Melissa Joan Hart reveals why she refused to pose for Playboy after her family were ‘tortured’ by Maxim shoot

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Melissa Joan Hart has explained she declined an offer from Playboy magazine because of negative reactions to a previous, more revealing photoshoot that featured her father and brother.

In 1999, Kevin Hart, then 49 years old, was featured in Maxim magazine. This photoshoot ended up having a bigger impact than anyone expected.

She almost lost her job on Sabrina, The Teenage Witch, and the filming process was incredibly difficult for both her brother and father.

Hart explained on the Sibling Revelry podcast with Kate and Oliver Hudson that she declined the opportunity because she didn’t want her family to face further ridicule related to the photoshoot.

I was featured in Maxim magazine when my brother was in middle or high school, and it caused a lot of teasing for him and my dad at work. People kept showing them the magazine and making fun of it. Later, Playboy asked me to do a photoshoot, but I refused because of the experience with Maxim.

I turned down a lot of money because I didn’t want to cause my brother any more pain. He’s already struggling enough with my behavior, and I didn’t want to make things worse.

Now a mother of three, Hart is happy she made the decision she did. 

I was comfortable with my body and would have considered it, but I’m now happy I didn’t go through with it. I have three sons, and I don’t want those kinds of pictures of me being available for them to find later.

She felt good about the decision she made for her brother, knowing it would also influence how she raised her own children. She’d always thought about what values she wanted to pass on, and she considered her brother’s experience as a way to figure that out.

Melissa Joan Hart, known for her role in Clarissa Explains It All, appeared topless and in lingerie on the cover of Maxim magazine in October 1999 when she was 23 years old.

However, the photoshoot nearly caused her to lose her job on Sabrina, The Teenage Witch because it broke a rule in her contract.

I was at a party when my lawyer suddenly appeared and asked if I’d done a photoshoot for Maxim magazine. I confirmed that I had. Then, they told me I was being sued and that I was about to be fired from my show, and advised me to stay quiet and avoid speaking to the media or doing anything that might draw attention.

The magazine cover featured a headline that read ‘Sabrina, Your Favorite Witch Without a Stich!’

Using the character’s name broke a rule in Hart’s contract with Archie Comics, which specifically prohibited her from appearing nude while playing the teenage witch.

She explained that people mistakenly believed she was violating an agreement because of her role, but in reality, she was actually supposed to be promoting her movie, ‘Drive Me Crazy’.

The actress explained she simply followed her publicist’s instructions during the photoshoot. She mentioned doing a shoot for Maxim magazine, adding that it’s common to pose in underwear for that publication.

Hart also did not expect to have her role on Sabrina referenced in the magazine.

‘It wasn’t supposed to be a character. I had no control over what they wrote on the cover,’ she said.

She managed to resolve the issue by writing a letter of apology, which allowed her to continue playing the role of Sabrina.

Hart said the ‘drama’ surrounding the magazine cover ended up giving her movie a publicity boost.

She stated that the racy image ‘made for Drive Me Crazy to come out and be a huge success.’

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2025-11-19 00:03