February 19, 2024 • 45 mins
Crystal Hefner joins Jana and Kristen to share the truth of what it was REALLY like to be married to Playboy founder Hugh Hefner.
She reveals the challenges she faced during her time at the Playboy mansion and how she found herself again after Hugh’s death.
Plus, Allan reveals his reaction to Travis Kelce losing his cool at the Super Bowl.
See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Mark as Played
Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:01):
Wind Down with Janet Kramer and I'm Heeart Radio Podcast.
Speaker 2 (00:06):
Happy Valentine's Day, Happy Loveday, You're my bad like Valentine's Day.
I feel fine about it. Do you know I make
Preston ask me every Valentine's Day to be as Valentine.
Oh that's cute, it's not assumed. Ah. Yeah, he asked
me like a week and a half ago this time.
Speaker 1 (00:23):
Oh that's cute.
Speaker 2 (00:25):
That's really cute. Yeah, it's my favorite. Oh, we don't
do anything crazy? Do you do crazy? What are you
doing tonight? Nothing? We're actually going to a Ruba tomorrow.
I'm sorry. What so I'm going to just pack and
we're gonna celebrate tomorrow.
Speaker 1 (00:39):
Yeah.
Speaker 2 (00:39):
He has a show where one why he has a show? Okay,
which and it's great, Like we're going to go just
have a minute with the kids. No, how many days?
Two full days, three sleeps? Okay, you got this. I
know that's hard for me. I haven't been to a
Ruba since I was like twenty Tuba was quick, haven't
(01:01):
never been well. I hate this. What I just the
most part of anxiety gets me Bia. Oh friend from
Natalie Holloway is all I think of with. I know
that is so dark, and I'm Aruba is beautiful and
it's not that it was so long ago. That's where
it was. Yeah, all I know is a Aruba Jamaica
(01:27):
and everyone in their car singing along. Yeah. All it's
the each boys, it is. Yeah, it is what loves
of each boys? CoCom That's right. What are you doing?
Do you love it? Valentine's Day? I'm going to get
over my fear and it's going to be great. What
are you afraid of? Everything? Getting kidnapped or no, just
(01:48):
everything pretty much, from being stuck to stuck where anywhere,
anywhere but my home. I'm just very nasty this time.
I I know exactly what you're feeling because I feel
the same way about a trip I'm going on next
weekend for the first time ever. And how many sleeps?
(02:12):
Three sleeps? See, okay, it's almost like two. I'm okay.
That's why Windown works for me so well, because I'm like, oh, yay,
my friend for two sleeps and then I go back
to the kids. Yeah, but it's the being so far away.
Where are you going? Can I know Mexico, Alan, I've
never taken a vacation together that didn't involve work, and
we've never actually done a vacation. Mine is like, oh,
(02:34):
one day we would like, let's go here, but it
always book ended or started with work. Sure, so we're
taking a vacation finally together, which we know is important. Yes,
And I just have so much anxiety same, I don't
I want to be Yeah, close to home is my
safety net. It's weird because I have this feeling like
even when I'm away from the baby right now, and
(02:55):
I know this is very postpartum, and I think it's
just like what is that called primal? Yeah, like when
I get home, the first thing I have to do
after I wash my hands because the world is Jeremy
is like put her heart to heart with me, and
it feels like I plug back into the wall. It's
this like weird like huh okay. Yeah, but again like
(03:16):
they just came out of our bodies, so that's I think,
very normal. Yeah, it's babies like baby Roman. I still
don't like being far away from the kids, like when
I did the movie in Arizona, I don't. I just
have anxiety when I'm not with them. I know, even
when they're at their dads. I get anxiety like the
other last weekend. I'm like, it just doesn't feel right
(03:38):
to not have your babies with you. Yeah, like in
the cave. Everybody nested in the cave. I know, but
you're gonna have so much fun and it's good for you,
im Preston, It is so good for us. It's tricky
because we started dating and then we like finally like
we met. It was pretty like speed daity as you know,
and so we never really dated until like the last
year kind of, and then we get pregnant with the
(04:01):
baby because I think we were dating so much, but
I feel like we I like love being with him,
and it's fun for both of us to be like
the center of each other's attention for a minute. I
actually like really like being alone with him now, So
I know I'm good. Once we like get on a
plane or wherever. It just takes me. It's it's almost
(04:23):
like not fair, impossible, Like he's presenting me with this
amazing trip. He has one show while we're there. We
extended it because it's Valentine's Day, and I still just
can't go like whoo a ruba or bust. I am like, okay,
what happens if you know what though, and I'm saying
this to myself, walking in with that just steals the
joy of it, I know, and I don't. We're stealing
yourself of the joy and the excitement and the fun
(04:45):
because at the end of the day, you're gonna come
back and you're gonna be like, oh well, I just
why was I so anxious? I just stole moments of joy,
I know, and I don't want that anymore this year. Actually,
that's kind of like I think because of all the
death the years before. Like Amy and I really talked
about this. She was I said, I think I'm like
ready to be fun and have fun. Yeah, and she
(05:07):
was like, I'm excited for you because I don't feel
like I've been that girl for a while. But the
post part of anxiety, like I get it. It's a
thing and you just have to overcome it. Like that's
where when I spoke to Amy about it, She's like,
you just have to do it to overcome it. That's right.
She's like, Okay, do it and go once you're on
the because my thing is like it because I got
off that one plane with anxiety. Now it's in my
(05:28):
head like I can't do it. I can't fly because
I got off that one plane when I was pregnant,
I had a kidne infection, didn't know it, I was sick.
So like I have a little like but like still
I now in my head go that equated to I
can't fly, So let's do so for each other. I'm
just saying, like it's it's once you do it, you'll
(05:49):
be fine. What did you say to me just a
second ago? You got to do it to what? Mm
you get over it? Through it? Maybe don't want to
rewind it. Yeah, but I'm gonna need that, I think,
and we'll hold each other accountable. So I'll help you
this week. You I feel the tightness. Yeah, yeah, for sure,
I get I'm already gone. In next week, I'll be here.
(06:11):
Well you're away, so like I like that you're around,
and I could be like if I need you at
my house or whatever, I get it, and I would
be right here to throw your sweet baby off a
sleep schedule and hold him too long. But tonight though,
Alan surprised me with a sleepover here. No, we have
(06:34):
a sleepover every I know. I was confused. No, he's
so sweet, so we had Uh, this is actually really cute.
Speaker 1 (06:41):
Uh.
Speaker 2 (06:42):
I like it when you get girly about him. I
just love that's cool. Oh he's the best. Okay, Well,
first of all, he woke up this morning with I've
never been woken up with roses, so like he I
rolled over and he like had a rose like right there,
like on the bed. I was like, you are so sweet.
He got all the kids, well, we got Jolie and roses,
and then Jasey got him something else. But we did
(07:03):
like our little open just very small things or whatever
this morning with the kids. I got them like squishy
mellows or whatever. And then Alan said he planned it all.
Talked to the sitter that we've been using a few
times a week and that was like the best too.
When they take charge of that everything. He's like, we're
(07:23):
leaving it three. I'm like no, no, but he's like no, no,
she's gonna, you know, be here. And we've got massages
at the one hotel. So we met at the one hotel.
I remember, because this is where I want to actually
have your shower. Oh. I was trying to make it sentimental.
Close the loops. That's really cute. Yeah, I like that.
But he then so when he was staying at the
(07:46):
one hotel. I can't remember the room number. He knows it,
but uh, he got that same room number because when
we were when I saw him, I'm not a hussy, Okay,
So it wasn't the first night, but he went up
to the room because when I was sitting in the lobby,
like someone recognized me or whatever, and it was just
I don't know, I didn't want to like be down
(08:07):
there people say anything. And I also think, you know,
when it's something special, when you want the privacy of it. Yeah,
so I was like, let's just go up. We can
have dinner up in the room. So we had dinner.
It was like the sweetest. We had dinner in the room,
had wine. I went home because I had the kids, obviously,
and you don't sleep over on the first day, that's right,
or turning a leaf in the next chapter exactly, not
(08:28):
a hussy on the right. So that it was just
like that hotel and that room and just like, you know,
so good acting and getting to each other was really sweet.
So he's taking me back there and yeah, a little sleepover.
I love it. And you know what's interesting, I think
because we're so tired that like one night feels incredible. Yeah,
I'm so excited to just like sleep in because we
(08:48):
have we're always even though he's sleeping like Roman sleeps
in the night now, but it's the monitor still there
and I still here as little grunts, you know, So
I know you don't really get to sleep, no, And
that's and also like we did that for my birthday.
We just went away and I loved it. It was
twenty minutes down the road and it was beautiful and
I slept with no clothes on, and I like it.
Oh well, once in a while, yes, just to be
(09:11):
like an adult or something. I don't know. Did you
watch Super Bowl, by the way, just usher, just usher,
so you didn't see the Travis Kelsey thing. I saw
him screaming as coach that was everywhere. What are your thoughts? Well,
I understand being passionate, but it doesn't make what he
did right if you so I don't. I thought to me,
(09:35):
I thought it was very disrespectful to scream at a coach,
just in general. And I and I asked Alan, and
I go, what do you think of that? And he's
just like extremely disrespectful. And that matters to me because
Alan's in sports. Yeah, he'sthing like I get the energy
and of like passion. I get that so much. And
someone like Alan, like you know, he's he screams when
(09:57):
he's on you know, the pitch, and he's co and
all those things, but he's not screaming like to have
a player like can imagine like a Tom Brady or
I don't know, and maybe they have I don't know,
but like I just the people that are in that position,
I don't see them being to me. It was very
disrespectful and also slightly triggering from sorry, but not to like,
(10:20):
but it was triggering from my past to see that
because I've been with that kind of person in that
kind of world that had that anger in my face
and it's and it triggered me. And I'm people can
say whatever they want to say about it, but it
did not feel good to be back in that like
scared place to see that comparison to Serena. Do you
(10:44):
remember when Serena got passionate to one of the No,
but I need to pull it up, pull it up.
But one of the things I want to say too
is what I didn't like is one of the because
I've now just watched to see what people have done
with it. I don't like the fact that he didn't. Again,
if you're a role model to someone, I don't like
the fact that you didn't be like yeah, he's like,
oh yeah, you saw that. I'm like, yeah, everyone did,
and you should be like yeah, no matter what passionate,
(11:06):
was not right to screaming your coach like be a
better example, in my opinion, yes. Second thing is it's
turned into like a funny meme joke. It's not funny
to be disrespectful to someone. Third thing is I also
just don't think that how do I say this? When
they did try to talk about it on air, one
(11:27):
of the guys goes, you know, and I didn't really
like the fact that Travis you know, did that to
his coach. Someone cut him off so immediately to defend
and to change the subject. I'm like, why are we
changing the subject, like the kind of a voice. Let
it be that that wasn't right, because it right. And
other people are like, oh, stop being such like a
a p us, you know, and just like you know,
(11:47):
so sensitive and sports. Again, it's not right to scream
your coach's face and it's not funny. Well, It's also
interesting to me because I would say I am right
now raising a swifty like love is so all in
on Taylor Swift. It's crazy to me because I'm not
a swiftie, so I'm not sure where it came from.
But Taylor, to me is such a role model and
the way that she at thousand percent. If I was her,
(12:09):
I'd have been like, oh, I was uh and it
isn't my boyfriend. Yeah, Like I was like yike cus
Like it felt a little I will just get so
many dms. It felt a little full of himself. It
felt a little like that's your boss, that's my whole thing, coach,
player or whatever I could have. There is not a
time in my life where I could have ever screamed
(12:30):
to anyone professionally and gotten away with it. Yeah, super
Bowl or no super Bowl. And it kind of took
away to me the win a little bit, like it
tarnished it to me. It put the biggest yeah taste
of just like in my mouth too when I saw it.
And it's like fine, like he didn't push any losses
like footing and the coach too, to be like he
kept me young. It's that's again, that's not you should
(12:51):
be as stronger. I don't want to say it, but
like to to say, you don't scream in my face.
You can be passionate and you can be like, oh,
just put me in, but like, not in that manner.
That was an angry aggressive that I personally didn't like,
and I wouldn't want that to be role modeled. That's it.
And we're like trying to teach sportsmanship in our house
(13:11):
right now, like winning and losing games, like even board games,
you know, because things get heated and legend is passionate
and I like watch stuff like that. I'm like, this
is not what you want your kids to be watching.
And I get it. I it's NFL blah blah blah,
but I also am just just not handsome behavior to me.
I also know that there's so many people watching you,
especially that's more now so because it's t swift. So again,
(13:34):
that's why I look straight to Alan and go, what
did you just think of that? And he has his
choice words for it. So do you think he did
it on purpose? Like more again, I've seen people yell
and like have fights or whatever. It's I don't like
the physicality of it, whether he just he got a
little too close. You can have a little like fine,
be aggressive, not aggressive, but you can be like, oh,
(13:55):
I just like I want to be in because I
get that.
Speaker 1 (13:57):
I get that.
Speaker 2 (13:58):
Yeah, I mean type you don't need to be in
the face, no screaming it he's an old man. Yeah.
Also I'll just say it. I mean it's older. Yeah,
for sure. Respect your elders, Respect your coaches, Respect your boss.
He's your boss. You can be frustrated. You can throw
the iPad like time. You know, again, I don't love
when they do. But again, you're frustrated, you're whatever, Like
you don't need to be in that close a vicinity
(14:20):
to someone and they make screaming. It's hard for me
because so many little girls look up to Taylor Swift.
And so I'll just leave that for people to marinate on.
Speaker 1 (14:31):
I think, just real quick.
Speaker 2 (14:33):
I just didn't want to misquote you, but I just
from a guy's opinion of the Travis incident. I'm just
not incident but him with this coach. I remember I
looked to you and I was like, what did you think.
Speaker 3 (14:44):
Well, the first thing you think is you go straight
to it's disrespectful towards the coach. Therefore disrespects the coach,
it disrespects the locker room. On the flip side of that,
he's obviously passionate, but so whether but I don't know
the relationship between him and his coach, So whether he's
(15:05):
crossed the line, I don't know in my opinion, doesn't
matter on it. They'll know between the coach and the player.
But it all goes back to, like I mentioned it
to you at the time, that may put a question
mark on the environment and how like how close the
players are and the coach relationship to the players. But
(15:28):
they've went and won the match, right, so therefore what
he did provoked a reaction somewhere, which is maybe where
Travis Kelsey is intelligent, because it provoked a reaction, not
saying that's what made them win the game, but I'm
sure they dealt with it internally at halftime and that
might have been the spark they needed in the second half.
(15:50):
Although it seems wrong unless you know that locker room,
where you know that team and you know that environment,
then it's it's difficult to judge from a football perspective,
as in football that would Yeah, that doesn't happen a
lot mm hmm.
Speaker 2 (16:05):
With the person like a bench or something.
Speaker 3 (16:08):
The person would probably be lucky to stay on the field.
Speaker 2 (16:12):
Mm hmm mm hmm, even if it's your star player.
Speaker 1 (16:15):
Yeah.
Speaker 2 (16:16):
Wow, So there's just more respect maybe or what is
the different culture altogether?
Speaker 3 (16:23):
Probably a different culture, but they've also got and then
again it goes back to what are the other factors
that Kansas have been winning together, So there'll be a
closeness there where they feel like that's acceptable.
Speaker 2 (16:35):
Do you think it's acceptable to scream in your coach's face? No, okay,
I don't thank you for coming on, mindan, thanks for
being deposed call it. So we have Crystal Heffner coming on.
She has a book out that is basically her life
(16:56):
in the Playboy mansion she married. She was the last
wife of half She's a third wife from December twenty
twelve until his death in twenty seventeen. She said she
had to play mind games to survive. She was relieved
(17:17):
when the sex was over because she said he was
not good in bed. She said she felt trapped in
the marriage and Krystal Heffner says late husband Hugh Hefner
wanted her to remain skinny with big fake boobs. I
have a lot of questions for her, so many questions,
So let's take a break and then get her on.
(17:49):
First of all, you're doing your book tour, I assume,
and it's just madness right now because you've got obviously
a lot of articles out right now that we just
chatted about here, and it just it has to be
a lot, right.
Speaker 1 (18:04):
Yeah, Yeah, it's been a lot. I just got back
from the UK and it's definitely been a lot.
Speaker 2 (18:12):
Do you do you have any now that it's out
and your or at least I have it. It's out
rayah yeah.
Speaker 1 (18:20):
Yeah. So it went out like January twenty third, and
then yeah, and then I want to New York. I
did a New York tour LA and then I just
got back from UK and UK was intense. I you know,
spoke in front of like a hundred people's first time
I've ever done that.
Speaker 2 (18:36):
Good for you. Oh gosh, now that the book is out,
is there something in there that you're like, Oh, shouldn't
of I wish I didn't write that because now it's
become a headline.
Speaker 1 (18:49):
I don't think so. I feel probably the opposite, which
is cool, Like I feel that everything's there. It's written
in a way that's to digest and for people to understand,
and I feel good about it.
Speaker 2 (19:05):
Why did you want to write the book?
Speaker 1 (19:08):
Well, I went to therapy after the Mansion. I was
having problems with dating and just ordinary life. It's such
a bubble at the Mansion. And it was also pre
me too, and pre like talking about mental health. So
some of the terms I didn't know, Like I didn't
you know, I didn't know half was a narcissist. While
I was there, I had no idea. I just thought
(19:29):
that was his personality and the misogyny and all of
that stuff. So, you know, having the terms and understanding
it more just really helped me. And then I thought, okay,
I need to write this down and get this in
a book and out to people.
Speaker 2 (19:43):
How old were you when you started at the mansion?
Speaker 1 (19:47):
Twenty one?
Speaker 2 (19:48):
That's young. That's really young.
Speaker 1 (19:51):
You feel like when you're that age, you feel like
you're grown up. But looking back, I'm thirty seven, and
looking back at me at twenty one, I'm like such
a baby. Yeah.
Speaker 2 (20:00):
I mean, there's so many things that happened at twenty
one that I'm like the forty year old version now
is like girl, like why were you hiding in a
bushes from an abuser? You know what I mean? Or like,
w how did you let that happen? Like it's just
but you're you're so moldable in that age too, that
when you get with someone that is a narcissist or
they just make you feel like you are this is
(20:22):
as good as life is going to get for you.
Speaker 1 (20:25):
Yes, did you?
Speaker 2 (20:27):
Okay? So tell me where? Okay? So pre mansion, what
is Crystal? Like? Like are you a college kid? Are
you wild? Are you? Are you coming from a home
that you're just like this is I just want out?
I mean, I know there's I've kind of followed. I
used to watch Girls next Door a little bit so
because I followed, like I had this fascination with people
(20:48):
leaving essentially kind of leaving the lives that they had
and kind of going in that direction because they of
course made it look sexy on TV and all the things.
But who is Crystal and why does she choose then
to why do twenty one year old Crystal say this
is a great option for me.
Speaker 1 (21:03):
Yeah. Absolutely, that's a great question. And when I was young,
I didn't know who I was at all, as you
know most of us don't. But I came from a
hard childhood. And you know, I lost my dad when
I was twelve. My parents are from England. They came
to America. My dad was a singer and he passed away.
My mom and I had no money. We were living
(21:26):
in a bedroom and some other family's home. You know,
I talk about in the in the book like it's
you know, smelling someone else's unfamiliar cooking, and feeling like
not really a family anymore, just the leftover scraps of one.
My mom married to get her green card, this guy
named Lyle, and he had a daughter, and he treated
(21:46):
her so much better than he treated me. And so
I learned at an early age just to stay small
and be small, to fit in and just go along
with what other people wanted. Everyone. You know, when you
see other people when you have nothing and other people
have money, you're like, oh, they're better than me. And
so there's this just feeling of never being enough or
feeling like you're enough. And I did see Playboy magazines.
(22:09):
My stepdad had them, and I saw these women and
they're just they seemed very powerful and they have the
world at their feet and yeah, I guess that was
something The celebrities then were like carmenal Electra, Pam Anderson,
Jennie McCarthy and like, while these women are powerful and
they're respected, and I want to be just like them.
So I started molding myself to be that way.
Speaker 2 (22:32):
I remember, I mean, I'm not much older than you.
We're not very much older than you at all.
Speaker 1 (22:37):
Thirty seven, Yeah, you guys seem younger than me.
Speaker 2 (22:40):
Forty oh wow, forty too. Yeah, we're really but I
think it's the same. That's why I'm so fascinated and
honestly for what it's worth. And aylis is like a
weird word to use for someone that is a stranger,
but like really proud of you, because I think that's
like a huge I mean that is Hugh Hefner. I mean,
we're watching Girls next door. Were all fascinated, right, like
(23:02):
sisters my body to be there, I probably would have
checked myself into Lantica midnight dreams when I used to
live in Los Angeles or whatever. Those midnight dream is that.
Speaker 1 (23:10):
What I about Midsummer night stream.
Speaker 2 (23:12):
It's like, so I and you dress up and it
was me my best friend Lisa from high school. And
it was pretty much right when I moved, not right
when I moved to Los Angeles, but it was a
couple of years in and I just remember going, like
I get to go to the Playboy Mansion and like
you arrived, it was just this really so I could
see how you could get sucked in. Not saying that's
(23:33):
your words at all, but like that's I was just like, wow,
everything is just so shiny, and everything's like and money
and just influence and like it's just it was a
very like and I'm just this like wide eyed Michigan
girl just being like, oh my god, I made it.
Well that's how I met you. It's like if I
had the body, I mean, I might have been like trying.
That's what I'm saying. The one thing that kept me
is probably the scoliosis and the hello, sweet boobs, blessed.
(23:57):
But I feel like I like loved watching the girls
because I thought that too. I'm like, they're just stunning
and they're so comfortable and their sexuality and they're not
afraid or embarrassed. Yeah, it just was so like contagious
to me. And I know there are some people listening
that will be like, well, that's crazy because it is
so obviously like this like male you know dominated thing.
(24:21):
I mean, he created his own little kingdom and recruited
the hottest I mean, look at your you're literally like
just beautiful and like light. But I it's crazy that
I was even attracted to that, and I was twenty
one and never went. So that's why I asked that,
because so from an outsider, we're going, Okay, these girls
are so confident you inside the house, were you just
(24:41):
at your most insecure?
Speaker 1 (24:44):
Yeah? I think some of the most beautiful women I've
ever met in my entire life are the most insecure
women I've ever met my entire life. It's I don't
understand it, but it's it's definitely interesting.
Speaker 2 (24:55):
And I don't want to like bust anything of the
book because I'm actually excited to get in and read,
especially when you use words like you smell unfamiliar, cooking,
like you paint a picture. So that's what makes me
feel excited to like get in and read. But do
you were do you still have Is there anybody that
you were friends with then that you're still friends with
now or do you feel like it's all kind of
(25:17):
kind of separated and like, yeah, played it faded away.
Speaker 1 (25:21):
I mean I do remember meeting just thousands and thousands
of women, and I maybe have three friends from there.
So yeah, there's a girl named Amber that was in
the book and I'm friends with her still. She was
a very close friend of AF and I, and you know,
we just share this weird experience, so we're still friends.
Speaker 2 (25:40):
What was that so, like, you know, obviously you said
a lot like you had to play mind games to survive.
You talked about how he was bad at sex. What
was the thing that you drew you to him?
Speaker 1 (25:52):
I think, you know, have you seen those magazines when
I was younger and just thinking the Playboy was the
place of freedom and expression and all the things that
were was fed you know, they fed to the media
about it. But when I first met hef I thought
he was very magnetic. But it was also in a
place where he's the center of the universe. And yeah,
(26:15):
I just I was drawn to it. It was it
was magnetic. It was a place where I thought, Wow,
I'm being chosen. It's like those little green aliens for
toy story, like you have been chosen your special It
definitely gave me validation, and I thought, oh, wow, maybe
this is a place I could I really feel.
Speaker 2 (26:34):
Like I belonged. When you talk about being trapped in
the book, was there? What can you go back to
that moment that first time, feeling like I made the
wrong decision, like I don't this does not this is
not it, this does not feel right.
Speaker 1 (26:50):
Yeah. Yeah, I moved in and you know, the everything
revolved around helf there, and so I just made myself like,
you know, the person hef wanted me to be, and
became his mirror, just reflecting a self importance back at him.
And yeah, I'm like, oh, I thought I was doing
a good job. And it's it's weird having that that mindset.
But I remember gaining a bit of wake because you
(27:11):
can order whatever you want from the kitchen. I got
up to like one hundred and thirty four pounds, and
I remember like hitting my thigh. He said, oh, someone
needs to tone up. It was like tap my roots
because they had to be like white, bleach white, and
the die always like gave me blisters. And I don't know.
One time I said he had a nightmare that I
(27:32):
was a brunette. I suppose like it it's awful, like
it's like and that's what color my hair is. So
the control, like the physical control. He would tell me
where the flag, which is the bunny head logo, wear
more colorful shirt, what kind of and nick I could have?
And at first I'm like, oh, I needed I can
(27:52):
do better. I'm slipping. But after a while I'm like,
I'm being completely controlled by this man and he's just
given me some idea entity that I just took on.
Speaker 2 (28:03):
Did you tell me if you if this feels like
safe enough when you go back to your wedding day,
what is the first feeling you feel.
Speaker 1 (28:13):
I just wanted it to be over. I thought hef
wants this good pr story before he dies. If I
would have said no, I would probably be kicked out
of the house. I don't know where I would go.
So I just wanted the wedding. Wanted the wedding to
be over quickly. He was saying to the I don't
know minister person, like keep it short. My back hurts,
like oh perfect. So it was just very quick and
(28:36):
I'm grateful for that.
Speaker 2 (28:38):
Inside because how long were you actually married to him? Then?
For three years?
Speaker 1 (28:42):
I was there almost ten years, and I married to
him for five five?
Speaker 2 (28:47):
Did was there because it said that, you know you
wrote in the book. You know, I was relieved when
it stopped referring to sex.
Speaker 1 (28:54):
Was there?
Speaker 2 (28:57):
Did he have like a specific amount that he wanted
you to have set like is like okay, you have
to have sex than this many times? Like was it
more of like a contract with him rather than you know,
a marriage?
Speaker 1 (29:06):
I guess yeah, it felt like it felt like that. Uh,
we would have movie nights usually the sex would have
happened on the weekends. I wasn't ever, and I'm entirely
sure when he wanted to, but I do remember sitting
next to him on the couch like during the movie
and he'd reach in his pocket and pull out a
piece of tissue that had like the blue Viagra pill
in it and put it in his mouth. And it's like, oh,
(29:29):
oh that cringe moment where and I'm like, okay, that's
what he's expecting.
Speaker 2 (29:34):
I mean, it's crazy to me because you are so
and I don't mean this like objectifying, like you're just
very intelligent, well spoken, you're also beautiful thing. And then
this like and I'm gonna probably get hate for saying
it's like this like raisin of a man. He's a
raisin at this point, right, Like he's not it's not
it's not hot, he's not hot, right, Like how does
(29:54):
he get you?
Speaker 1 (29:55):
You know?
Speaker 2 (29:56):
Like that she feels like she's I know she's trapped.
I know she's literally trapped. Sorry we're talking about you're
not here. But and I'm like, and then Crystal, and
when is she coming into town? We need her here
for her? No, but I mean, like that's just but
I mean, honestly, it's like I'm getting I'm my like
my heart hurts for you, Like I feel like sad
because like I know that girl, I've been that girl
(30:18):
and different when the walls are closing in, yeah, and
it's just you just want to like go rescue yourself
from it. Like you obviously were in it and you
didn't want to be and you felt this, but you
didn't have Okay, where would I go? How would I
afford it? All the all the things. And then you're
just like, Okay, I'm just gonna now have sex with
this man just because I have no other choice. And
to have no other choice like breaks my heart for
(30:41):
you in that situation. And you know other people that
have obviously been in that same situation. It's like, it's
just it's not fair, it's not right, and is it
Is it still hard for you or are you kind
of now because of the therapy you feel like you're
in a better place.
Speaker 1 (30:57):
Yeah, I feel that I'm in a much better place.
And you know, being emotionally abused in all the ways
there and also financially abused was very hard. And one
thing that I'm proud of myself for is like starting
to save money the best way I could, you know.
I started getting into doing social media ads, I learned
(31:19):
how to DJ and anything I could do during the
day to just try and build myself financially because then
it's like okay if I'm good on my own, because
he would give us like an allowance, but it was
never enough to it was like a thousand dollars every Friday.
It was never enough to be able to leave. You'd
have to ask him for it, so you feel like
you're begging for money, and he'd count out the bills
(31:39):
like one hundred, two hundred, like put them all together,
or here you go. So I need to do something,
and so I started making money on social media. I
started getting into like crypto stuff. I just started trying
to build on my own while I was in there,
and I was able to do that, and I think
that helped me. Like looking back now, it's like I
don't ever kind of have to be in that situation again.
(32:01):
And I do have friends that are and I tell them,
I'm like, save your money, save your money. And you know,
I didn't recognize my situation was so bad in the beginning,
but once I did, you know, at least I now
have the tools that I can try and help other
people that are in bad situations.
Speaker 2 (32:16):
But well, I think a lot of us go through that.
Like it's a slow conditioning almost. It's not like you
go from like freedom to captivity. It's like the sexy
lure of a lifestyle, right, and then then you're in
and then there's one more layer and then pretty soon
you just find yourself kind of like stripped of what
you know to be true and then you have this
disassociation like, wait, that's not how who I know to be.
(32:38):
So tell me, does he like when he's getting towards
the end of life and this is going to be
You can just say yes or no if you feel
like not saying too many words. I get it where
you obviously just pass. It's wind down. We do what
we want. But does it feel like freedom is coming
for you when? Or does does him dying become this
(32:59):
whole other thing that you feel obligated to be and like,
what does that feel like?
Speaker 1 (33:04):
It's interesting because hef was like old for so long,
like everyone knew him as like being old. So I
definitely thought that he was like immortal in some way,
like that he would be around forever. So I wasn't
really planning for that or or what would happen after,
you know, when I was in there. This is also
(33:26):
a man that was praised so highly by the media,
Like the media put him on such a pedestal, and
he would say horrible things in the media, like I've
I look back on this interview where he said he
went from seven girlfriends to three and then he said,
oh I thinned the herd. And this stuff was just
everywhere perpetuated in the media and people idolized him. So
(33:49):
when I started having those kind of doubts creep in
and all those things, I would think, Okay, like maybe
something's wrong with me, because he's put this is all
pre me too.
Speaker 2 (33:59):
And this is go.
Speaker 1 (34:01):
This is just how men are, and maybe it's just
me and I need to do better. So I grappled
with that. But after he passed away, I had this
feeling of guilt and I didn't leave the house for weeks,
and I don't know why. I kept thinking, Oh, is
there something we could have done better? Is there a
different antibotic we could have given him? He died from
my ecola infection, and it was weird, And slowly I
(34:27):
started understanding what my freedom meant. And I started traveling
and seeing the world, and I bought a farm in Hawaii,
and now I can say I truly feel free.
Speaker 2 (34:53):
How does dating look now? Do you feel at first?
When you started? Judged?
Speaker 1 (35:00):
Dating was very hard in the beginning. So I had
a couple of relationships where the people were controlling, manipulative,
and I thought, you go.
Speaker 2 (35:10):
From what you know, you go to the same person,
different name, same cast, different Yeah, like.
Speaker 1 (35:17):
This time I'm paying the bills, like what the heck
struggling musician, an actor, and I'm paying for my own misery,
Like this is torture. And I remember a few matchmakers
and they asked me, They're like, oh, what do you
like simple for my profile, I'm like, what do I like?
I didn't even know, and I think that's when I
(35:38):
had to take a step back. And it's very simple.
But I'm just like, okay, what do I like? Like? Okay,
I like travel, I like nature, I like spend time
with my dog. And I had to slowly find myself
again and once I did that, I felt more powerful
and then I wouldn't put up with any thing like
that dating. And so now I am dating somebody who's
(35:59):
very normal, kind and caring and has a great career
and feels like my equal. So I'm like, yeah, I
made it.
Speaker 2 (36:09):
How long have you guys been dating for about six months?
Speaker 1 (36:12):
Now?
Speaker 2 (36:13):
Oh? Good? I love that. Do you want kids?
Speaker 1 (36:16):
Yeah? Yeah, I would like kids.
Speaker 2 (36:18):
You're such a tender heart. I just want the world
to have more of you. Do you ever? This is
like weird, and but people say when their loved ones
pass away, like if did you ever have anything that
You're like, oh, that was half where he entered your dream?
Or he wants like has he come back to say,
like I'll never forget My great grandma her husband was
(36:39):
abusive and she had told my grandma one time that
he came back in a dream and apologized, Oh, and
I just always remembered that as a kid. I don't
know why she told me that as a kid, but well,
that's like very hopeful though. Yeah, but I'm just curious.
Has he ever kind of entered in some way to
just be like I'm sorry or you know, wish you
(37:01):
well kind of vibe.
Speaker 1 (37:03):
I think part of writing the book, like I was
having dreams, like I kept dreaming about the mansion, and
the book opens up with a dream that I had,
like dreaming that I'm still there. And the most recent
dream I've had is I go into the mansion and
I walk in a half's bedroom and I look to
the right and there's kind of pillows all over the
floor and HEF's in there with like a harem of women.
(37:25):
They're just all kind of on the floor. And for
some reason, I'm like I've risen above it all, and
I'm like, oh, I don't need to be here, like
you're happy you have that, Like I don't need to
be here anymore, like thank you for the lessons. So
I feel in my dream maybe I've had some closure.
Speaker 2 (37:42):
Well, I think you've taken power over it too. I
think that's that to me is what I just took
from that is like you you have the power now
to go. I'm walking away from this because I don't
need to be here anymore.
Speaker 1 (37:53):
Wow. Yeah, I like to think that, so thank you. Yeah.
Speaker 2 (37:56):
I sometimes wonder and I think there's always divine timing
for everything. It is not lost on me that hef
died before the real awakening for women, Like we've had
a slow awakening, but we have really started to take
over and take responsibility and take ownership and we're not
(38:18):
afraid to speak as much. And I always wonder what
would have happened to him if he were still alive,
because his whole dynasty is exactly what we're all trying
to fight against. So if there was a HEF now,
I don't even know. Have you ever thought about, like
would that even like a twenty twenty four version of
(38:42):
your life? I don't even think it would exist.
Speaker 1 (38:45):
Yeah, you're so right. The me too happened a month
after he passed away. It's as almost almost as if
like perfect timing of his life. I don't know how
he would be behaving now. I think he would be
doing the same thing, but maybe just quiet it yeah, yeah,
(39:06):
more more private, because I don't think he knew anything else.
I didn't. I don't think he knew how to not
objectify women.
Speaker 2 (39:14):
No, I mean it sounds it's so consistent and for
so long. I don't know that he could.
Speaker 1 (39:21):
No.
Speaker 2 (39:22):
So Crystal, what are you doing now? I mean, obviously
you have your book out, but what do you want
people to know because you've kept Hefner as your last name? Right?
Speaker 1 (39:32):
Yeah, having a meeting today to talk about trying to
change it on my social socials like back to backs
my original name and what I mean.
Speaker 2 (39:42):
Obviously you know we know the reasoning, but I mean,
is it just something where you just want to just
drop him completely so that you're not known for being
Hefner's ex wife? Like do you want to be? Obviously, Crystal,
what would you say it was? Harris?
Speaker 1 (39:55):
Harris? Yeah, Harris, Yeah, Yeah, I think I'll always be
known Half's wife. I just hope to do some good
with it. Yeah. I'm still on the board of his foundation,
which is crazy, and we're probub to do an auction
with Julian's with lots of HEF's things and Playboy things,
And I just thought like, Okay, if I've been part
(40:16):
of this. Maybe we can rectify some damage that he's done.
And if we can take some of that money from
the auction proceeds and donate it to like women's charities
or anything that helps like women and children to try
and like reverse the damage he's done, then you know,
I'm on board with that. But yeah, it's interesting because
(40:36):
I look at Crystal Harris and I kind of googled
myself as Harris, and I remember like the meek, sad
girl that I was, and like, I actually with this
Crystal heff Nor, I empowered myself in ways that really
don't have anything to do with helf but but in
a way he helped me, you know, get there with
the way I was treated. So I don't know, I'm
(40:57):
conflicted still, as you can tell.
Speaker 2 (41:00):
Noan, I think there's something I like the positive spin
on it, because I was thinking I was going to
ask you, like, what do you think you took from
it that was positive? And I feel like now it's
like again, you can use the name and spin it
for good. You know, what would they say with the
enemy meant for evil? He made it good. So however,
I just always butcher that, But you know what I'm saying, Like,
it's just like you get to you get to make
(41:21):
it good. You know, you get to be the person
that takes something that you know hurt somebody too, especially
that hurt you and devalued you and made you feel
less than you get to now take that and empower
other people and help other people. I think that's a
beautiful thing. And that's that's where i'd keep the half part,
just because you will probably get more people involved with
(41:44):
the Halfner name. Unfortunately. Yeah, I think it feels to
me like you're taking the Hefner and really giving it
like a poetic spin, but also some clarification and a
little like legacy in the twenty twenty four version of
what it could be. He's actually listen. I wasn't a
huge hef fan, if I'm honest, But I have to
(42:05):
say he's pretty smart that he picked you to be with,
because I think you were probably wildly intimidating to him
at how beautiful and smart you were, and so he
knew he needed to keep you close. Is my guest.
I have a long history with narcissists, so I don't
call myself an expert, but I would say probably something
(42:26):
that was most attractive to you. Is this like internal
flame and confidence that you have, So I would say
that is probably like terrifying to someone like him, and
why he made sure to make you a wife. So
I'm glad we are left with you and not him.
I hate to say it that bluntly, but I really
appreciate what you're doing.
Speaker 1 (42:47):
That means a lot. Thank you.
Speaker 2 (42:50):
What is one thing that you want our listeners to
leave with when it comes to your book? And just
you as like what you're taking from all of this too,
like how you've like who you are today.
Speaker 1 (43:04):
When I first started writing this book, I wanted it
to be the book I wish I had when I
was twenty one, and I think I accomplished that. You know,
I've had a few like twenty one year olds actually
write to me and thank me. It's the book is
dedicated to anyone who's you know, struggled with self self
(43:25):
worth and self acceptance and that they're not alone. I
think it's just really important to know who you are
and love who you are, because I think the more
you do that, the less you find yourself in these
kind of situations.
Speaker 2 (43:38):
So absolutely, well, I love you anytime you're in Nashville.
Let us know. You're so sweet. Thank you so much
for coming on. You're just a doll. So yeah, I'm
excited to read your book.
Speaker 1 (43:51):
Thank you. I hope you like it. Let me know.
Speaker 2 (43:53):
I'm gonna r everyone follow Crystal Hafner and go get
her book because she's just the best. And listen, we
all we all feel we're all insecure, right and straight. Yeah,
so let's just support of the women. Do this thing, girl,
and then we'll see you in Nashville.
Speaker 1 (44:13):
Sounds good, audience, all right, by hen Bye?
Speaker 2 (44:16):
Okay, So I just I love her because again, think
about like your twenty one year old self and all
the things. That's why I always hate when people are
judged by their past, because you are just such a
different person and you have different experiences in your past.
Is you go into that because again, when you're you're
told something from your childhood or or whatever from the
(44:40):
ex boyfriend, Like I stayed in abusive relationships because that
is what I was told I deserved. So why would
I not continue abusive relationships for ten years after that?
Do you know what I'm saying? Like, and there's this
lifestyle that looks really shiny. Yeah, I mean you're twenty. Yeah,
I wish I had Lisa. I mean, I you've been there.
(45:01):
I have to text her. I know she has it,
but yeah, oh yeah crazy. And there was a time
in my life where I was like, oh, I want
to live at the mansion, like I mean, I literally
thought if I had the body, I would have been
outside trying to get in. Crazy again, you have an
amazing body. Oh I love my body.
Speaker 1 (45:20):
Good.
Speaker 2 (45:21):
But I did not have what we didn't have what
what half was looking for it in twenty one? Apparently
it didn't like Brunette, sad of it and no one
to write and make eye contact with me? Okay, yeah,
I was really bleaching. I had that going for me.
Oh dear, Okay, well everyone have a great week, and
Kristen tell me have an amazing trip to a Rubot.
(45:41):
You will be fine. Love and protected is what I
tell myself. But I believe it. Yep, amen to that.
I love you, Okay. Bye By
Wind Down with Janet Kramer and I'm Heeart Radio Podcast.
Speaker 2 (00:06):
Happy Valentine's Day, Happy Loveday, You're my bad like Valentine's Day.
I feel fine about it. Do you know I make
Preston ask me every Valentine's Day to be as Valentine.
Oh that's cute, it's not assumed. Ah. Yeah, he asked
me like a week and a half ago this time.
Speaker 1 (00:23):
Oh that's cute.
Speaker 2 (00:25):
That's really cute. Yeah, it's my favorite. Oh, we don't
do anything crazy? Do you do crazy? What are you
doing tonight? Nothing? We're actually going to a Ruba tomorrow.
I'm sorry. What so I'm going to just pack and
we're gonna celebrate tomorrow.
Speaker 1 (00:39):
Yeah.
Speaker 2 (00:39):
He has a show where one why he has a show? Okay,
which and it's great, Like we're going to go just
have a minute with the kids. No, how many days?
Two full days, three sleeps? Okay, you got this. I
know that's hard for me. I haven't been to a
Ruba since I was like twenty Tuba was quick, haven't
(01:01):
never been well. I hate this. What I just the
most part of anxiety gets me Bia. Oh friend from
Natalie Holloway is all I think of with. I know
that is so dark, and I'm Aruba is beautiful and
it's not that it was so long ago. That's where
it was. Yeah, all I know is a Aruba Jamaica
(01:27):
and everyone in their car singing along. Yeah. All it's
the each boys, it is. Yeah, it is what loves
of each boys? CoCom That's right. What are you doing?
Do you love it? Valentine's Day? I'm going to get
over my fear and it's going to be great. What
are you afraid of? Everything? Getting kidnapped or no, just
(01:48):
everything pretty much, from being stuck to stuck where anywhere,
anywhere but my home. I'm just very nasty this time.
I I know exactly what you're feeling because I feel
the same way about a trip I'm going on next
weekend for the first time ever. And how many sleeps?
(02:12):
Three sleeps? See, okay, it's almost like two. I'm okay.
That's why Windown works for me so well, because I'm like, oh, yay,
my friend for two sleeps and then I go back
to the kids. Yeah, but it's the being so far away.
Where are you going? Can I know Mexico, Alan, I've
never taken a vacation together that didn't involve work, and
we've never actually done a vacation. Mine is like, oh,
(02:34):
one day we would like, let's go here, but it
always book ended or started with work. Sure, so we're
taking a vacation finally together, which we know is important. Yes,
And I just have so much anxiety same, I don't
I want to be Yeah, close to home is my
safety net. It's weird because I have this feeling like
even when I'm away from the baby right now, and
(02:55):
I know this is very postpartum, and I think it's
just like what is that called primal? Yeah, like when
I get home, the first thing I have to do
after I wash my hands because the world is Jeremy
is like put her heart to heart with me, and
it feels like I plug back into the wall. It's
this like weird like huh okay. Yeah, but again like
(03:16):
they just came out of our bodies, so that's I think,
very normal. Yeah, it's babies like baby Roman. I still
don't like being far away from the kids, like when
I did the movie in Arizona, I don't. I just
have anxiety when I'm not with them. I know, even
when they're at their dads. I get anxiety like the
other last weekend. I'm like, it just doesn't feel right
(03:38):
to not have your babies with you. Yeah, like in
the cave. Everybody nested in the cave. I know, but
you're gonna have so much fun and it's good for you,
im Preston, It is so good for us. It's tricky
because we started dating and then we like finally like
we met. It was pretty like speed daity as you know,
and so we never really dated until like the last
year kind of, and then we get pregnant with the
(04:01):
baby because I think we were dating so much, but
I feel like we I like love being with him,
and it's fun for both of us to be like
the center of each other's attention for a minute. I
actually like really like being alone with him now, So
I know I'm good. Once we like get on a
plane or wherever. It just takes me. It's it's almost
(04:23):
like not fair, impossible, Like he's presenting me with this
amazing trip. He has one show while we're there. We
extended it because it's Valentine's Day, and I still just
can't go like whoo a ruba or bust. I am like, okay,
what happens if you know what though, and I'm saying
this to myself, walking in with that just steals the
joy of it, I know, and I don't. We're stealing
yourself of the joy and the excitement and the fun
(04:45):
because at the end of the day, you're gonna come
back and you're gonna be like, oh well, I just
why was I so anxious? I just stole moments of joy,
I know, and I don't want that anymore this year. Actually,
that's kind of like I think because of all the
death the years before. Like Amy and I really talked
about this. She was I said, I think I'm like
ready to be fun and have fun. Yeah, and she
(05:07):
was like, I'm excited for you because I don't feel
like I've been that girl for a while. But the
post part of anxiety, like I get it. It's a
thing and you just have to overcome it. Like that's
where when I spoke to Amy about it, She's like,
you just have to do it to overcome it. That's right.
She's like, Okay, do it and go once you're on
the because my thing is like it because I got
off that one plane with anxiety. Now it's in my
(05:28):
head like I can't do it. I can't fly because
I got off that one plane when I was pregnant,
I had a kidne infection, didn't know it, I was sick.
So like I have a little like but like still
I now in my head go that equated to I
can't fly, So let's do so for each other. I'm
just saying, like it's it's once you do it, you'll
(05:49):
be fine. What did you say to me just a
second ago? You got to do it to what? Mm
you get over it? Through it? Maybe don't want to
rewind it. Yeah, but I'm gonna need that, I think,
and we'll hold each other accountable. So I'll help you
this week. You I feel the tightness. Yeah, yeah, for sure,
I get I'm already gone. In next week, I'll be here.
(06:11):
Well you're away, so like I like that you're around,
and I could be like if I need you at
my house or whatever, I get it, and I would
be right here to throw your sweet baby off a
sleep schedule and hold him too long. But tonight though,
Alan surprised me with a sleepover here. No, we have
(06:34):
a sleepover every I know. I was confused. No, he's
so sweet, so we had Uh, this is actually really cute.
Speaker 1 (06:41):
Uh.
Speaker 2 (06:42):
I like it when you get girly about him. I
just love that's cool. Oh he's the best. Okay, Well,
first of all, he woke up this morning with I've
never been woken up with roses, so like he I
rolled over and he like had a rose like right there,
like on the bed. I was like, you are so sweet.
He got all the kids, well, we got Jolie and roses,
and then Jasey got him something else. But we did
(07:03):
like our little open just very small things or whatever
this morning with the kids. I got them like squishy
mellows or whatever. And then Alan said he planned it all.
Talked to the sitter that we've been using a few
times a week and that was like the best too.
When they take charge of that everything. He's like, we're
(07:23):
leaving it three. I'm like no, no, but he's like no, no,
she's gonna, you know, be here. And we've got massages
at the one hotel. So we met at the one hotel.
I remember, because this is where I want to actually
have your shower. Oh. I was trying to make it sentimental.
Close the loops. That's really cute. Yeah, I like that.
But he then so when he was staying at the
(07:46):
one hotel. I can't remember the room number. He knows it,
but uh, he got that same room number because when
we were when I saw him, I'm not a hussy, Okay,
So it wasn't the first night, but he went up
to the room because when I was sitting in the lobby,
like someone recognized me or whatever, and it was just
I don't know, I didn't want to like be down
(08:07):
there people say anything. And I also think, you know,
when it's something special, when you want the privacy of it. Yeah,
so I was like, let's just go up. We can
have dinner up in the room. So we had dinner.
It was like the sweetest. We had dinner in the room,
had wine. I went home because I had the kids, obviously,
and you don't sleep over on the first day, that's right,
or turning a leaf in the next chapter exactly, not
(08:28):
a hussy on the right. So that it was just
like that hotel and that room and just like, you know,
so good acting and getting to each other was really sweet.
So he's taking me back there and yeah, a little sleepover.
I love it. And you know what's interesting, I think
because we're so tired that like one night feels incredible. Yeah,
I'm so excited to just like sleep in because we
(08:48):
have we're always even though he's sleeping like Roman sleeps
in the night now, but it's the monitor still there
and I still here as little grunts, you know, So
I know you don't really get to sleep, no, And
that's and also like we did that for my birthday.
We just went away and I loved it. It was
twenty minutes down the road and it was beautiful and
I slept with no clothes on, and I like it.
Oh well, once in a while, yes, just to be
(09:11):
like an adult or something. I don't know. Did you
watch Super Bowl, by the way, just usher, just usher,
so you didn't see the Travis Kelsey thing. I saw
him screaming as coach that was everywhere. What are your thoughts? Well,
I understand being passionate, but it doesn't make what he
did right if you so I don't. I thought to me,
(09:35):
I thought it was very disrespectful to scream at a coach,
just in general. And I and I asked Alan, and
I go, what do you think of that? And he's
just like extremely disrespectful. And that matters to me because
Alan's in sports. Yeah, he'sthing like I get the energy
and of like passion. I get that so much. And
someone like Alan, like you know, he's he screams when
(09:57):
he's on you know, the pitch, and he's co and
all those things, but he's not screaming like to have
a player like can imagine like a Tom Brady or
I don't know, and maybe they have I don't know,
but like I just the people that are in that position,
I don't see them being to me. It was very
disrespectful and also slightly triggering from sorry, but not to like,
(10:20):
but it was triggering from my past to see that
because I've been with that kind of person in that
kind of world that had that anger in my face
and it's and it triggered me. And I'm people can
say whatever they want to say about it, but it
did not feel good to be back in that like
scared place to see that comparison to Serena. Do you
(10:44):
remember when Serena got passionate to one of the No,
but I need to pull it up, pull it up.
But one of the things I want to say too
is what I didn't like is one of the because
I've now just watched to see what people have done
with it. I don't like the fact that he didn't. Again,
if you're a role model to someone, I don't like
the fact that you didn't be like yeah, he's like,
oh yeah, you saw that. I'm like, yeah, everyone did,
and you should be like yeah, no matter what passionate,
(11:06):
was not right to screaming your coach like be a
better example, in my opinion, yes. Second thing is it's
turned into like a funny meme joke. It's not funny
to be disrespectful to someone. Third thing is I also
just don't think that how do I say this? When
they did try to talk about it on air, one
(11:27):
of the guys goes, you know, and I didn't really
like the fact that Travis you know, did that to
his coach. Someone cut him off so immediately to defend
and to change the subject. I'm like, why are we
changing the subject, like the kind of a voice. Let
it be that that wasn't right, because it right. And
other people are like, oh, stop being such like a
a p us, you know, and just like you know,
(11:47):
so sensitive and sports. Again, it's not right to scream
your coach's face and it's not funny. Well, It's also
interesting to me because I would say I am right
now raising a swifty like love is so all in
on Taylor Swift. It's crazy to me because I'm not
a swiftie, so I'm not sure where it came from.
But Taylor, to me is such a role model and
the way that she at thousand percent. If I was her,
(12:09):
I'd have been like, oh, I was uh and it
isn't my boyfriend. Yeah, Like I was like yike cus
Like it felt a little I will just get so
many dms. It felt a little full of himself. It
felt a little like that's your boss, that's my whole thing, coach,
player or whatever I could have. There is not a
time in my life where I could have ever screamed
(12:30):
to anyone professionally and gotten away with it. Yeah, super
Bowl or no super Bowl. And it kind of took
away to me the win a little bit, like it
tarnished it to me. It put the biggest yeah taste
of just like in my mouth too when I saw it.
And it's like fine, like he didn't push any losses
like footing and the coach too, to be like he
kept me young. It's that's again, that's not you should
(12:51):
be as stronger. I don't want to say it, but
like to to say, you don't scream in my face.
You can be passionate and you can be like, oh,
just put me in, but like, not in that manner.
That was an angry aggressive that I personally didn't like,
and I wouldn't want that to be role modeled. That's it.
And we're like trying to teach sportsmanship in our house
(13:11):
right now, like winning and losing games, like even board games,
you know, because things get heated and legend is passionate
and I like watch stuff like that. I'm like, this
is not what you want your kids to be watching.
And I get it. I it's NFL blah blah blah,
but I also am just just not handsome behavior to me.
I also know that there's so many people watching you,
especially that's more now so because it's t swift. So again,
(13:34):
that's why I look straight to Alan and go, what
did you just think of that? And he has his
choice words for it. So do you think he did
it on purpose? Like more again, I've seen people yell
and like have fights or whatever. It's I don't like
the physicality of it, whether he just he got a
little too close. You can have a little like fine,
be aggressive, not aggressive, but you can be like, oh,
(13:55):
I just like I want to be in because I
get that.
Speaker 1 (13:57):
I get that.
Speaker 2 (13:58):
Yeah, I mean type you don't need to be in
the face, no screaming it he's an old man. Yeah.
Also I'll just say it. I mean it's older. Yeah,
for sure. Respect your elders, Respect your coaches, Respect your boss.
He's your boss. You can be frustrated. You can throw
the iPad like time. You know, again, I don't love
when they do. But again, you're frustrated, you're whatever, Like
you don't need to be in that close a vicinity
(14:20):
to someone and they make screaming. It's hard for me
because so many little girls look up to Taylor Swift.
And so I'll just leave that for people to marinate on.
Speaker 1 (14:31):
I think, just real quick.
Speaker 2 (14:33):
I just didn't want to misquote you, but I just
from a guy's opinion of the Travis incident. I'm just
not incident but him with this coach. I remember I
looked to you and I was like, what did you think.
Speaker 3 (14:44):
Well, the first thing you think is you go straight
to it's disrespectful towards the coach. Therefore disrespects the coach,
it disrespects the locker room. On the flip side of that,
he's obviously passionate, but so whether but I don't know
the relationship between him and his coach, So whether he's
(15:05):
crossed the line, I don't know in my opinion, doesn't
matter on it. They'll know between the coach and the player.
But it all goes back to, like I mentioned it
to you at the time, that may put a question
mark on the environment and how like how close the
players are and the coach relationship to the players. But
(15:28):
they've went and won the match, right, so therefore what
he did provoked a reaction somewhere, which is maybe where
Travis Kelsey is intelligent, because it provoked a reaction, not
saying that's what made them win the game, but I'm
sure they dealt with it internally at halftime and that
might have been the spark they needed in the second half.
(15:50):
Although it seems wrong unless you know that locker room,
where you know that team and you know that environment,
then it's it's difficult to judge from a football perspective,
as in football that would Yeah, that doesn't happen a
lot mm hmm.
Speaker 2 (16:05):
With the person like a bench or something.
Speaker 3 (16:08):
The person would probably be lucky to stay on the field.
Speaker 2 (16:12):
Mm hmm mm hmm, even if it's your star player.
Speaker 1 (16:15):
Yeah.
Speaker 2 (16:16):
Wow, So there's just more respect maybe or what is
the different culture altogether?
Speaker 3 (16:23):
Probably a different culture, but they've also got and then
again it goes back to what are the other factors
that Kansas have been winning together, So there'll be a
closeness there where they feel like that's acceptable.
Speaker 2 (16:35):
Do you think it's acceptable to scream in your coach's face? No, okay,
I don't thank you for coming on, mindan, thanks for
being deposed call it. So we have Crystal Heffner coming on.
She has a book out that is basically her life
(16:56):
in the Playboy mansion she married. She was the last
wife of half She's a third wife from December twenty
twelve until his death in twenty seventeen. She said she
had to play mind games to survive. She was relieved
(17:17):
when the sex was over because she said he was
not good in bed. She said she felt trapped in
the marriage and Krystal Heffner says late husband Hugh Hefner
wanted her to remain skinny with big fake boobs. I
have a lot of questions for her, so many questions,
So let's take a break and then get her on.
(17:49):
First of all, you're doing your book tour, I assume,
and it's just madness right now because you've got obviously
a lot of articles out right now that we just
chatted about here, and it just it has to be
a lot, right.
Speaker 1 (18:04):
Yeah, Yeah, it's been a lot. I just got back
from the UK and it's definitely been a lot.
Speaker 2 (18:12):
Do you do you have any now that it's out
and your or at least I have it. It's out
rayah yeah.
Speaker 1 (18:20):
Yeah. So it went out like January twenty third, and
then yeah, and then I want to New York. I
did a New York tour LA and then I just
got back from UK and UK was intense. I you know,
spoke in front of like a hundred people's first time
I've ever done that.
Speaker 2 (18:36):
Good for you. Oh gosh, now that the book is out,
is there something in there that you're like, Oh, shouldn't
of I wish I didn't write that because now it's
become a headline.
Speaker 1 (18:49):
I don't think so. I feel probably the opposite, which
is cool, Like I feel that everything's there. It's written
in a way that's to digest and for people to understand,
and I feel good about it.
Speaker 2 (19:05):
Why did you want to write the book?
Speaker 1 (19:08):
Well, I went to therapy after the Mansion. I was
having problems with dating and just ordinary life. It's such
a bubble at the Mansion. And it was also pre
me too, and pre like talking about mental health. So
some of the terms I didn't know, Like I didn't
you know, I didn't know half was a narcissist. While
I was there, I had no idea. I just thought
(19:29):
that was his personality and the misogyny and all of
that stuff. So, you know, having the terms and understanding
it more just really helped me. And then I thought, okay,
I need to write this down and get this in
a book and out to people.
Speaker 2 (19:43):
How old were you when you started at the mansion?
Speaker 1 (19:47):
Twenty one?
Speaker 2 (19:48):
That's young. That's really young.
Speaker 1 (19:51):
You feel like when you're that age, you feel like
you're grown up. But looking back, I'm thirty seven, and
looking back at me at twenty one, I'm like such
a baby. Yeah.
Speaker 2 (20:00):
I mean, there's so many things that happened at twenty
one that I'm like the forty year old version now
is like girl, like why were you hiding in a
bushes from an abuser? You know what I mean? Or like,
w how did you let that happen? Like it's just
but you're you're so moldable in that age too, that
when you get with someone that is a narcissist or
they just make you feel like you are this is
(20:22):
as good as life is going to get for you.
Speaker 1 (20:25):
Yes, did you?
Speaker 2 (20:27):
Okay? So tell me where? Okay? So pre mansion, what
is Crystal? Like? Like are you a college kid? Are
you wild? Are you? Are you coming from a home
that you're just like this is I just want out?
I mean, I know there's I've kind of followed. I
used to watch Girls next Door a little bit so
because I followed, like I had this fascination with people
(20:48):
leaving essentially kind of leaving the lives that they had
and kind of going in that direction because they of
course made it look sexy on TV and all the things.
But who is Crystal and why does she choose then
to why do twenty one year old Crystal say this
is a great option for me.
Speaker 1 (21:03):
Yeah. Absolutely, that's a great question. And when I was young,
I didn't know who I was at all, as you
know most of us don't. But I came from a
hard childhood. And you know, I lost my dad when
I was twelve. My parents are from England. They came
to America. My dad was a singer and he passed away.
My mom and I had no money. We were living
(21:26):
in a bedroom and some other family's home. You know,
I talk about in the in the book like it's
you know, smelling someone else's unfamiliar cooking, and feeling like
not really a family anymore, just the leftover scraps of one.
My mom married to get her green card, this guy
named Lyle, and he had a daughter, and he treated
(21:46):
her so much better than he treated me. And so
I learned at an early age just to stay small
and be small, to fit in and just go along
with what other people wanted. Everyone. You know, when you
see other people when you have nothing and other people
have money, you're like, oh, they're better than me. And
so there's this just feeling of never being enough or
feeling like you're enough. And I did see Playboy magazines.
(22:09):
My stepdad had them, and I saw these women and
they're just they seemed very powerful and they have the
world at their feet and yeah, I guess that was
something The celebrities then were like carmenal Electra, Pam Anderson,
Jennie McCarthy and like, while these women are powerful and
they're respected, and I want to be just like them.
So I started molding myself to be that way.
Speaker 2 (22:32):
I remember, I mean, I'm not much older than you.
We're not very much older than you at all.
Speaker 1 (22:37):
Thirty seven, Yeah, you guys seem younger than me.
Speaker 2 (22:40):
Forty oh wow, forty too. Yeah, we're really but I
think it's the same. That's why I'm so fascinated and
honestly for what it's worth. And aylis is like a
weird word to use for someone that is a stranger,
but like really proud of you, because I think that's
like a huge I mean that is Hugh Hefner. I mean,
we're watching Girls next door. Were all fascinated, right, like
(23:02):
sisters my body to be there, I probably would have
checked myself into Lantica midnight dreams when I used to
live in Los Angeles or whatever. Those midnight dream is that.
Speaker 1 (23:10):
What I about Midsummer night stream.
Speaker 2 (23:12):
It's like, so I and you dress up and it
was me my best friend Lisa from high school. And
it was pretty much right when I moved, not right
when I moved to Los Angeles, but it was a
couple of years in and I just remember going, like
I get to go to the Playboy Mansion and like
you arrived, it was just this really so I could
see how you could get sucked in. Not saying that's
(23:33):
your words at all, but like that's I was just like, wow,
everything is just so shiny, and everything's like and money
and just influence and like it's just it was a
very like and I'm just this like wide eyed Michigan
girl just being like, oh my god, I made it.
Well that's how I met you. It's like if I
had the body, I mean, I might have been like trying.
That's what I'm saying. The one thing that kept me
is probably the scoliosis and the hello, sweet boobs, blessed.
(23:57):
But I feel like I like loved watching the girls
because I thought that too. I'm like, they're just stunning
and they're so comfortable and their sexuality and they're not
afraid or embarrassed. Yeah, it just was so like contagious
to me. And I know there are some people listening
that will be like, well, that's crazy because it is
so obviously like this like male you know dominated thing.
(24:21):
I mean, he created his own little kingdom and recruited
the hottest I mean, look at your you're literally like
just beautiful and like light. But I it's crazy that
I was even attracted to that, and I was twenty
one and never went. So that's why I asked that,
because so from an outsider, we're going, Okay, these girls
are so confident you inside the house, were you just
(24:41):
at your most insecure?
Speaker 1 (24:44):
Yeah? I think some of the most beautiful women I've
ever met in my entire life are the most insecure
women I've ever met my entire life. It's I don't
understand it, but it's it's definitely interesting.
Speaker 2 (24:55):
And I don't want to like bust anything of the
book because I'm actually excited to get in and read,
especially when you use words like you smell unfamiliar, cooking,
like you paint a picture. So that's what makes me
feel excited to like get in and read. But do
you were do you still have Is there anybody that
you were friends with then that you're still friends with
now or do you feel like it's all kind of
(25:17):
kind of separated and like, yeah, played it faded away.
Speaker 1 (25:21):
I mean I do remember meeting just thousands and thousands
of women, and I maybe have three friends from there.
So yeah, there's a girl named Amber that was in
the book and I'm friends with her still. She was
a very close friend of AF and I, and you know,
we just share this weird experience, so we're still friends.
Speaker 2 (25:40):
What was that so, like, you know, obviously you said
a lot like you had to play mind games to survive.
You talked about how he was bad at sex. What
was the thing that you drew you to him?
Speaker 1 (25:52):
I think, you know, have you seen those magazines when
I was younger and just thinking the Playboy was the
place of freedom and expression and all the things that
were was fed you know, they fed to the media
about it. But when I first met hef I thought
he was very magnetic. But it was also in a
place where he's the center of the universe. And yeah,
(26:15):
I just I was drawn to it. It was it
was magnetic. It was a place where I thought, Wow,
I'm being chosen. It's like those little green aliens for
toy story, like you have been chosen your special It
definitely gave me validation, and I thought, oh, wow, maybe
this is a place I could I really feel.
Speaker 2 (26:34):
Like I belonged. When you talk about being trapped in
the book, was there? What can you go back to
that moment that first time, feeling like I made the
wrong decision, like I don't this does not this is
not it, this does not feel right.
Speaker 1 (26:50):
Yeah. Yeah, I moved in and you know, the everything
revolved around helf there, and so I just made myself like,
you know, the person hef wanted me to be, and
became his mirror, just reflecting a self importance back at him.
And yeah, I'm like, oh, I thought I was doing
a good job. And it's it's weird having that that mindset.
But I remember gaining a bit of wake because you
(27:11):
can order whatever you want from the kitchen. I got
up to like one hundred and thirty four pounds, and
I remember like hitting my thigh. He said, oh, someone
needs to tone up. It was like tap my roots
because they had to be like white, bleach white, and
the die always like gave me blisters. And I don't know.
One time I said he had a nightmare that I
(27:32):
was a brunette. I suppose like it it's awful, like
it's like and that's what color my hair is. So
the control, like the physical control. He would tell me
where the flag, which is the bunny head logo, wear
more colorful shirt, what kind of and nick I could have?
And at first I'm like, oh, I needed I can
(27:52):
do better. I'm slipping. But after a while I'm like,
I'm being completely controlled by this man and he's just
given me some idea entity that I just took on.
Speaker 2 (28:03):
Did you tell me if you if this feels like
safe enough when you go back to your wedding day,
what is the first feeling you feel.
Speaker 1 (28:13):
I just wanted it to be over. I thought hef
wants this good pr story before he dies. If I
would have said no, I would probably be kicked out
of the house. I don't know where I would go.
So I just wanted the wedding. Wanted the wedding to
be over quickly. He was saying to the I don't
know minister person, like keep it short. My back hurts,
like oh perfect. So it was just very quick and
(28:36):
I'm grateful for that.
Speaker 2 (28:38):
Inside because how long were you actually married to him? Then?
For three years?
Speaker 1 (28:42):
I was there almost ten years, and I married to
him for five five?
Speaker 2 (28:47):
Did was there because it said that, you know you
wrote in the book. You know, I was relieved when
it stopped referring to sex.
Speaker 1 (28:54):
Was there?
Speaker 2 (28:57):
Did he have like a specific amount that he wanted
you to have set like is like okay, you have
to have sex than this many times? Like was it
more of like a contract with him rather than you know,
a marriage?
Speaker 1 (29:06):
I guess yeah, it felt like it felt like that. Uh,
we would have movie nights usually the sex would have
happened on the weekends. I wasn't ever, and I'm entirely
sure when he wanted to, but I do remember sitting
next to him on the couch like during the movie
and he'd reach in his pocket and pull out a
piece of tissue that had like the blue Viagra pill
in it and put it in his mouth. And it's like, oh,
(29:29):
oh that cringe moment where and I'm like, okay, that's
what he's expecting.
Speaker 2 (29:34):
I mean, it's crazy to me because you are so
and I don't mean this like objectifying, like you're just
very intelligent, well spoken, you're also beautiful thing. And then
this like and I'm gonna probably get hate for saying
it's like this like raisin of a man. He's a
raisin at this point, right, Like he's not it's not
it's not hot, he's not hot, right, Like how does
(29:54):
he get you?
Speaker 1 (29:55):
You know?
Speaker 2 (29:56):
Like that she feels like she's I know she's trapped.
I know she's literally trapped. Sorry we're talking about you're
not here. But and I'm like, and then Crystal, and
when is she coming into town? We need her here
for her? No, but I mean, like that's just but
I mean, honestly, it's like I'm getting I'm my like
my heart hurts for you, Like I feel like sad
because like I know that girl, I've been that girl
(30:18):
and different when the walls are closing in, yeah, and
it's just you just want to like go rescue yourself
from it. Like you obviously were in it and you
didn't want to be and you felt this, but you
didn't have Okay, where would I go? How would I
afford it? All the all the things. And then you're
just like, Okay, I'm just gonna now have sex with
this man just because I have no other choice. And
to have no other choice like breaks my heart for
(30:41):
you in that situation. And you know other people that
have obviously been in that same situation. It's like, it's
just it's not fair, it's not right, and is it
Is it still hard for you or are you kind
of now because of the therapy you feel like you're
in a better place.
Speaker 1 (30:57):
Yeah, I feel that I'm in a much better place.
And you know, being emotionally abused in all the ways
there and also financially abused was very hard. And one
thing that I'm proud of myself for is like starting
to save money the best way I could, you know.
I started getting into doing social media ads, I learned
(31:19):
how to DJ and anything I could do during the
day to just try and build myself financially because then
it's like okay if I'm good on my own, because
he would give us like an allowance, but it was
never enough to it was like a thousand dollars every Friday.
It was never enough to be able to leave. You'd
have to ask him for it, so you feel like
you're begging for money, and he'd count out the bills
(31:39):
like one hundred, two hundred, like put them all together,
or here you go. So I need to do something,
and so I started making money on social media. I
started getting into like crypto stuff. I just started trying
to build on my own while I was in there,
and I was able to do that, and I think
that helped me. Like looking back now, it's like I
don't ever kind of have to be in that situation again.
(32:01):
And I do have friends that are and I tell them,
I'm like, save your money, save your money. And you know,
I didn't recognize my situation was so bad in the beginning,
but once I did, you know, at least I now
have the tools that I can try and help other
people that are in bad situations.
Speaker 2 (32:16):
But well, I think a lot of us go through that.
Like it's a slow conditioning almost. It's not like you
go from like freedom to captivity. It's like the sexy
lure of a lifestyle, right, and then then you're in
and then there's one more layer and then pretty soon
you just find yourself kind of like stripped of what
you know to be true and then you have this
disassociation like, wait, that's not how who I know to be.
(32:38):
So tell me, does he like when he's getting towards
the end of life and this is going to be
You can just say yes or no if you feel
like not saying too many words. I get it where
you obviously just pass. It's wind down. We do what
we want. But does it feel like freedom is coming
for you when? Or does does him dying become this
(32:59):
whole other thing that you feel obligated to be and like,
what does that feel like?
Speaker 1 (33:04):
It's interesting because hef was like old for so long,
like everyone knew him as like being old. So I
definitely thought that he was like immortal in some way,
like that he would be around forever. So I wasn't
really planning for that or or what would happen after,
you know, when I was in there. This is also
(33:26):
a man that was praised so highly by the media,
Like the media put him on such a pedestal, and
he would say horrible things in the media, like I've
I look back on this interview where he said he
went from seven girlfriends to three and then he said,
oh I thinned the herd. And this stuff was just
everywhere perpetuated in the media and people idolized him. So
(33:49):
when I started having those kind of doubts creep in
and all those things, I would think, Okay, like maybe
something's wrong with me, because he's put this is all
pre me too.
Speaker 2 (33:59):
And this is go.
Speaker 1 (34:01):
This is just how men are, and maybe it's just
me and I need to do better. So I grappled
with that. But after he passed away, I had this
feeling of guilt and I didn't leave the house for weeks,
and I don't know why. I kept thinking, Oh, is
there something we could have done better? Is there a
different antibotic we could have given him? He died from
my ecola infection, and it was weird, And slowly I
(34:27):
started understanding what my freedom meant. And I started traveling
and seeing the world, and I bought a farm in Hawaii,
and now I can say I truly feel free.
Speaker 2 (34:53):
How does dating look now? Do you feel at first?
When you started? Judged?
Speaker 1 (35:00):
Dating was very hard in the beginning. So I had
a couple of relationships where the people were controlling, manipulative,
and I thought, you go.
Speaker 2 (35:10):
From what you know, you go to the same person,
different name, same cast, different Yeah, like.
Speaker 1 (35:17):
This time I'm paying the bills, like what the heck
struggling musician, an actor, and I'm paying for my own misery,
Like this is torture. And I remember a few matchmakers
and they asked me, They're like, oh, what do you
like simple for my profile, I'm like, what do I like?
I didn't even know, and I think that's when I
(35:38):
had to take a step back. And it's very simple.
But I'm just like, okay, what do I like? Like? Okay,
I like travel, I like nature, I like spend time
with my dog. And I had to slowly find myself
again and once I did that, I felt more powerful
and then I wouldn't put up with any thing like
that dating. And so now I am dating somebody who's
(35:59):
very normal, kind and caring and has a great career
and feels like my equal. So I'm like, yeah, I
made it.
Speaker 2 (36:09):
How long have you guys been dating for about six months?
Speaker 1 (36:12):
Now?
Speaker 2 (36:13):
Oh? Good? I love that. Do you want kids?
Speaker 1 (36:16):
Yeah? Yeah, I would like kids.
Speaker 2 (36:18):
You're such a tender heart. I just want the world
to have more of you. Do you ever? This is
like weird, and but people say when their loved ones
pass away, like if did you ever have anything that
You're like, oh, that was half where he entered your dream?
Or he wants like has he come back to say,
like I'll never forget My great grandma her husband was
(36:39):
abusive and she had told my grandma one time that
he came back in a dream and apologized, Oh, and
I just always remembered that as a kid. I don't
know why she told me that as a kid, but well,
that's like very hopeful though. Yeah, but I'm just curious.
Has he ever kind of entered in some way to
just be like I'm sorry or you know, wish you
(37:01):
well kind of vibe.
Speaker 1 (37:03):
I think part of writing the book, like I was
having dreams, like I kept dreaming about the mansion, and
the book opens up with a dream that I had,
like dreaming that I'm still there. And the most recent
dream I've had is I go into the mansion and
I walk in a half's bedroom and I look to
the right and there's kind of pillows all over the
floor and HEF's in there with like a harem of women.
(37:25):
They're just all kind of on the floor. And for
some reason, I'm like I've risen above it all, and
I'm like, oh, I don't need to be here, like
you're happy you have that, Like I don't need to
be here anymore, like thank you for the lessons. So
I feel in my dream maybe I've had some closure.
Speaker 2 (37:42):
Well, I think you've taken power over it too. I
think that's that to me is what I just took
from that is like you you have the power now
to go. I'm walking away from this because I don't
need to be here anymore.
Speaker 1 (37:53):
Wow. Yeah, I like to think that, so thank you. Yeah.
Speaker 2 (37:56):
I sometimes wonder and I think there's always divine timing
for everything. It is not lost on me that hef
died before the real awakening for women, Like we've had
a slow awakening, but we have really started to take
over and take responsibility and take ownership and we're not
(38:18):
afraid to speak as much. And I always wonder what
would have happened to him if he were still alive,
because his whole dynasty is exactly what we're all trying
to fight against. So if there was a HEF now,
I don't even know. Have you ever thought about, like
would that even like a twenty twenty four version of
(38:42):
your life? I don't even think it would exist.
Speaker 1 (38:45):
Yeah, you're so right. The me too happened a month
after he passed away. It's as almost almost as if
like perfect timing of his life. I don't know how
he would be behaving now. I think he would be
doing the same thing, but maybe just quiet it yeah, yeah,
(39:06):
more more private, because I don't think he knew anything else.
I didn't. I don't think he knew how to not
objectify women.
Speaker 2 (39:14):
No, I mean it sounds it's so consistent and for
so long. I don't know that he could.
Speaker 1 (39:21):
No.
Speaker 2 (39:22):
So Crystal, what are you doing now? I mean, obviously
you have your book out, but what do you want
people to know because you've kept Hefner as your last name? Right?
Speaker 1 (39:32):
Yeah, having a meeting today to talk about trying to
change it on my social socials like back to backs
my original name and what I mean.
Speaker 2 (39:42):
Obviously you know we know the reasoning, but I mean,
is it just something where you just want to just
drop him completely so that you're not known for being
Hefner's ex wife? Like do you want to be? Obviously, Crystal,
what would you say it was? Harris?
Speaker 1 (39:55):
Harris? Yeah, Harris, Yeah, Yeah, I think I'll always be
known Half's wife. I just hope to do some good
with it. Yeah. I'm still on the board of his foundation,
which is crazy, and we're probub to do an auction
with Julian's with lots of HEF's things and Playboy things,
And I just thought like, Okay, if I've been part
(40:16):
of this. Maybe we can rectify some damage that he's done.
And if we can take some of that money from
the auction proceeds and donate it to like women's charities
or anything that helps like women and children to try
and like reverse the damage he's done, then you know,
I'm on board with that. But yeah, it's interesting because
(40:36):
I look at Crystal Harris and I kind of googled
myself as Harris, and I remember like the meek, sad
girl that I was, and like, I actually with this
Crystal heff Nor, I empowered myself in ways that really
don't have anything to do with helf but but in
a way he helped me, you know, get there with
the way I was treated. So I don't know, I'm
(40:57):
conflicted still, as you can tell.
Speaker 2 (41:00):
Noan, I think there's something I like the positive spin
on it, because I was thinking I was going to
ask you, like, what do you think you took from
it that was positive? And I feel like now it's
like again, you can use the name and spin it
for good. You know, what would they say with the
enemy meant for evil? He made it good. So however,
I just always butcher that, But you know what I'm saying, Like,
it's just like you get to you get to make
(41:21):
it good. You know, you get to be the person
that takes something that you know hurt somebody too, especially
that hurt you and devalued you and made you feel
less than you get to now take that and empower
other people and help other people. I think that's a
beautiful thing. And that's that's where i'd keep the half part,
just because you will probably get more people involved with
(41:44):
the Halfner name. Unfortunately. Yeah, I think it feels to
me like you're taking the Hefner and really giving it
like a poetic spin, but also some clarification and a
little like legacy in the twenty twenty four version of
what it could be. He's actually listen. I wasn't a
huge hef fan, if I'm honest, But I have to
(42:05):
say he's pretty smart that he picked you to be with,
because I think you were probably wildly intimidating to him
at how beautiful and smart you were, and so he
knew he needed to keep you close. Is my guest.
I have a long history with narcissists, so I don't
call myself an expert, but I would say probably something
(42:26):
that was most attractive to you. Is this like internal
flame and confidence that you have, So I would say
that is probably like terrifying to someone like him, and
why he made sure to make you a wife. So
I'm glad we are left with you and not him.
I hate to say it that bluntly, but I really
appreciate what you're doing.
Speaker 1 (42:47):
That means a lot. Thank you.
Speaker 2 (42:50):
What is one thing that you want our listeners to
leave with when it comes to your book? And just
you as like what you're taking from all of this too,
like how you've like who you are today.
Speaker 1 (43:04):
When I first started writing this book, I wanted it
to be the book I wish I had when I
was twenty one, and I think I accomplished that. You know,
I've had a few like twenty one year olds actually
write to me and thank me. It's the book is
dedicated to anyone who's you know, struggled with self self
(43:25):
worth and self acceptance and that they're not alone. I
think it's just really important to know who you are
and love who you are, because I think the more
you do that, the less you find yourself in these
kind of situations.
Speaker 2 (43:38):
So absolutely, well, I love you anytime you're in Nashville.
Let us know. You're so sweet. Thank you so much
for coming on. You're just a doll. So yeah, I'm
excited to read your book.
Speaker 1 (43:51):
Thank you. I hope you like it. Let me know.
Speaker 2 (43:53):
I'm gonna r everyone follow Crystal Hafner and go get
her book because she's just the best. And listen, we
all we all feel we're all insecure, right and straight. Yeah,
so let's just support of the women. Do this thing, girl,
and then we'll see you in Nashville.
Speaker 1 (44:13):
Sounds good, audience, all right, by hen Bye?
Speaker 2 (44:16):
Okay, So I just I love her because again, think
about like your twenty one year old self and all
the things. That's why I always hate when people are
judged by their past, because you are just such a
different person and you have different experiences in your past.
Is you go into that because again, when you're you're
told something from your childhood or or whatever from the
(44:40):
ex boyfriend, Like I stayed in abusive relationships because that
is what I was told I deserved. So why would
I not continue abusive relationships for ten years after that?
Do you know what I'm saying? Like, and there's this
lifestyle that looks really shiny. Yeah, I mean you're twenty. Yeah,
I wish I had Lisa. I mean, I you've been there.
(45:01):
I have to text her. I know she has it,
but yeah, oh yeah crazy. And there was a time
in my life where I was like, oh, I want
to live at the mansion, like I mean, I literally
thought if I had the body, I would have been
outside trying to get in. Crazy again, you have an
amazing body. Oh I love my body.
Speaker 1 (45:20):
Good.
Speaker 2 (45:21):
But I did not have what we didn't have what
what half was looking for it in twenty one? Apparently
it didn't like Brunette, sad of it and no one
to write and make eye contact with me? Okay, yeah,
I was really bleaching. I had that going for me.
Oh dear, Okay, well everyone have a great week, and
Kristen tell me have an amazing trip to a Rubot.
(45:41):
You will be fine. Love and protected is what I
tell myself. But I believe it. Yep, amen to that.
I love you, Okay. Bye By
Popular Podcasts
1. The Podium
The Podium: An NBC Olympic and Paralympic podcast. Join us for insider coverage during the intense competition at the 2024 Paris Olympic and Paralympic Games. In the run-up to the Opening Ceremony, we’ll bring you deep into the stories and events that have you know and those you'll be hard-pressed to forget.
2. In The Village
In The Village will take you into the most exclusive areas of the 2024 Paris Olympic Games to explore the daily life of athletes, complete with all the funny, mundane and unexpected things you learn off the field of play. Join Elizabeth Beisel as she sits down with Olympians each day in Paris.
3. iHeartOlympics: The Latest
Listen to the latest news from the 2024 Olympics.