[imagesource: Kristian Dowling]

When Hugh Hefner, the bachelor baron of Playboy Magazine, decided bedding his bodacious bunnies had become too boring, he moved into the realm of other, far more sinister fantasies.

The explosive claims made in the A&E docuseries Secrets of Playboy, which debuted last night in the US, include those of bestiality, snuff films, as well as drugging, grooming, and secretly filming the bunnies in the mansion.

That’s a whole lot more than what we showed you in some of the sneak peek videos of the docuseries a while back, which had horrendous revelations from two of his former girlfriends, Holly Madison and Sondra Theodore.

The damning 10-part series unmasks the ugly truth about Hugh, once celebrated as the man who awakened the sexual revolution, but who really built his sex empire on the backs of vulnerable women.

Various women interviewed in the docuseries referred to Hugh as a “vampire” who manipulated and coerced young women, a “predator” who took anything he wanted, and a “monster” because of the things he was turned on by.

Give the season preview a quick watch before diving into the rest:

Multiple women spoke about Hefner’s stockpile of Quaaludes, which he would keep in his bedroom and hand out to women who came to the mansion.

That’s the same sedative that many of Bill Cosby’s accusers allege was used on them.

The Telegraph reported that Playboy Magazine, which is now publically owned, has tried to distance itself from its founder as the docuseries “forced a fresh reassessment” of everything:

“Today’s Playboy is not Hugh Hefner’s Playboy. We trust and validate these women and their stories and we strongly support those individuals who have come forward to share their experiences,” Playboy said in a statement ahead of the show’s broadcast on Monday night.

Hefner and his family are no longer associated with Playboy, the PLBY Group leadership team would like everyone to know.

Hefner’s estate sold its remaining Playboy shares of 33%, worth $35 million and split between Hefner’s widow and his four children, after he died in 2017 at age 91.

Playboy’s statement goes on:

“As a brand with sex positivity at its core, we believe safety, security, and accountability are paramount. The most important thing we can do right now is actively listen and learn from their experiences.”

“We will never be afraid to confront the parts of our legacy as a company that do not reflect our values today. As an organisation with a more than 80 per cent female workforce, we are committed to our ongoing evolution as a company and to driving positive change for our communities.”

Meanwhile, Hugh’s 30-year-old son, Cooper Hefner, is defending his father on Twitter, saying that although his father lived an unconventional lifestyle, he was never a liar.

He concluded by calling these “salacious stories… a case study of regret becoming revenge”.

[source:telegraph]