Hugh Hefner‘s ex-wife Kimberley Conrad is paying tribute to the late Playboy founder amid the ongoing controversy over Jessica Biel’s upcoming Playmates film.
“I was married to Hef for over 21 years,” Conrad, 64, wrote via Instagram on Saturday, October 10. “We shared a lifetime of beautiful memories, raised 2 wonderful sons together, and had a deeply loving bond that remained strong until his passing on September 27th, 2017 and continues with me to this day.”
The former Playmate of the Year was married to Hefner from 1989 until 2010, though they separated in 1998. They shared two sons — Young Magazine founder Marston Hefner, 36, and former Playboy Chief Creative Officer Cooper Hefner, 35.
“I often told [Hef] if you look up the word gentleman in the dictionary you would find his name and photograph,” Conrad recalled in Saturday’s post. “Hef was in every sense of the word, a true gentleman, kind, loving, generous, philanthropic, and a man of extraordinary character.”
She concluded, “Losing Hef was devastating, and his absence is still deeply felt. I had the privilege of knowing and loving the man behind the public image, and I will always treasure the life and memories we shared. I will always believe the world was a better place because he was in it. I am forever grateful and blessed.”
Conrad weighed in on her late husband’s legacy as debate swirls over Playmates, writer-director Lorraine Nicholson‘s semi-fictional movie about a 13-year-old girl (The Housemaid‘s Indiana Elle) forming an unlikely friendship with an aspiring Playmate (The Idol‘s Lily-Rose Depp) at the Playboy Mansion.
Independence Day actor Bill Pullman will play Hef, while Biel, 44, will portray a former Playmate turned Hugh’s wife. (Biel’s character will be fictional as opposed to being based on any of Hugh’s three actual wives. The Playboy founder was also married to Mildred Williams from 1949 to 1959 and — following his divorce from Conrad — was with third wife Crystal Harris from 2012 until he died in 2017.)
Harris, 40, publicly reached out to Biel earlier this week, encouraging the actress to drop out of her role in Playmates as she feared “this film intends to romanticize [Hugh] or the Playboy world.”
Crystal Harris and Hugh Hefner attend Playboy’s 2013 Playmate Of The Year luncheon. Charley Gallay/Getty Images for Playboy
“I was actually his wife, and I experienced sexual, emotional, financial and physical abuse in this relationship,” Harris wrote to Biel on Thursday, October 8.
The model alleged that “many other women have come forward with allegations of rape, coercion, drugging and exploitation” at the Playboy Mansion, including some “deeply troubling concerns” that allegedly include “minors.”
“I hope everyone involved in this film takes the time to listen to the women who lived it before helping Hollywood turn it back into nostalgia,” Harris added.
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Harris previously opened up about her experiences at the Playboy Mansion in her 2024 memoir, Only Say Good Things: Surviving Playboy and Finding Myself, alleging that her time at the mansion was “emotionally abusive and traumatizing.” (Harris was 26 and Hefner was 86 when they tied the knot in 2012.)
Holly Madison — who, along with Kendra Wilkinson and Bridget Marquardt, was one of Hef’s three girlfriends on the reality series The Girls Next Door — offered a different take on Playmates when asked about the project by TMZ on Saturday.
“I can’t wait to see it,” Madison, 46, told the outlet.
The Playmates movie does not have an official release date yet.
If you or someone you know has been sexually assaulted, contact the National Sexual Assault Hotline at 1-800-656-HOPE (4673).
