Jason Statham's Playboy Mansion Party Ended With Him Getting a Boot
It seems that Statham's antics didn't sit well with Hefner.
Hugh Hefner's legacy is undeniably complex, but there's no denying that the Playboy creator was an iconic figure in American pop culture. His extravagant lifestyle and numerous scandals kept him in the headlines until he died in 2017.
However, it was his outrageous private parties at the Playboy Mansion that truly made everyone in Hollywood want to make friends with him. The opportunity to spend an evening partying in the company of Hefner and his Playboy models was seen by many as a huge privilege.
With that in mind, it's no wonder that dozens of celebrities regularly visited the Playboy Mansion. The biggest party of the year - the Midsummer Night's Dream Party - drew some major stars in its heyday. The 2008 party, for instance, featured Jon Lovitz, Steve Coogan, Matthew Perry, and Paris Hilton. However, that particular party is today mostly remembered for one reason alone: Jason Statham got kicked out.
Indeed, the British actor was among those invited to party with Hefner, a logical choice given Statham's popularity in Hollywood at the time. However, it appears that Hefner and Statham had a disagreement over a rather trivial issue.
Various sources say several guests and models asked Statham to pose for photos with them throughout the party, but he didn't like it. Apparently, he just wanted to kick back and take a break from the limelight, so he didn't like constantly being asked for a photo.
What he did was he simply refused to have any photos of himself taken with any of the models and guests that asked him for it. That greatly annoyed Hefner, who figured that having such a big star in attendance at his party would boost his social standing. So when Statham turned down yet another request for a photo, Hefner had his security detail escort the actor from the premises. It should be noted that Statham kept his cool throughout and never caused a scene.
While this story is nothing more than an amusing anecdote, Statham himself never commented on it, perhaps for personal reasons.