Hugh Hefner’s Son Slams Crystal Hefner as a ‘Master Manipulator,’ Obsessed With ‘Control and Power’

Hugh Hefner’s son Marston Hefner slammed his late father’s former wife, Crystal Hefner, during an appearance on the “Girls Next Level” podcast and called her a “master manipulator.”

“When Crystal came in, there started to be, like, tribes,” Marston, 34, told podcast hosts Holly Madison and Bridget Marquardt in the Monday, May 13, episode.

Marston added that he remembered reading in Crystal’s book, Only Say Good Things: Surviving Playboy and Finding Myself, that she often felt “invisible” at the Playboy Mansion but that she noticed a difference when Hugh was around.

“She noticed that like when she was around my father people treated her differently and they started to listen. They started to maybe be scared of her a little bit and I think that feeling of like ‘I matter’ is addicting. I think she basically liked climbing, being in that position where you knew you had to go through her or you had to ask her for things she controlled,” Marston added.

The photographer also detailed an experience he had with Crystal, 38, when he went to one of the game nights held at the Playboy Mansion. Marston said that he felt a “really dark energy” when he walked into the room where Crystal sat with her mom and one of her good friends.

“It didn't feel fun. It felt kind of like cackling crows being nasty, and I just never went back after that night,” Marston explained to Holly, 44, and Bridget, 50.

Marston also detailed what he described as Crystal’s obsession “with control and power.” The California native said that eventually Crystal was in charge of who attended events, and that he saw guests who had been around the mansion for “10 years, 15 years,” that were suddenly not invited to events.

“She liked controlling the guest list,” Marston said. “She liked taking girls off and on the guest list pending on whatever the whims were at the time.”

Marston also alleged that Crystal was lying about Hugh not leaving her anything in his will, something the former Playmate mentioned in her book. He claimed that Crystal actually used Hugh’s fragile mental state before his death against him and ensured that she was left more money than the Playboy founder had originally planned on leaving.

Holly seemed to agree with Marston’s claims and said, “It’s just very strange to me because the person I knew wouldn’t have picked Crystal to be the president of his foundation.”

Crystal’s memoir, which was released in January, made several bombshell claims about her time in the infamous Playboy Mansion, many of which seemed to echo Holly’s claims in her book, Down the Rabbit Hole: Curious Adventures and Cautionary Tales of a Former Playboy Bunny.

“This was a well-oiled and well-practiced sequence of events. One that went the same exact way every time,” Crystal wrote in her book. “Picking some girls from the party and bringing them up. Changing into the uniform for the job: silk pajamas. The dimming of the lights. The music. The porn. Passing the pot. And then the sex.”

However, in April, Holly made an appearance on the “Ladygang” podcast and said she felt like Crystal had copied her writing style.

“Anybody who’s read my book that came out eight years ago and then read her book, tell me the narrative voice doesn’t sound exactly the same,” Holly said. “Drives me up a wall.”