Former Playboy models Kristina and Karissa Shannon have opened up about the deep emotional scars they carry from their time living inside Hugh Hefner’s famous mansion. In a gripping interview with The Mirror, the twins, now 34, described the once-glamorous Playboy lifestyle as a trap of manipulation, surveillance, and emotional breakdowns.
The Shannon sisters shot to fame after appearing on the hit show “The Girls Next Door” and quickly became fixtures at Hefner’s notorious parties. But behind the flashing cameras and polished images, they say the environment inside the mansion was stifling and abusive, leaving them with lasting mental health struggles they are only now confronting in public.
Kristina and Karissa Shannon describe Hefner’s mansion as “a golden prison” that slowly crushed their self-esteem. https://twitter.com/DailyMailCeleb/status/1925834576591028223— Daily Mail Celebrity (@DailyMailCeleb) May 10, 2025
Karissa revealed that their daily lives were tightly controlled, including who they spoke to, what they wore, and even how they interacted with guests. “There was no freedom. It wasn’t glamorous at all — it was suffocating,” she told Page Six. Kristina added that feelings of isolation became unbearable, comparing their experience to “being trapped in a cult-like environment.”
The twins also claimed that Hefner demanded unwavering loyalty from his “girlfriends,” reinforcing a toxic atmosphere where jealousy and competition were weaponized. The constant surveillance inside the mansion — including the use of hidden cameras — made it nearly impossible to relax, much less seek outside help. The Independent provides more insight into the allegations.
“It felt like our lives belonged to someone else. We couldn’t even make our own choices without asking permission.” https://twitter.com/NewYorkPost/status/1925847887654321234— New York Post (@NewYorkPost) May 10, 2025
The Shannon twins are now sharing their experiences to raise awareness about the dark side of celebrity culture, especially in spaces where power dynamics skew heavily toward one figure. “People think it’s all champagne and fairy tales. It’s not. It’s control, fear, and loneliness,” Kristina said during the interview.
While Hefner’s legacy remains controversial, more former Playboy associates have come forward in recent years to paint a picture of life inside the mansion that sharply contrasts with its public reputation. Some experts believe this new wave of testimony could finally force a reexamination of the era’s toxic glamorization of exploitative environments. The Guardian covers the growing movement for accountability.
Despite their struggles, Kristina and Karissa said they are focused on healing and reclaiming their narrative. “We lost our voices back then,” Karissa said. “Now, we’re finally telling our truth.”
