Hugh Hefner's widow has slammed a former Playboy Bunny over claims of the founder being "drugged".
Crystal Hefner's legal team has sent a letter to Holly Madison, 44, over an episode of her Girls Next Level podcast. In it, Holly was joined by Hefner's son Marston where they spoke about Crystal's tell-all memoir, describing it as a "work of fiction".
Holly further questioned the authenticity of the book, saying: "I would read stuff and I'd think 'Is this even real, or is this just her trying to recreate moments that have come from the podcast or from my book or from Kendra's book that she thought were clickbait worthy?".
However, Marston's most serious accusation against Crystal was that she had kept Hefner "so doped up that he didn't know what was going on" as his health deteriorated.
Firing back at these claims, Crystal told her legal team to issue a letter firmly rejecting the assertion that Hefner had been deliberately drugged, saying that such claims were "entirely false and would not be tolerated". The letter went on to emphasise Crystal's unwavering support towards Mr. Hefner during his last days, while ensuring that he received the best possible medical care.
Inside late mogul's luxury 'party palace' that has hit market for $6millionThe feud extended onto Twitter as well, as Holly posted mocking the response sent by Crystal's legal team. She wrote: "Imagine running a free speech foundation and then sending someone a cease and desist for talking."
She added, as per the Daily Star: "Your attorney can't even find my correct email address' with a clown emoji."
Crystal's lawyer later told TMZ: "Ms. Hefner will not have her name and reputation tarnished by opportunists. We stand by the contents of the letter and will enforce Ms. Hefner's rights to the fullest."
Marston also claimed in the podcast how his father had made changes in his will that appeared to favour his young bride, with Holly describing Crystal's actions in Hefner's declining years as "really creepy".
"It's just strange to me, because the person I knew wouldn't have picked Crystal to be the president of his foundation," Holly said. She claimed out that a sizeable chunk of Hefner's estate was left to that foundation.
Holly said that Hefner's vast wealth and influence had always created a "power imbalance" between him and the young girls he dated.
She went on to allege that Crystal's book, which painted a picture of her as being imprisoned in the sprawling Holmby Hills compound, was dishonest about that.
Holly said: "I don't think it's fair to go around talking about how you know you were so abused in the power imbalance when the power imbalance flipped at least halfway through the situation."