-week group sex sessions. 'I definitely thought I was in love with Hef,' Madison recalled in the A&E documentary series Secrets of Playboy in 2022. 'But it was very Stockholm syndrome, very Stockholm syndrome.' The Playboy founder eventually passed away, age 91, in 2017 from sepsis brought on by an E. coli infection. As for her personal life, the Oregon-born beauty ended her on/off six-year relationship with Zak Bagans last March, and she's since accused him of cheating on her with 12 different women.
Daily Mail
09-07-2025
- Entertainment
- Daily Mail
Kendra Wilkinson, 40, reveals she's 'no longer interested in men' after heartbreak from Hugh Hefner and Hank Baskett
Kendra Wilkinson used to date one of the most famous men in the world: Playboy founder Hugh Hefner. And then the pinup model wed football star Hank Baskett, 42, whom she divorced in 2018 after nine years of marriage. But these days the 40-year-old Girls Next Door veteran has sworn off men, and it's for a relatable reason. Instead of getting involved in a romance, she wants to make as much money as she can in her new career as a real estate agent in Los Angeles. Kendra made the comments in a new Instagram post: 'I appreciate all the love and support,' began her message on Insta Stories. 'I don't have interest in men at the moment. Just work. Thank you for supporting my business,' added the Kendra On Top. But these days the 40-year-old Girls Next Door veteran has sworn off men, and it's for a relatable reason. 'I don't have interest in men at the moment. Just work. Thank you for supporting my business,' added the Kendra On Top Wilkinson was in a tank top and slacks with a clover necklace as she stood on a yacht. 'Been having a lot of fun lately,' she added. 'Love being a mom. Love being single. Love aging. Love real estate. Love my body the way it is. Zero f**** given.' The cover girl also wrote over another photo, 'Reach out if you're looking into selling or buying.' Then there was this cheerful entry: 'I hope you guys are having a great summer!' And she finished with: 'You can support me by referring me to friends who are looking into moving. Thank you.' She has two children with Hank: Hank Jr, 15, and Alijah, 11. Kendra has frequently reflected on moving into the Playboy Mansion at the tender age of 18. In 2004, the star moved from San Diego to Los Angeles to become one of Hugh Hefner's three live-in girlfriends alongside Holly Madison and Bridget Marquardt. And during a chat with Fox News Digital, the blonde revealed the one regret she has about her four years in the sprawling abode. She told the outlet: 'The only thing I can say I regret in my life is not starting my real estate career while I was living at the Playboy Mansion.' The former lingerie model explained: 'I was surrounded by everyone - every celebrity, every billionaire, and what was I thinking? But I'm now in real estate, so I'm good.' Kendra made the comments in a new Instagram post: 'I appreciate all the love and support,' began her message on Insta Stories Then there was this cheerful entry: 'I hope you guys are having a great summer!' And she finished with: 'You can support me by referring me to friends who are looking into moving. Thank you' Kendra rose to fame on the E! unscripted series The Girls Next Door, which followed her life as one of Hefner's girlfriends. The show lasted for six seasons between 2005 and 2010, and she lived at the famous estate from 2004 to 2009. She began her real estate career when she got her license in 2020 and joined fellow reality star realtor Mauricio Umansky's The Agency. A docuseries dubbed Kendra Sells Hollywood on Discovery+ showcased her struggles as a new agent in the bustling industry. It lasted for two seasons from 2021 to 2023. The star told People last November that she was 'off mentally' while filming the show. She shared at the time: 'I feel a little regret filming my last show because I wasn't really ready. 'I was a little off mentally, and I wasn't prepared to be on a camera just yet. I wasn't fully healed or there yet. Now I feel there.' In March, Kendra spoke with Amy Robach and T.J. Holmes on their self-titled podcast, and she referred to her time being married as the 'happiest days of my entire life.' She emphasized: 'And so when those days came to an end, I crumbled so hard, and it almost killed me. It almost killed me,' Kendra elaborated: 'I left the Playboy Mansion at age 23, got pregnant, got married at the age of 23, then started my life as a wife and a mother, and it was the golden years of my life.' Looking back at her choice to settle down with Hank, she affirmed: 'It was the right timing. I found myself so bored at the Playboy Mansion. 'I was just like, "I'm ready to leave this place. I'm ready to start a family. I'm ready for the lifestyle: My kids go to a great school. I'm a soccer mom. I'm a softball mom. I'm a basketball mom."' She added: 'I manifested it, and it came to me, and I met the perfect man, the man of my dreams.' The mom-of-two heaped praise on her ex, noting, 'Even though we're divorced, he's the father of my kids, and he's the most amazing father to my kids, and I know I chose right with him.'
