Who Is Hugh Hefner's First Wife, Millie Williams?

Before the world knew him as the silk-robed, pipe-smoking mogul of the Playboy mansion, Millie Williams lived a very different chapter — one marked by young love, a shattering betrayal, and a life in the shadows of a media tycoon.

Mildred "Millie" Williams was more than just a footnote in Hugh Hefner's past — she was his first wife, the woman who stood beside him long before he became a global icon. Their marriage, which began in 1949, was emotionally charged from the beginning and endured for a full decade, ending in 1959.

Together they raised two children, Christie and David, but as Hugh's ambitions soared, their marriage buckled. Still, Millie's quiet impact on his early life lingered long after the ink dried on their divorce.

A Confession That Changed Everything

They met as students in Illinois, young and idealistic. He had just returned from military service, and what followed was a relationship rooted in the post-war values of their generation. Millie became the first woman Hugh was ever intimate with, just before they married.

But what came next would leave emotional scars. Millie tearfully confessed to having had an affair while Hugh was stationed away — a moment that deeply shook him.

"I had literally saved myself for my wife," Hugh revealed in a 2007 interview. "But after we had sex she told me that she'd had an affair. That was the most devastating moment in my life. My wife was more sexually experienced than I was. After that, I always felt in a sense that the other guy was in bed with us, too."

Decades later, the pain hadn't faded. Hugh still called the confession the most shattering moment of his life, admitting, "It doomed us from the start. But I think it gave me permission to live the life I've lived." Despite the deep emotional wound, the couple stayed married for ten more years — a complicated union shadowed by a single, life-altering moment.

How Heartbreak Fueled the Birth of a Magazine

Oddly enough, Hugh would later credit Millie's betrayal as a turning point — a spark that ignited his interest in sexuality and human behavior. He briefly enrolled in graduate school to study sociology with a focus on sex research, planting the intellectual seeds for what would soon become a cultural revolution — the Playboy magazine.

By 1953, four years into their marriage, Playboy was born. The inaugural issue, which boldly featured Marilyn Monroe's nude photo, cost Hefner a mere $500 — a gamble that paid off spectacularly. That same year, Playboy Enterprises officially launched.

As the magazine's influence exploded and Hugh's public image evolved, his private life unraveled. By the late 1950s, he had begun living separately, increasingly consumed by the lavish lifestyle that would become his signature.

A Family Torn Apart

Their marriage officially ended in 1959. At the time, Christie was just three, and David had only recently been born. According to a 1983 Washington Post report, Hugh had moved out shortly after David's birth — and never returned.

Christie would later reflect on this painful absence, recalling that her father had been missing from the home for practically her whole life.

In 1960, a year after the divorce, Millie married Chicago attorney Ed Gunn. To create a sense of family continuity, the children were given Gunn's last name, though they reportedly never formed a strong bond with their stepfather.

Despite remarrying, Millie steered clear of the spotlight. The marriage quietly ended in 1971, and she retreated further from public view.

When Christie was a teenager, she approached her father with a heartfelt request: help her mother. Hefner did not hesitate. "They hadn't had much contact because my stepfather was so sensitive about any kind of ongoing presence of my father in our family," Christie explained.

She also added, "And he didn't buy the house because it was an obligation. Of course he would do it. He loved her. She was the mother of his children."

Rare Glimpses Into Millie's Life

Though she remained intensely private, Millie made a few appearances in the media over the years. In 1993, she appeared on "60 Minutes" in a segment titled "Playboy: The Princess of Playboy," where she spoke as herself, identified as Hugh's ex-wife.

It was a rare public moment that offered a personal look into her relationship with Hugh and the early days of Playboy. She was later featured in archival footage used in a 2006 episode of "E! True Hollywood Story" and in the documentary series "Headliners & Legends with Matt Lauer," which aired between 1998 and 2008.

While Hugh's life played out on red carpets, television screens, and in countless headlines, Millie faded into obscurity. She declined interviews, shunned fame, and maintained a quiet existence far removed from the media frenzy.

According to her IMDb page, she was born on March 10, 1926, in Chicago, Illinois. As of September 25, 2025, there is no public record of her death, and she is presumed to still be living — quietly.

Children Who Bridged Two Worlds

Despite the fractured family dynamic, both of Millie's children went on to foster relationships with their father. Christie, in particular, became a powerful force in the Playboy empire. She took over as President in 1982, became CEO in 1988, and led the company through decades of transformation.

She became the longest-serving female CEO of a U.S. public company, and under her leadership, more than 40 percent of executive roles were held by women. She also expanded the brand into digital and TV platforms.

David Hefner, in contrast, chose a quieter path. He kept the Gunn surname, and as of 1983, he was living in Los Angeles and worked as a photographer and computer consultant. According to Millie, David has always maintained a close bond with his biological father, despite choosing a life away from the Playboy spotlight.

Millie's role in Hugh's story remains one of significance. She was not just his first wife but also the woman whose early relationship with him influenced much of what came later.