Crystal Hefner Explains Why She’s Saying Goodbye to Hugh’s Last Name

Hugh Hefner’s widow, Crystal Hefner, spoke exclusively to Us Weekly about her decision to drop the Playboy founder’s famous last name, revealing she finally feels “in the right place” to let go of her past.

On Thursday, July 17, Crystal revealed to Us why she is going back to her maiden name of Harris, eight years after Hugh’s death.

The model, who wed Hugh in 2012, explained, “There’s always been a lot of noise around why I kept the Hefner name. I had so many people assuming it was for attention or clout. But the truth is, it was far more personal and complex than that. Holding onto that name wasn’t about fame — it was about survival.”

Crystal, 39, said, “When you go through something as intense and all-consuming as that chapter of my life, you don’t just snap your fingers and reinvent yourself. You have to peel back the layers, face the trauma, and slowly come back to who you really are.”

The former Girls Next Door star said, “I didn’t realize how much of myself I had lost. The name wasn’t a spotlight — it was a shadow I lived under for years while I worked through everything that came with it.”

“And while there were moments I thought about changing it sooner, I wasn’t emotionally ready,” Crystal told Us. “I had to reclaim me first, and that took time, strength, and a lot of clarity. So no, it wasn’t about attention. It was about survival, identity, and eventually, healing.”

When asked why now feels like the right time to change her name that comes with such an iconic history, Crystal explained, she wanted to go back to her own roots: “I’m finally in a place where I feel grounded, whole, and at peace. Changing my name isn’t about erasing the past — it’s about reclaiming my identity.”

“It’s a homecoming. Harris is who I was before the world told me who to be, and it’s who I am now, after coming full circle,” she said.

Crystal told Us she sees the legal name change as a “huge step” that is both “emotional” and “symbolic.”

“It represents closure, clarity and the choice to move forward in alignment with who I’ve become,” she explained. “It’s shedding a name that once defined me and stepping into a version of myself that feels completely free, authentic, and strong.”

Crystal told Us she will “always carry that part of my life,” but “that time in my life has passed.”

She said she’s “ready for what’s next.”

As for what the future holds, Crystal told Us she’s already planning her wedding with fiancé James Ward for spring 2026: “Somewhere near the ocean,” she said. “We haven’t finalized all the details yet, but we’re taking our time and enjoying the process.”

Crystal said her decision to change her name was not directly because of her upcoming marriage but said it “aligns perfectly with this new chapter we’re entering together.”

And even as Crystal and James, whom she met in 2024, make it official as husband and wife, the author is doing it her way and breaking away from the norm: “I’m keeping my [last] name. I’m keeping my identity,” she said.

“My relationship with James is rooted in mutual love and respect, not tradition for tradition’s sake. I know who I am, and that’s not changing,” she ended.