‘Secrets of Playboy’ Paints Hugh Hefner as a Rapist Monster Who Was Into Snuff Films and Bestiality
Hugh Hefner founded his Playboy empire on a supposed ethos of pro-female sexual freedom and liberation, but Secrets of Playboy paints a far uglier picture of the culture he created, and the behavior he encouraged—and participated in—during his reign. A&E’s 10-part docuseries is a no-holds-barred censure of the pipe-smoking, silk pajama-wearing mogul, casting him as a predator who personally raped, coerced, and dominated Playmates, allowed his friends and celebrities (among them Bill Cosby) to do likewise, and fashioned a cult-like environment to satisfy his incessant appetite for sex and power. Damning evidence and accusations abound in this exposé, made all the more believable by talking heads who say they experienced Hefner’s abuse first-hand, as well as by the show’s own confident willingness to, at times, include pro-Hefner voices that push back against criticisms of his conduct.
Secrets of Playboy (Jan. 24) is a sprawling affair driven by commentary from many of those who suffered at the hands of Hefner and Playboy, led by his former Playmate girlfriend Sondra Theodore, once-Director of Playmate Promotions Miki Garcia, and long-time “Bunny Mother” PJ Masten (who oversaw female staffers at the Playboy nightclubs). Along with numerous other Playmates, Playboy Mansion employees, cultural critics and journalists, they reveal a Hefner far more sinister and deviant than the cool, open-minded, swinger-ish persona he presented to the public. To them, Hefner was a “monster” who used drugs both for his own pleasure and to victimize women; forced himself on anyone he coveted and pimped out whoever he pleased to his male acquaintances; and fed upon the young and innocent like a “vampire” until their bright light had been fully extinguished.
Moreover, the series claims he was apparently a pervert with a taste for snuff films and bestiality.