Playboy Twins Reveal The Dark Side Of Life Inside Hugh Hefner's Mansion

Karissa and Kristina Shannon, the identical twin sisters who once appeared in Playboy, have come forward to talk about the emotional and psychological toll they say they endured while living in Hugh Hefner’s iconic mansion.

Since Hugh Hefner passed away in 2017 at the age of 91, a number of women have come out with stories detailing what life was really like inside the Playboy Mansion and what it was like to be around him during that era.

One of his former girlfriends, Holly Madison, previously claimed the experience was comparable to being in a “cult.” Meanwhile, Kendra Wilkinson shared that her time with Hefner caused her to develop “a little bit of a sex problem.”

Karissa and Kristina Shannon became widely recognized during the final two seasons of the reality show Girls Next Door, which documented Hefner’s daily life alongside his girlfriends Madison, Bridget Marquardt, and Wilkinson.

The twins, who are now 35 years old, were only 19 when they made the move into the Playboy Mansion, something that would go on to shape their early adult lives in unexpected ways.

They recently opened up in an interview with People magazine, sharing their thoughts and experiences from the time they spent inside the lavish home in Hollywood.

Former Playboy twins Karissa and Kristina Shannon Matt Winkelmeyer/Getty Images

Karissa spoke about their early days at the mansion and said: "It was such a culture shock for us. We literally ... We didn't grow up with a young mother, so we didn't know about hair and makeup. We didn't know much about fashion or style. And we're a lot younger than Bridget, Kendra and Holly - we're teenagers."

Kristina followed up with her own reflection: "We were literally just teenagers. We were all natural. We didn't have fake teeth. We didn't have fake boobs like the other girls or fake hair. We just walked around with natural faces over tan because we were always in the sun in Florida."

"We got a lot of jealousy from the other Playmates because we were twins. We were the first twins to each get our own months, which made Playboy history. We were the youngest Playmates and the youngest girlfriends."

Kristina pointed out that they quickly realized the reality was far from what people saw on screen, saying that “what they show on TV and on the show was a 100 percent different from what was going on behind the scenes.”

Karissa also opened up about what life looked like after Playboy. According to People, she spent several years moving in and out of the mansion and reflected on the ups and downs that followed.

"We always say Playboy will always be a part of our lives. We were Playboy fans and we still are Playboy fans. Even though it turned out to be very traumatic for us, there were also a lot of high points," she added, looking back on that period of their lives.

Playboy founder Hugh Hefner Charley Gallay/Getty Images for Playboy

Kristina then shared a deeply personal detail from their childhood: "It's even in the way we were born. We know we were born three months premature ... When we were born, we actually weren't breathing. Our lungs weren't fully developed."

"We've had to fight for our lives, our whole lives. We came from a lot of trauma. We're trauma bonded," Karissa revealed, acknowledging how much adversity they’ve faced throughout their lives.

As they began seeking stability and a healthier lifestyle, the twins eventually felt that leaving Los Angeles might be the right step toward healing and getting back to who they really were.

"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 LA," Karissa said, recalling the moment they chose to make a big life change.

"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'."