Aurora Starchild
Playboy’s reputation for sex parties, exotic surroundings, high-profile celebrity visitors, and glamour has been a source of intrigue for decades. Some stars actually were so enthralled by Playboy that they privately reached out just to pose for the publication and strike a goal off their bucket lists. But the truth is much more nefarious. Jennifer Saginor grew up in the Playboy Mansion. She is opening up about her childhood home and says it was a “weird f***ed up place.”
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Jennifer Saginor First Walked Into the Playboy Mansion at Age 6 With Her Dad, “Dr. Feelgood”
Jennifer Saginor first stepped foot on the Playboy Mansion premises at the tender age of 6. Her father was Dr. Mark Saginor, aka “Dr. Feelgood,” and Hugh Hefner’s personal physician. According to Jennifer, her dad was providing prescription pills to Hugh, as well as residents and visitors to the Playboy Mansion. There were jars of pills labeled “uppers,” “downers,” and quaaludes.” Other drugs such as cocaine were allegedly rampant on the premises. All of this provided Playboy insiders with the mental and psychological adjustments they needed to party and maintain their existence within the Mansion’s premises.
In her memoir, Playground: A Childhood Lost Inside the Playboy Mansion, Jennifer Saginor describes how she witnessed people having sex when she was just a small child. By the age of 12, she had her own bedroom at the Mansion. Her father also lived in one of the 29 bedrooms there. Jennifer says that she was encouraged to practice nudity and was brought clubbing by the age of 15. While she was still in elementary school, she would be dropped off in the mornings in a Playboy limousine.
In an exclusive interview with The Daily Mail, Saginor describes the cognitive dissonance that she experienced as a child growing up amid sexual debauchery.
Saginor Envisioned Her Home as a Source of Childhood Magic — And Then Serious Trauma
“In my head, it was the most magical, Disneyland environment that a kid could ask for,” Saginor recalled. “I used to run into the game room and shove gumballs in my pocket.” In a reel posted to Saginor’s website, she elaborated that she’d order room service while she played pinball and other games in the game room. Video showed a glimpse of the massive space, which includes Playboy pinball machines.
The reel explained a moment when Saginor first saw people having sex in the Playboy Mansion’s Grotto. The pool there was connected to the Grotto by a tunnel. She quickly dove under the water and swam away. Saginor told Daily Mail that she used to think the pool was a place of “adventures.” But eventually, her perception shifted.
“As the years went on, I didn’t realize some of the boundaries being crossed by the adults would be something that would affect me for years to come,” she said. She was exposed to porn stars, giant TV screens showing loops of erotic videos, drugs, and lots of sex. But at the same time, she didn’t want to break the rules because of the “serious consequences.”
“It was such a weird f***ed up place,” she said.
Her Dad Slept With Her Childhood Girlfriend to Stop Her relationship
In her reel, Saginor talks about how she developed a relationship with one of Hugh Hefner’s girlfriends, Kendall (Carrie Leigh). The two were involved in a passionate romance while Saginor was still a teenager, which upset Hugh Hefner. Jennifer was underage, and he didn’t want news leaking that his girlfriend was having sex with a minor.
Hefner was notorious for setting strict rules at the Mansion. He set a new rule that Kendall and Jennifer couldn’t meet outside of the Playboy premises. Eventually, he orchestrated an orgy. One attendee at that orgy was Saginor’s father. Another was Kendall. Kendall then explained to Jennifer that they couldn’t be intimate with each other anymore. Primarily, because she had had sex with her father.
Jennifer Saginor Still Deals With Trauma From Growing Up In the Mansion
Speaking with Urbanette Magazine, Jennifer Saginor explained how her childhood experiences — and traumas — have affected her perceptions as an adult.
“I identify with men mentally because on some level I still don’t respect women because I was conditioned to view them as whores, hookers, and commodities with a price tag,” she said. “Though another part of me longs for them on an emotional level because I am still searching for the nurturance, affection, and unconditional love I never received as a child from my mother.”
Saginor permanently moved in with her father, Dr. Feelgood, as a teenager. She told Urbanette that part of the reason for the move was to be closer to Kendall. The move estranged her from her mom as well as her sister. After leaving the Playboy Mansion, Jennifer stopped talking to her father — leaving her isolated from her entire family.
Asked about Kendall, Saginor said she didn’t miss her. She called her a “gold digger opportunist who molested a minor.” She added that she felt Kendall was “living by the rules” which involved “inappropriate behavior, no sexual boundaries, and taking advantage of innocent minors.”
Jennifer Saginor also admitted that she still deals with feelings of anger. She said she can lash out when she doesn’t feel her emotional needs are met.
Secrets of Playboy Features More Damning Allegations Against Hugh Hefner
Saginor isn’t the only woman to come out about the dark side of the Playboy Mansion. Although, she offers a unique perception as an underage child who actually grew up there.
An A&E documentary entitled Secrets of Playboy was released this past January. It’s been renewed for a second season.
Playmates and other Playboy insiders have made a long list of damning allegations against the late Hugh Hefner. They include claims that he did not use protection during intercourse. Others claimed that he offered recreational and prescription drugs on first dates, and encouraged bestiality on the premises.
Other claims about Hefner’s rules include agreements to stay within a certain weight. They were told to be back on the premises by 9 pm and forbidden to have boyfriends. In return, Playmates were offered a $1,000/week allowance. But the rules about the weight limits, as well as the access to drugs, led to eating disorders. It all took a toll on people’s mental health.
“You’re imprisoned in that Playboy [world],” said former Playboy model Carla Howe. “Like, you can’t do your own thing.”
Former Hugh Hefner’s girlfriend Holly Madison is also featured in the documentary. She said that the reality series The Girls Next Door portrayed the late mogul in a false light.
“I feel like on The Girls Next Door, Hef was portrayed as, like, a kindly grandpa, but that’s not how he is,” Madison said. “It would make me so angry how manipulative he was. Hef controlled every aspect of our life.”
Hefner’s Son Has Denied Claims of His Dad’s Behaviors, But a Playboy Rep Offered Validation
Hugh Hefner’s son, Cooper, whose mother is former Playboy Playmate Kimberley Conrad, called the stories being told “salacious” and an attempt at “revenge.”
“Some may not approve of the life my Dad chose, but my father was not a liar,” Cooper tweeted. “However unconventional, he was sincere in his approach and lived honestly. He was generous in nature and cared deeply for people. These salacious stories are a case study of regret becoming revenge.”
But a Playboy representative was not so quick to dismiss the allegations. Instead, they opted for a higher-ground approach toward validation.
“We trust and validate women and their stories and strongly support the individuals who have come forward to share their experiences in this documentary,” a rep wrote. “After almost 70 years in business, there are many elements of Playboy’s long history which we are immensely proud and there are elements we find unworthy of our principles… We are proud of the work we have done in recent years to stand for freedom and equality while advancing our mission of pleasure for all.”
