Pop Culture

Lori Harvey Says Her Mom Thought She Was 'Joking' About 'Playboy' Cover

Lori Harvey said her parents gave her the stamp of approval after seeing her 'Playboy' photoshoot.

BURBANK, CALIFORNIA - October 22, 2025: "Reasonable Doubt" star Lori Harvey appears on "The Jennifer Hudson Show" airing November 12, 2025 in Burbank, California.
Michael Yarish/WBTV via Getty Image

Lori Harvey kept her Playboy cover shoot a secret from her parents until the issue went to print.

The influencer and actress, who covered the February issue which marked the magazine's return to print, discussed the photoshoot during the Wednesday (November 12) episode of The Jennifer Hudson Show. Harvey told the EGOT winner that she was creative director of the shoot and that staffers kept her comfortable, although she hadn't given her mom, Marjorie Harvey, and stepfather, Steve Harvey, a heads-up.

"I didn't tell them until I did it already," the Reasonable Doubt actress said around the 4:45 mark of the video below. "Because I understand also too kind of the stigma that can come with it and I was like, 'No, guys, I did it tasteful. Don't worry.'"

"I called my mom and I told her and she thought I was joking. So, she called
everybody around me like she called my manager. She called my best friend 'cause my best friend did my makeup for the shoot and was like, 'Did Lori really do Playboy?' And they were like, 'Well, what did she tell you?'"

Harvey's friends confirmed the shoot to Marjorie, who was initially disappointed in her daughter, although the SKN founder promised the photos were "cute." "So I sent her the BTS and she was like, "Oh, this is real
cute,'" Harvey said.

The influencer then asked her mom to wait to inform Steve until the magazine came out, but Marjorie immediately told her husband. "He's like, 'Is she naked?' And my mom was like, 'No.' And so then he sees and he's like, 'Oh,
this is nice.' I'm like, "Thank you guys. Thank you.' So they were happy with it."

The February issue was Playboy's first print run since 2020.

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