Crystal Hefner Says She Was ‘Brainwashed’ By ‘Controlling’ Late Husband Hugh Hefner

Crystal Hefner’s new memoir Only Say Good Things: Surviving Playboy and Finding Myself details Hefner’s relationship with the now-deceased Playboy magazine founder.

The title of the book comes from what Hugh said to Crystal before his passing: “I want to remind you to only say good things about me.”

Hefner is going against her word by sharing the experiences she’s had and witnessed during her time at the Playboy mansion. Crystal claimed that Hugh would enforce strict rules over the girls’ physical appearances, forcing them to maintain their looks. Hugh controlled every last detail, including the type of nail polish they wore.

Crystal said that at the start of her Playboy career, she “thought [she] was on top.” As time progressed, she grew to resent the lifestyle. “I must have been brainwashed or something,” she stated.

Crystal also talked about the decay of the actual mansion, claiming that despite its elegant appearance, it was a mess in reality. She mentions in the book how it was rarely cleaned well, with mold growth and neglected animals running around.

“It was an illusion,” she said. “I don’t even know if I was happy, to be honest.”

Toward the end of Hugh’s life, Crystal said she took on a caregiver position rather than a wife, tending to her husband until he died in 2017. Over the years, many other former Playmates have come forward with their experiences with Hefner, ranging from the pressure to comply with his beauty standards to alleged unwanted sexual encounters.

In 2016, Hefner’s ex, Holly Madison, told uInterview exclusively that she was suffering from “Stockholm Syndrome” after her years in the mansion.

Madison has been vocal about her privacy and concern about the manipulation of her image. “It was really important to me because I was in such high-profile relationships, to be known for myself and not to attach myself to anybody, to be known for that person,” she told uInterview.