A public feud between Hugh Hefner’s widow, Crystal Harris, and comedian Jon Lovitz escalated this week after Harris described the former “Saturday Night Live” cast member as a mansion “lurker” and “one of the biggest pervs” to frequent the estate.
Speaking on the “Lisa Guerrero Unleashed” podcast, Harris recounted Lovitz’s regular presence at Playboy Mansion events during her marriage to Hefner, Radar Online reported. Harris, 40, asserted that the comic attended nearly every gathering, closely watching women as they entered the residence.
“He would be up there all the time, and his eyes would go, you know, front to back, all the women that walk through the door,” Harris said during the episode. Harris further described him as the mansion’s “number one customer” and told him he needed to “sit down.” According to a report by Just Jared, Harris also alleged that Lovitz brought a dog to the property that frequently urinated on the premises.
Lovitz Shrugs Off Comments
Lovitz, 69, dismissed the accusations when approached by reporters outside a Los Angeles restaurant on Tuesday evening. Video obtained by Page Six showed the actor reacting playfully to Harris’ phrasing rather than disputing her specific characterizations of his behavior.
“Any time someone says I’m No. 1, it’s a compliment,” Lovitz told reporters, according to OK! Magazine. While reports differed on the exact calendar date of the encounter—with Radar Online citing Tuesday, Oct. 28, and Page Six and OK! Magazine listing Tuesday, Oct. 27—the comedian avoided directly addressing whether he lurked at the residence.
Instead, Lovitz used the exchange to publicly defend Hefner, who died in September 2017 at age 91 from cardiac arrest and respiratory failure. “Hugh Hefner was one of the nicest, most generous people I’ve ever met and all of his friends know it,” Lovitz said, according to OK! Magazine. “That’s all I have to say about that.”
Roots of the Dispute
The tension between Harris and Lovitz began in July, when Harris published an Instagram video sharing her regrets about marrying Hefner in 2012, when she was 26 and the magazine publisher was 86. In that clip, Harris said she regretted believing that marrying a famous figure gave her value and noted she was “done living in that story” of being a grateful wife.
Lovitz, who attended the couple’s 2012 wedding, replied in the post’s comment section by questioning her motives. According to Radar Online, Lovitz asked whether she regretted the home Hefner bought for her, keeping the proceeds after selling it, or the accommodations provided to her family. Harris subsequently responded in public statements, expressing disappointment that someone who enjoyed the mansion would criticize a woman speaking honestly about her experiences.
Harris, who married entrepreneur James Ward in April and wrote the 2024 memoir “Only Say Good Things: Surviving Playboy and Finding Myself,” has leveled severe accusations against her late husband since his death. In her recent podcast appearance, Harris alleged sexual misconduct by Hefner, including asserting that she felt coerced into nonconsensual sexual acts during their relationship, Page Six reported.
Whether Lovitz or other longtime associates of the late publisher will issue further responses to Harris’ expanding claims regarding life inside the mansion remains to be seen.
