Former Playboy star claims she and twin sister 'faked sex acts' to satisfy Hugh Hefner

Daniel Windham Thu, November 5, 2026 at 11:49 AM UTC

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Models/twin sisters Kristina Shannon (L) and Karissa Shannon (Image: Albert L. Ortega, Getty Images)

A former Playboy model has opened up about her troubling experiences inside Hugh Hefner's notorious mansion, making a series of allegations about the late media tycoon's expectations while she lived there.

Karissa Shannon, who relocated to the Los Angeles estate with her twin sister Kristina in 2008, has reflected on the alleged sexual encounters they experienced while in a relationship with Hefner.

In an exclusive interview with Page Six, the 37-year-old corroborated allegations recently made by Hefner's widow, Crystal Harris, about his purported expectations involving the twins. Karissa said she was taken aback that people were shocked by the suggestion of incestuous conduct.

"I figured people would already have assumed that," she said.

Karissa alleged Hefner consistently attempted to coerce her and Kristina into becoming intimate with one another, despite neither sister being willing to participate. However, she maintained they never actually followed through with what he supposedly requested, reports the Mirror US.

Hugh Hefner with Karissa Shannon, Kristina Shannon and Crystal Harris (Image: WireImage)

"He would try and force me and my sister to have sex with each other," she alleged.

"Me and my sister never actually did it together. So that's a statement I want to say. Like, really, we never, never had incest[uous] sex. Like, we never did that. We faked it. We faked it every time. And it was horrible. Like, we faked it completely."

The sisters, who were just 18 when they entered the mansion, reportedly agreed between themselves to pretend to comply with Hefner's demands. "Me and my sister spoke about it. ... We were like, 'Let's just fake it,'" Karissa recalled.

She alleged that Hefner was convinced their performances were authentic and took pleasure in what he believed he was watching.

"He wanted to see it and wanted us to fool around with each other and said that if we really loved each other, we would do it together," she alleged.

Playboy founder Hugh Hefner girlfriends Karissa Shannon (L) and Kristina Shannon (Image: Getty Images)

Karissa further suggested that Harris was aware of the twins' deception during these encounters, while Hefner himself allegedly remained in the dark.

The former Playmate has previously spoken out about the lasting impact of her time with Hefner, describing sexual encounters with him as feeling like "assault" and "rape". She also alleged that they were forced into a threesome on their 19th birthday.

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Reflecting on their experiences, Karissa revealed she found herself thinking about other twin sisters who had previously inhabited Hefner's world, among them Sandy and Mandy Bentley, prominent figures in the Playboy world around the turn of the millennium.

"Were they actually doing it?" she wondered.

Karissa recalled encountering the sisters at a social gathering some years after their departure from the Playboy scene, expressing deep concern about their demeanour and appearance.

"They were very quiet," Karissa said. "I just felt so bad. I was like, 'Look at them; they just look ruined from this place.' And that's why I promised myself I wouldn't stay [at the Playboy Mansion] very long."

Karissa and Kristina relocated to the mansion in 2008 and featured in the final season of E!'s The Girls Next Door.

The pair were subsequently named Playboy's July/August 2009 Playmates before departing the residence in January 2010.

The sisters went on to work in the adult entertainment business, including producing explicit content together, which they had previously characterised as a means of "survival".

Karissa and Kristina Shannon (Image: AETV)

Ultimately, they chose to leave Los Angeles and return to Michigan, their home state, where they hoped to rebuild their lives.

In an interview with People last year, Karissa revealed that their time at the mansion had severely affected them.

"It really crumbled who we are," she stated, noting that their Christian faith had also created challenges during that time.

She continued: "Kristina and I decided to move. We didn't know where to go, so we decided to go back to where we were born and leave L.A. We sold the beauty salon we owned at the time, and said, 'Let's get the hell out of here and live a simple life. Let's just start healing.'".

Hefner, who founded Playboy magazine, died in September 2017 at the age of 91. He had been married to Harris from December 2012 until his death.

Original Article on Source

Source: “AOL Entertainment”