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Melissa Joan Hart Reflects on Playboy Offer and Family Impact

11/19/2025

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Summary

Story summary

Melissa Joan Hart said on a podcast that she declined an offer from Playboy magazine.
Her 1999 Maxim cover shoot distressed her father and brother, who faced ridicule.
Hart, now a mother of three, expressed relief she did not embarrass her family.
Hart said she was proud of her body.
The Maxim controversy nearly cost her the role on her show, which ultimately helped promote Drive Me Crazy.

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Story summary

Melissa Joan Hart said on a podcast that she declined an offer from Playboy magazine.
Her 1999 Maxim cover shoot distressed her father and brother, who faced ridicule.
Hart, now a mother of three, expressed relief she did not embarrass her family.
Hart said she was proud of her body.
The Maxim controversy nearly cost her the role on her show, which ultimately helped promote Drive Me Crazy.