Hugh Hefner's son feels 'personal embarrassment' that Trump was on Playboy's cover

Cooper, just 25, provided a strong hint about the future of the magazine during an interview last month with The Hollywood Reporter.
 By 
Colin Daileda
 on 
Hugh Hefner's son feels 'personal embarrassment' that Trump was on Playboy's cover
Hugh Hefner and his son Cooper attend the Annual Midsummer Night's Dream Party at the Playboy Mansion in 2014. Credit: Christopher Polk/Getty Images for Playboy

Playboy founder Hugh Hefner died on Wednesday, placing firm control of the magazine's creative culture in the hands of one of his sons, Cooper.

Cooper, just 25, is the chief creative officer. He provided a strong hint about the future of the magazine in the era of President Donald Trump during an interview last month with The Hollywood Reporter.

"We don't respect the guy," Cooper said. "There's a personal embarrassment because Trump is somebody who has been on our cover."

The "We" implies both Cooper and his father, Hugh, though Trump was often around the Playboy Mansion. He and the late Hefner enjoyed enough of a relationship that Trump brought contestants on The Apprentice to the mansion in 2006.

Cooper's dad reportedly had something of a falling out with Trump after the latter secured the Republican nomination for the presidency, and though it's not clear why, it may have something to do with Trump courting evangelicals and the Christian right on his way to the White House. Hefner, after all, founded Playboy in part as a counterweight to the United States's Christian conservatism. As a longtime vocal defender of LGBT rights, he probably also didn't enjoy Trump's selection for vice president, Mike Pence. Pence once tried to link LGBT couples to "societal collapse."

Trump, to no one's great surprise, is apparently very proud to have graced the magazine's cover. Last year he told The Washington Post, “I was one of the few men in the history of Playboy to be on the cover."

Topics Donald Trump

Mashable Image
Colin Daileda

Colin is Mashable's US & World Reporter. He previously interned at Foreign Policy magazine and The American Prospect. Colin is a graduate from Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism. When he's not at Mashable, you can most likely find him eating or playing some kind of sport.

Mashable Potato

Recommended For You

Google is bringing Personal Intelligence to AI Mode in Google Search
Personal Intelligence in AI Mode in Google Search


Can the Garmin Forerunner 55 replace a personal coach for half-marathon prep?
Garmin Forerunner 55

'The Daily Show' responds to Trump waffling about a secret U.S. weapon
A man in a suit sits behind a talk show desk, with an image of the president in the top-left. The caption at the bottom reads, "The discombobulator?"

Trending on Mashable
NYT Connections hints today: Clues, answers for April 3, 2026
Connections game on a smartphone

NYT Connections hints today: Clues, answers for April 4, 2026
Connections game on a smartphone

Wordle today: Answer, hints for April 3, 2026
Wordle game on a smartphone

Wordle today: Answer, hints for April 4, 2026
Wordle game on a smartphone

Google launches Gemma 4, a new open-source model: How to try it
Google Gemma
The biggest stories of the day delivered to your inbox.
These newsletters may contain advertising, deals, or affiliate links. By clicking Subscribe, you confirm you are 16+ and agree to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy.
Thanks for signing up. See you at your inbox!