Karissa Shannon pregnancy and engagement — Karissa Shannon, once a fixture of the Playboy Mansion and the reality series The Girls Next Door, is now engaged and pregnant, and she says the life she has built in Michigan is the one she always wanted. The 37-year-old spoke to Page Six about her engagement to a Canadian man she is keeping out of the public eye, her pregnancy with a baby boy due in April, and her determination to raise her son to be the opposite of the late Playboy founder Hugh Hefner.
A Proposal on Her Birthday
Shannon’s fiancé proposed last month on her birthday, after dinner at Highlands Detroit, a steakhouse in the city. She described the setting as a fairytale: the couple stood 71 floors above the water, watched the sun set over the river, and looked across the border between Michigan, where she was born, and Canada, where he was born.
She has not named her future husband, explaining that she values privacy and considers it a source of strength. She did share that he is 44, seven years older than she is, and from Windsor, Ontario. She called him a simple, blue-collar guy who loves hockey and practices yoga. More significantly, she credits him with helping her improve her drinking habits. The couple also share a puppy named Arlo.
What She Loves Most
For Shannon, the best part of the relationship is that her fiancé accepts her completely, including her past. She said he is sweet, loves her deeply and unconditionally, defends her in social media comments, supports her career and projects, and is proud of who she is.
The couple are expecting their first child together, a boy they plan to name Genesis, in April. Shannon has been sharing ultrasound images.
Raising a Son Who Is ‘Opposite’ of Hefner
Shannon has been outspoken about the two years she and her twin sister, Kristina Shannon, spent as Hefner’s girlfriends, from ages 18 to 20. The sisters have accused Hefner of sexual abuse, including an alleged attempt to force them into incestuous sex. Hefner died in 2017.
Now, as she prepares to become a mother, Shannon says her past is shaping her parenting. She wants Genesis to be the opposite of what Hefner represented. She described her hopes for her son simply: she wants him to be a gentleman, to have manners, and to lead with his heart.
New Projects and a Documentary
Shannon has also launched an account with OhChat, an AI-powered adult-themed platform that allows her to control how much of her virtual twin she shares with the public. She is also working with investigative journalist Lisa Guerrero on a documentary that will continue to shed light on the alleged abuse she and her sister say they endured at the Playboy Mansion.
After years of feeling overstimulated and overexposed, Shannon says she worked hard to heal and find the normal life she had yearned for. That life now includes a fiancé, a baby on the way, a puppy, and a home in her native Michigan.
