{
  "id": 13016416,
  "title": "Hugh Hefner’s Widow Asks Jessica Biel “Please Reconsider” Starring In ‘Playmates’",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/10/09/hugh-hefners-widow-asks-jessica-biel-please-reconsider-starring-in",
  "topic": "culture",
  "section": "Culture",
  "published": "2026-10-09T03:23:46.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "Deadline",
    "slug": "deadline",
    "url": "https://deadline.com/2026/10/hugh-hefner-widow-jessica-biel-please-reconsider-playmates-1237150727/"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": null,
  "summary": "Crystal Hefner, the widow of Playboy founder Hugh Hefner, has asked actress Jessica Biel to reconsider her role in an upcoming film about the Playboy mansion. According to Deadline, Crystal Hefner shared a screenshot of an Instagram DM she sent to Jessica Biel.\n\nTheWrap reports that Crystal Hefner, who was married to Hugh Hefner from 2012 until his death in 2017, expressed her concerns about the film romanticizing Hefner's behavior and the Playboy world. She claimed to have experienced abuse during their relationship, including sexual, emotional, financial, and physical abuse.\n\nCrystal Hefner has been vocal about her experiences, stating she was \"absolutely brainwashed\" during her marriage to Hefner, who was 60 years her senior. She has urged those involved in the film to listen to the stories of women who lived through the Playboy world before portraying it.",
  "key_points": [],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 4,
    "also_reported_by": [
      {
        "outlet": "Variety",
        "title": "Hugh Hefner’s Widow Crystal Harris Asks Jessica Biel to ‘Please Reconsider’ Playing His Wife: ‘I Experienced Sexual, Emotional…Physical Abuse’",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/10/09/hugh-hefners-widow-crystal-harris-asks-jessica-biel-to-please",
        "published": "2026-10-09T00:29:19.000Z"
      },
      {
        "outlet": "TheWrap",
        "title": "Hugh Hefner’s Widow Pleads With Jessica Biel to Reconsider Role of Playboy Founder’s Wife",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/10/09/hugh-hefners-widow-pleads-with-jessica-biel-to-reconsider-role-of",
        "published": "2026-10-09T00:52:55.000Z"
      },
      {
        "outlet": "The Hollywood Reporter",
        "title": "Crystal Harris, Hugh Hefner’s Widow, Urges Jessica Biel to Reconsider Playing His Wife in ‘Playmates’: “I Experienced Sexual, Emotional and Physical Abuse”",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/10/09/crystal-harris-hugh-hefners-widow-urges-jessica-biel-to-reconsider",
        "published": "2026-10-09T01:22:20.000Z"
      }
    ]
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}