EXCLUSIVE: Hugh Hefner Family War — Inside Playboy Mogul's Loved Ones' Battle to Kill Claims 'He Was a Secret Pedophile'
Playboy founder Hugh Hefner's estate has slammed 'outrageous' claims made by the porn titan's widow Crystal Harris.
Feb. 27 2026, Published 8:00 p.m. ET
Hugh Hefner's sons are waging war to fight the porn titan's widow Crystal Harris, who claims the late Playboy founder left behind thousands of scrapbooks containing indecent – and potentially illegal – images, escalating a bitter family dispute over his legacy.
And RadarOnline.com can now reveal all the gory details of the battle.
Crystal Harris Seeks Investigation Into Hefner Scrapbooks
Hugh Hefner died in 2017 at the age of 91, leaving behind a $43million fortune.
Harris, 39, who married Hefner in 2012 when she was 26 and he was 86, recently held a press conference alongside attorney Gloria Allred, announcing legal complaints and seeking an investigation into roughly 3,000 scrapbooks she says chronicle private sexual encounters.
Hefner died in 2017, aged 91, of heart failure and septicemia after contracting E. coli, leaving a reported $43million fortune. The scrapbooks, reportedly stored in California, span decades beginning in the 1960s.
Harris has petitioned the attorneys general of California and Illinois to examine how the materials are stored and whether they contain non-consensual or underage images.
She said: "It is critical for the public to understand that I am not referring to images that appeared in magazines. My focus is on how Hugh Hefner's personal scrapbooks chronicle private moments that took place behind closed doors."
The Hugh M. Hefner Foundation removed Crystal Harris from her position as CEO this month.
She added: "There are serious and unresolved concerns about the scope of what these books contain. The materials span decades, beginning in the 1960s, and may include images of girls who were underage at the time and could not consent to how their images would be retained or controlled.
"They may also contain images of women who did not consent to their images being taken in the first place. The scrapbooks include nude images, images taken before and after sexual activity, and other deeply intimate moments.
"This is not historical documentation. This is the cataloging and objectification of women's most private details."
Harris said she feared digital misuse if the material left secure storage.
She said: "I am deeply worried about these images getting out. Artificial intelligence, deepfakes, digital scanning, online marketplaces, and data breaches mean that once images leave secure custody – the harm is irreversible. A single security failure could devastate thousands of lives."
Hefner's Sons Deny Allegations
Hefner’s sons defended their father’s archive as a significant 'historical record.'
Now Hef's sons Marston Hefner, 35, and Cooper Hefner, 34, have responded in a statement, saying they had reviewed the archive extensively.
The brothers said: "In response to recent public comments made by Crystal Harris regarding our father, Hugh Hefner, and his scrapbooks, we have personally reviewed these materials extensively over many years, as have numerous historians, filmmakers, and journalists, including those who have both celebrated and critically examined his life's work.
"Over more than a quarter century of familiarity with these materials, we have never seen inappropriate images of minors, as has been suggested.
"The scrapbooks document decades of personal, professional, and family history. Our father lived much of his life publicly and assembled these materials as a historical record, with the intention that they ultimately be preserved and reviewed in full context, not hidden or concealed."
The brothers added: "We believe claims of this magnitude should be supported by evidence and precision, not implication without proof. We support the preservation of the scrapbooks in partnership with a university or museum, along with responsible public access consistent with his long-standing wishes."
Foundation Fallout and Memoir Tensions
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Crystal Harris published her memoir, 'Only Say Good Things,' in 2024 to detail her marriage.
Harris also alleged she was removed from the Hugh M. Hefner Foundation after raising concerns.
She said: "Though I declined to resign my position… in direct response to my escalating concerns regarding the handling of private photos contained in the scrapbooks, I was unilaterally removed from my position as the Chief Executive Officer/President of the Foundation."
The dispute follows years of public tension. In 2024, Harris published her memoir Only Say Good Things: Surviving Playboy And Finding Myself, alleging she felt imprisoned during her marriage.
Marston later criticized her on the Girls Next Level podcast, claiming Hefner altered his will while "sick" and "dosed with f------ medication."
Harris hit back by saying: "I feel that obviously he has a lot of pain and hurt still from the relationship or lack thereof with his father… I was married to him. I was closest to Hef."
A source told us: "This war will not go away anytime soon. Crystal is essentially branding Hugh a predator and pedophile. It's another sad chapter after his end."
