Nadia Lee Cohen, the mastermind behind both this issue’s nostalgic cover and the ad campaign for Playboy’s new fragrance, Make the Cover (coming March 2020), creates work with the instinct of a storyteller. That may explain why the British artist gravitates toward eccentric and striking characters who can effortlessly weave a narrative into her cinematic portraits. For the Equality Issue’s cover story, Once a Playmate, Always a Playmate, Cohen used her lens to “focus a spotlight on age and photograph something I consider to be underrepresented in popular culture,” she tells us. Cohen invited five Playmates across six decades—1963 through 2012—to help bring her vision to life. “I wanted to celebrate the original Playmates who helped shape and pioneer the brand.”
Playboy’s Freedom Fighters
In November, PEN America honored First Amendment attorney Theodore J. Boutrous Jr. with its Distinguished Leadership Award in recognition of his free speech advocacy. He has worked with comedian and 2018 Playboy Interview subject Kathy Griffin, who called Boutrous after the Department of Justice investigated her for conspiracy to assassinate the president; reporter Jim Acosta, who refused to yield his questioning of Trump; and PLAYBOY White House correspondent Brian Karem, whose press pass was revoked by Press Secretary Stephanie Grisham without cause. In August, Boutrous successfully sued the White House, arguing Karem’s suspension violated the First and Fifth Amendments. We congratulate Boutrous on his award.
Giddy Up
For this edition of Man in His Domain, Marissa Moss attempts to capture just how captivating Orville Peck, the elusive cowboy, truly is. To further explore the masked musician’s origins, Simon Hanselmann, creator of last issue’s Megg’s Pleasure, stepped in to illustrate an original comic (right). Visit Playboy.com to see more.
Remembering Stephanie Morris
Stephanie Morris, a talented photo editor who spent nearly 30 years working for PLAYBOY, passed away this fall. “I don’t think Stephanie knew how good she was at her job,” reflects Marilyn Grabowski, another former PLAYBOY photo editor. “We had a great team, and a lot of credit goes to Stephanie.”
The Art Outsiders
“Sometimes outsiders make the most powerful insiders,” says senior editor Elizabeth Suman, who united French “wallpaper artist” JR and New York magazine senior art critic Jerry Saltz for an in-depth conversation in our photo feature, Portraits for the People. Forgoing a traditional interview for a private tour of JR’s exhibit at the Brooklyn Museum, the two men bonded over their unconventional approaches to their crafts. “JR didn’t go to art school and is becoming one of the most recognizable artists in the world,” says Suman. “Jerry was a truck driver until he was 41, and recently won a Pulitzer. Each, in his own way, is bringing art to a new demographic and challenging what the art community could, and should, look like.” The show’s centerpiece, The Chronicles of New York City, features 1,128 New Yorkers displayed across 32 feet of museum real estate. The mural becomes even more impactful when viewers realize it’s connected to an AR app, JR:murals, which features audio clips of each subject. Turn to page 118 to download the app and hear the PLAYBOY pages tell their story.
The Blond(ie) Bunny
Just a few years before Debbie Harry got her big break as the unapologetic frontwoman of Blondie, she did a stint as a Bunny at the New York Playboy Club. In her recent memoir, Face It, Harry touches on everything from Bunny-hood to bankruptcy to the band’s breakup. To read more about her experience wearing the ears and tail, check out Diamond Days (page 209).
