Playboy is back in print AND film and it’s not playing it safe image

Playboy's Winter 2025-26 issue with the late Jane Birkin on the cover. (Photo courtesy of Playboy)

Playboy, Inc. will relaunch its print magazine with the Winter 2025-26 issue, hitting newsstands November 11, and it returns with a headline-making centerpiece: the re-release of rarely seen, semi-nude photographs of Jane Birkin from Playboy’s 1970 archives. The images are newly introduced by journalist Marisa Meltzer, whose upcoming book It Girl explores Birkin’s cultural legacy and enduring influence on how women express beauty, freedom, and desire.

Playboy’s next chapter is about honoring our legacy while rewriting the future,” said Reese Lasher, VP of Brand, in a press release. “Jane Birkin embodied everything we stand for — artistry, boldness, and women defining sensuality on their own terms.”

The issue makes a clear statement: nudity is back — unapologetic, elevated, and central. Nearly 100 pages feature 12 Playmates, including WNBA star Kysre Gondrezick as Miss June, representing a new era of pinups who are athletic, ambitious and fully in control of their narratives.

Read more on Chicago Star:

Also inside: Scott Mescudi (Kid Cudi) sits for The Playboy Interview, the legendary franchise once reserved for cultural icons including Martin Luther King Jr., David Bowie, and Steve Jobs. The Grammy-winning artist opens up about marriage, his 11th studio album Free and his next chapter in fatherhood.

Playboy is celebrating the new issue today, Nov. 6, with a pop-up Playmate signing event at the “Are We On Air ?” kiosk, located at 8224 W. Sunset Blvd., West Hollywood, CA, from 6 PM to 9 PM PST. Guests will be able to shop early-release copies of the magazine and the 2026 Playboy calendar. Several of the Playmates will be in attendance, signing copies, including Playmate of the Year 2025: Gillian Nation; Miss January: Jordyn Johnson;  Miss March: Emma Vanderhoof and Miss August: Mykeesha Nelson.

And, in more exciting Playboy news, Hugh Hefner’s son, Cooper (Hefner Capital), will partner with the iconic brand to produce Dead After Dark, a Cold War–era horror thriller set in 1961 Miami, blending Playboy’s iconic legacy with original storytelling and marking the brand’s first step in expanding into a connected film and television universe.

THE BUNNY IS BACK! (Order here!)

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