Five years ago Playboy published its final edition, just as Covid-19 took hold around the globe and started the shutdown of countless businesses while driving others fully online. But unlike many of those, Playboy’s print edition was unrelated to the pandemic. The adult magazine was one of the most famous and prestigious men’s magazines for decades, featuring Marilyn Monroe on its first cover and countless celebrities in the years since then, including Sharon Stone, Bo Derek, Drew Barrymore, Dolly Parton and many, many more.
The magazine only exists thanks to Hugh Hefner and his mother, who gave him a $1,000 loan to launch the magazine in 1953. And while the magazine was in print for nearly 70 years, it continued online until recently when the first print edition in nearly five years was released with Lori Harvey, daughter of Steve Harvey, on the cover.
But the real news is who is the 2025 Playmate of the Year — and what she had to say about how the magazine will fare up against OnlyFans. Gillian Nation was announced as a playmate during Super Bowl weekend in New Orleans, donning a $10 million diamond-studded Playboy bunny costume as well as other Playboy paraphernalia throughout the weekend.
Nation was enthusiastic about her illustrious position as Playmate of the Year, sharing: “It’s an honor to be chosen and to represent them, especially with them making this comeback.”
And it seems she did, even her family. Nation continued: “My family, my distant relatives, my boyfriend’s family, people I haven’t spoken to in years and years, they’re all congratulating me. It’s heartwarming to see how many people are so supportive.”
While Nation is enjoying the support of her family and friends, she also took some time to show her lack of support for other women who choose to display their bodies in a similar way.
“I think people will have to appreciate Playboy’s history. Obviously, it can’t compete in the same way as in, I guess you could say with OnlyFans or all these different platforms where people can say, ‘You can see more.’ But that’s not really the point. The point is that it’s something classic, and that’s what it’s always been. And, so, I think that people will have to appreciate it for what it is.”
She went on to add that “anybody can make an OnlyFans“ — and she didn’t mean it in a positive way. But the truth is that while Playboy is struggling to make a comeback into the adult entertainment industry, OnlyFans is thriving. The subscription-based platform has over 305 million registered users and brings in millions of dollars a year for its content creators. So while Nation is enjoying the fame and notoriety that comes with being a Playmate, OnlyFans creators like Sophie Rain and Bonnie Blue are enjoying the wealth that comes with being an OnlyFans star.