Hugh Hefner's widow warns of diaries containing nude photos of women

Crystal Hefner, the widow of late Playboy founder Hugh Hefner, is sounding the alarm on thousands of his personal scrapbooks potentially becoming public.

In a statement through her lawyer, Gloria Allred, Hefner revealed that she had filed regulatory complaints with the attorneys general of both California and Illinois over a foundation in her husband's name that allegedly possesses scrapbooks containing intimate images of scads of women, including herself.

Allred slammed the potential release of "approximately 3,000 personal scrapbooks containing thousands of nude images of women, as well as Hefner's diary containing highly personal information regarding his sexual exploits, including names of women he slept with, notes describing the sex acts they performed, and in some instances, even information tracking women's menstrual cycles."

Hefner, a magazine magnate and businessman, made womanizing his brand with the launch of Playboy in the early 1950s. He wed Crystal, his third wife, in 2012. Heralded by some as a pioneer in sexual politics, his contributions have been derided by others as misogynistic and promoting a culture of abuse.

"It is our honor to represent Crystal Hefner, who is not only Hugh Hefner's widow, but she is also a brilliant and outspoken advocate for women's rights," Allred wrote in a statement. "Crystal did not consent to having her intimate images stored by and accessible to the Foundation, and we believe that many of the other women and/or girls depicted did not consent either."

According to Allred, Crystal Hefner was removed as the chief executive officer of the Hugh M. Hefner Foundation after she voiced concern over publishing the diaries. A one-time Playboy playmate, Crystal Hefner's chief concerns are that some of the photographs could be of minors, or could have been taken while adult women were intoxicated and unable to give consent.

USA TODAY has reached out to the Hugh M. Hefner Foundation for comment.

In her own statement, Crystal Hefner said she was speaking on behalf of the women depicted in the scrapbooks, who, unlike some in Hefner's magazines, had not consented to having their images shared with the public.

"They contain intimate material involving women who are now mothers, grandmothers, professionals, and private citizens who have spent decades building their lives with no idea these images were still being hoarded," she said. "This is not historical documentation. This is the cataloging and objectification of women's most private details."

Chiding the foundation's "hypocrisy" for their professed support of civil liberties, Hefner voiced concern that with the rise of deepfakes and artificial intelligence, the release of these images could further traumatize the women in them.

"Unlike me, the people who have custody of these scrapbooks do not have their own naked images in these books. They are not personally exposed, and they are not personally at risk," she said. "The burden and the danger fall entirely on us, the women in these photos."

Hefner died in 2017 at 91 of natural causes. Even in death, "Hef" as he was known, retained his rakish savoir faire: In 1992, he paid $75,000 to obtain the vault next to Marilyn Monroe, thereby ensuring he could spend eternity with Playboy's first cover girl.

Contributing: Marco della Cava, USA TODAY