Karissa and Kristina Shannon Have Publicly Renounced Their Life With Hugh Hefner
Published March 22 2022, 12:06 p.m. ET
A new A&E miniseries looks at the incidents that occurred at the Playboy Mansion at the height of Hugh Hefner's career. Featuring interviews with Holly Madison, Sondra Theodore, and many others, Secrets of Playboy highlights the transgressions, both confirmed and alleged, that took place behind closed doors. Season 1, Episode 11, revisits Karissa and Kristina Shannon's experiences with living at the notorious mansion. Where are the Shannon twins now? What do they think of their past?
Where are the Shannon twins now?
Karissa and Kristina Shannon, aka the Shannon twins, dated Hugh Hefner between 2008 and 2010. Born in October 1989 in Ann Arbor, Mich., the girls moved from a Florida trailer park to Los Angeles when they were 18. They soon forged careers as porn actresses and models closely associated with the Playboy Enterprises. They made their debut on the Girls of the Playboy Mansion in 2008, appearing alongside Holly Madison, Crystal McCahill, and many others.
Karissa and Kristina Shannon talked several times about how their perception of Hugh and Playboy has changed. "I thought Playboy was one big family – now I can see it was a cult," Kristina told Mirror.
Karissa and Kristina Shannon, aka the Shannon twins, continue to work as influencers and erotic models.
The Shannon twins continue to work in adult entertainment. They inked a historic seven-figure deal with Brazzers in 2018. Since then, they've starred in two TV series, and have also expanded their brand as social media influencers.
Karissa and Kristina Shannon have repeatedly renounced their past as Playboy Playmates, highlighting the various transgressions they witnessed and were subjected to during their time with Hugh Hefner.
"On our 19th birthday, he took us to a club. He bought us alcohol even though the age limit is 21. When we got back, Kendra was like, 'Do you girls want to smoke some weed in Hef's room?' But when we got into his room, Kendra left. We got really nervous," Kristina said, describing an encounter with Hef to Mirror.
"Hef noticed and said, 'Why don’t you slip into something more comfortable?' He pulled out silk pajamas from Italy, and we put them on. He pulled out this big pill like the type a horse would take. It was quaalude, which we found out he used all the time," Kristina added.
As Karissa and Kristina previously claimed — alongside Holly Madison and others, who have similar stories — quaalude tablets were generously doled out at the house.
"He told us the drugs would help with our anxiety. We smoked some pot," Karissa added. "We felt frozen at first. But after a while, the pill made us loose and fuzzy."
The twins told the outlet they felt so disgusting after sexual intercourse with Hugh that they felt compelled to scrub themselves clean with hot water and a lot of soap. "Hef would be at the center of the bed on his back. He had this big mirror on the ceiling. Afterward, we were disgusted and would scrub our bodies using hot, hot water and soap until we were red."
"It was like the devil was inside of me," Karissa described a terminated pregnancy.
Karissa had an abortion in 2009, after learning that she was pregnant with Hef's baby. "I wasn't having sex with anyone else, so it only could have been his baby. I just wanted to get rid of it as soon as possible," she told Mirror. "It was like the devil was inside of me. I didn't want anyone to know I was carrying an 83-year-old man's child."
If you or someone you know is experiencing domestic violence, call the National Domestic Violence Hotline at 1-800-799-7233.