Crystal Harris isn’t letting ANYONE derail her post-Playboy journey of growth.
On Tuesday, the former Playboy Bunny took to Instagram to reflect on her regrets. As we know, she married Playboy founder Hugh Hefner in 2012 when she was 26 and he was 86. She said in her video:
“Do I regret marrying Hugh Hefner? Of course I do. And that’s not because of where it brought me. I’m grateful for the woman I became on the other side of it. But yes, I regret it. I regret being in my mid-20s and thinking that marrying one of the most famous men in the world meant that I had finally made it. That I finally mattered or had value.”
She continued:
“I regret the years that I spent making myself smaller so his world could feel bigger. I regret learning to stay quiet when I should have spoken. I regret the version of myself that I had to abandon just to survive in that environment. I regret that it took me as long as it did to understand what was actually happening for years. And I think a lot of people expected me to never say that out loud, to stay in the story that was written for me; the grateful, young wife, the lucky girl. But I’m done living in that story. Yes, I regret it. And saying that out loud is one of the most honest things I’ve ever done.”
In early 2024, Crystal released her memoir Only Say Good Things: Surviving Playboy and Finding Myself, in which she detailed the not-so-glamorous parts of living in the Playboy mansion and being married to Hugh, who died at 91 years old in 2017. You can read all about that HERE and HERE.
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In the comments section of her video, stand-up comedian and Friends guest star Jon Lovitz criticized the now-40-year-old for using Hugh’s money after his death:
“Do you regret the house he bought for you to live in, after his death? And keeping the money, after you sold it? And all the times your mother was at the mansion?”
According to reports, per their prenuptial agreement, Crystal received a $5 million lump sum upon Hugh’s death in addition to a Hollywood Hills mansion he bought for her in 2013, which she went on to sell for another $5 million. Jon added:
“And do you regret all he did for you? And do you regret leaving him and then coming back to marry him?”
Yeesh. Clearly he’s having a difficult time appreciating Crystal’s journey! But just because she’s in a healing era doesn’t mean she’s opposed to defending herself.
In an interview with DailyMail.com published on Thursday, the model addressed Jon’s comments with a pointed response:
“People often reduce my marriage to assumptions about financial benefit, but that overlooks the reality of what I experienced. My reflections aren’t motivated by money or resentment, but by honesty. I’m at a point in my life where I’m no longer afraid to speak openly about my own experiences, and I think there’s value in that conversation.”
Well said. Crystal went on to claim Jon was once “the Playboy Mansion’s biggest customer.”
“It’s disappointing to see someone who spent time enjoying that environment criticize a woman for speaking honestly about her own life.”
Dayum! She went on:
“For years, there was an expectation that women should stay quiet to protect powerful men or preserve a certain image. I’m simply no longer willing to do that.”
Good for her for reclaiming her story and NOT letting anyone dim her light.
As a final dig, Crystal pointed out Jon’s dog allegedly peed inside the famous Playboy mansion on several occasions:
“We had also asked that Jon’s adorable rescue dog, Jerry, not come back to the mansion because he repeatedly urinated on the curtains and damaged the property.”
Yikes! She ended off:
“Whether that contributed to his feelings toward me, I can’t say. I don’t have any ill will toward Jon, and I genuinely wish him well.”
On Thursday, she returned to Instagram to thank the DM for helping share her story before going on to further blast Jon:
“Jon was not an above board person at the mansion (I’m sure it’s obvious by now that no men visitors were). By him commenting on my video and life it just shows that his ‘heyday’ or the good old days weren’t so good, and I’m triggering and challenging that for him.”
She continued:
“It was sad to watch young women feel they had to entertain unwanted gestures and bad jokes because these men were Hef-adjacent. I also thought his dog was adorable but I had enough of the filth of the mansion by that point and just couldn’t handle more mess.”
The model, who has since re-married with marine biologist James Ward, went on to address financial speculation:
“Also whatever financial information is going around on the internet isn’t anything that has ever been verified or true. People just love to run with any rumor as fact. Talk to the people before believing things blindly. Getting into a fight with a random comedian wasn’t on my bingo card for this week but I hope the man realizes there are two sides to a story. He was there for dinner and a movie. I was there 24/7. I think if we swapped places and he had to go upstairs, he would be singing a more empathetic tune. Thank you.”
See her full post (below):
Powerful words!
What do YOU make of this situation, Perezcious readers? Sound OFF in the comments down below.
[Images via Crystal Harris/Instagram & FayesVision/MEGA/WENN]