A former Playboy Bunny says she's received death threats for speaking out against Hugh Hefner on A&E's 'Secrets of Playboy'

• A former Playboy Bunny said she's received death threats since speaking out against Hugh Hefner.
• PJ Masten, who worked at Playboy for a decade, says most of the hate comes from other former Bunnies.

A former Playboy Bunny said she's received death threats after speaking out against founder Hugh Hefner, who died of natural causes in 2017, in the new A&E docuseries "Secrets of Playboy."

PJ Masten, who worked at the company from 1972 to 1982, told the Los Angeles Times that most of the attacks have come from other former waitresses at the Playboy clubs, known as Bunnies.

"It's all from Bunnies. These are 85-year-old women running around with their bunny ears on, and I'm bursting their bubble," Masten said.

"Being a bunny was the best experience of my life. It was a great sorority of sisters," Masten continued. "But the filth and language they're attacking me with? I'm frightened of these vicious women."

According to the former Playboy employee, she's been called a "liar" and a "piece of shit," among other insults, in the online attacks, which she says have mostly been through Facebook.

Masten is one of several former employees to speak out against Hefner and the company he founded in "Secrets of Playboy."

In an interview shown on the January 31 episode, Masten said she was forced to cover up the alleged rapes and abductions of two "baby" Playboy Bunnies. In another, the ex-Bunny seemingly agreed with other women who said that aspiring Playmates of the year had to sleep with Hefner in order to secure the coveted title.

Hefner's estate hasn't commented on any of the specific claims made in "Secrets of Playboy." In late January, shortly before the A&E docuseries premiered, Hefner's son Cooper appeared to denounce allegations against the Playboy founder.

"Some may not approve of the life my Dad chose, but my father was not a liar. However unconventional, he was sincere in his approach and lived honestly," Cooper tweeted. "He was generous in nature and cared deeply for people. These salacious stories are a case study of regret becoming revenge."

—Cooper Hefner (@cooperhefner) January 23, 2022

Earlier in February, a group of ex-Playboy employees — including former Playmates and Bunnies — signed a letter in support of Hefner, whom they called "a person of upstanding character."

In the letter, obtained by People, hundreds of former employees and ex-girlfriends of the late Playboy founder denounced the allegations made by women against Hefner on A&E's new docuseries "Secrets of Playboy."

And in a previous email statement to Insider about the docuseries and subsequent allegations against Hefner, a representative for Playboy said, "The Hefner family is no longer associated with Playboy, and today's Playboy is not Hugh Hefner's Playboy."

Directly addressing "Secrets of Playboy," the statement added: "We trust and validate these women and their stories and we strongly support those individuals who have come forward to share their experiences. As a brand with sex-positivity at its core, we believe safety, security, and accountability are paramount."

It continued: "The most important thing we can do right now is actively listen and learn from their experiences. Today, our organization is run by a workforce that is more than 80% female and we will continue to confront any parts of our legacy that do not reflect our values today, and to build upon the progress we have made as we evolve as a company so we can drive positive change for our employees and our communities."

New episodes of "Secrets of Playboy" air Mondays on A&E.