For decades, Hugh Hefner ran Playboy as a groundbreaking and iconic business; one that gave opportunities to previously unknown models, and one which led many to consider him an icon.
In 2017, Playboy bid goodbye to its founder as Hefner died at the age of 91.
Just a few years later, the Playboy vision he'd presented to the world started to unravel through the documentary Secrets of Playboy.
Allegations had come out about the founder before, but few were as detailed and widely corroborated as those in the series. It presented the world with a new view of Playboy; one which painted Hefner not as a visionary, but as an abuser of power; a predator.
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UNILAD's new Stripped Back series takes us back into the Playboy Mansion, featuring interviews from former employees, a Playmate, and a girlfriend of Hefner.
While some share memories reminiscent of those told in the documentary, others claim to have very different experiences, and argue the allegations that have emerged about Hefner since his death are unfair and untrue.
Before we get into all that, though, let's take a look at the allegations that have come out about Hefner and Playboy so far.
'Hefner refused to use protection during group sex'
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Hefner's ex-girlfriend Holly Madison claimed in Secrets of Playboy Hefner 'didn't want to use protection' during group sex at the Playboy mansion; a claim backed by another of his former partners, Kristina Shannon.
"The problem is, Hef doesn't like to use protection," Kristina said. "From the butlers, we'd just order a big bowl and we'd put hot water in it. Then, we'd put rags in it. So whoever was having intercourse with him, when they were finished, they can wipe him off. And then the other girl could do it."
'Hefner offered drugs to the women in the Playboy mansion'
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Madison recalled going out with Hefner to a nightclub, where he 'leaned over and he asked if [she] wanted to take a Quaalude'.
She claimed the Playboy founder referred to the prescription sedatives as 'thigh openers', but when she turned him down he allegedly said he 'typically' didn't take them either.
Ex-girlfriend Sondra Theodore, who dated Hefner from 1976 to 1981, recalled collecting drugs for Hefner as often as once a week, while one of Hef's former assistants, Lisa Loving Barrett, said various people at the mansion would have prescriptions in their names, enabling 'four or sometimes five prescriptions for the same medication to feed the machine'.
Barrett said Quaaludes were given directly to Hefner, who kept them in his bedroom.
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'Models felt pressured to sleep with Hefner to secure the Playmate of the Year title'
Former Playboy bunny PJ Masten alleged the women in the mansion had to battle each other to be awarded the title, claiming in the documentary: "In order to get Playmate of the Year, you had to do some pretty wild things up in the bedroom with Hefner and his friends. You had to vie for that position."
Madison claimed to see this pressure firsthand, saying: "When I first arrived, it seemed like most of the women who were coming through and testing for Playmate felt like they had to sleep with him to get Playmate of the Year. Not every single one of them did; there were a few exceptions, but I think a lot of people felt like they had to."
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'Hefner filmed sexual encounters without consent'
Theodore said she noticed Hefner had been recording their sexual activity and claimed Hefner had 'tapes on everybody'.
"When we started bringing other people into the bedroom, some girls had the same reaction. And he would [say], 'Oh, I can turn it off. If it's not okay, I can turn it off,'" she recalled.
Even after claiming to turn off the camera, Theodore said Hef continued to record.
"Maybe a week later, a couple days later, all of a sudden, there's the tape," she said.
'Hefner raped women at the Playboy mansion'
Former Playmate Susie Krabacher recalled being offered a pill by Hefner, which she later realised was a Quaalade. She allegedly woke up to him raping her, claiming: "He was naked and my pants were off. I thought that I was having a nightmare … but this old man with his mouth gaping open was a real thing, was a real person. It was Hefner.”
Theodore has also claimed Hefner had a skeleton key that he 'used at will' to unlock the doors of women living at the mansion. She recalled one instance in particular when Hefner allegedly brought her to a sleeping woman’s room, unlocked the door and 'forced himself' on the woman.
Afterwards, Theodore claimed Hefner turned to her and said: “Did they think they were going to come to my house and not sleep with me?”
'Hefner attempted to initiate affairs with minors'
Jennifer Saginor, the daughter of Hefner's doctor, lived part time at the mansion when she was a child, and said in the doc that at the age of 16 she had an affair with one of Hefner’s girlfriends.
She claimed Hefner was aware of the relationship and tried initiating a threesome, despite Saginor being a minor at the time.
Hefner didn't go through with the threesome, but he apparently told Saginor: “We’re all family here.”
'Hefner was seen practicing beastiality'
Theodore described catching Hefner performing a sexual act on her dog, after which he apparently told her 'dogs have needs'.
Stefan Tetenbaum, Hefner’s former valet, also said in the documentary there was 'sex with dogs' on the property.
When contacted about the allegations made in Secrets of Playboy and by our own interviewees, a company spokesperson for Playboy told UNILAD: "The Hefner family is no longer associated with Playboy, and today’s Playboy is not Hugh Hefner’s Playboy.
"Today, our organization is run by a workforce that is more than 80% female, and we will continue to confront any parts of our legacy that do not reflect our values today, and to build upon the progress we have made as we evolve as a company so we can drive positive change for our employees and our communities."
Hear what our own interviewees have to say about their time at Playboy in our Stripped Back series from tomorrow (2 May).
Topics: Drugs, Sex and Relationships
Emily Brown