Where Is Kristina Shannon Now? Inside the Former Playboy Playmate's Life

Kristina Shannon is breaking her silence about her time at the Playboy Mansion and her life beyond its doors.

The former Playboy Playmate and her identical twin sister, Karissa Shannon, joined the cast of the sixth and final season of The Girls Next Door in 2009 after moving into the Playboy Mansion the year prior. They moved out of Hugh Hefner's infamous house in 2010.

"First off, he [Hugh] didn't launch my career," Kristina clarified during an exclusive interview with OK!. "I was 15, working at WingHouse, and had already appeared on billboards, menus, and in commercials. But yes, Playboy definitely helped bring me into the mainstream."

She continued, "Playboy will always be a part of my life and, in many ways, my family. A lot of good things happened while I was there, but a lot of bad things happened too, especially considering how young I was. Therapy and working with my psychiatrist have helped me tremendously."

Here's everything to know about Kristina's life more than a decade after leaving the Mansion.

In an April 2025 interview, the Shannon twins — who were born in Ann Arbor, Mich. — revealed they had left Los Angeles and moved back to The Wolverine State after selling the beauty salon they owned.

"We drove the whole way, without stopping until we got to Michigan. I remember getting into Colorado and smelling that fresh air .. it was just different," Karissa said. "Being in nature desensitized us. We ended up being diagnosed with manic depression, ADHD, bipolar disorder and generalized anxiety disorder. Being outside the city helped us slow down."

Kristina later added that Michigan "changed them," noting, "We love being in Michigan and then going to L.A. or Vegas for work."

Then, in July 2025, they revealed they were in the process of buying a second property in Florida.

During an exclusive interview with OK!, Kristina confirmed she is not in contact with her sister.

"At the moment, I'm not speaking to my sister, and I can't say why. I do pray for her, though, and I wish the best for her," she expressed. "I'm working independently now. We don't work as a team anymore, we work as two individuals."

According to Kristina, working independently has "made things easier."

She explained, "I can make my own decisions and do what feels right for me without having to discuss every move with her first… At the moment, I'm focusing on myself and my own career, separate from my sister, while also creating a normal family home. It's hard to juggle being a celebrity and living a normal life at the same time. I'm doing my best and kicking a--, but I'm not gonna lie, it's hard!"

With her Playboy Playmate era now behind her, Kristina Shannon is moving forward and embracing a new phase of life — including the launch of her AI digital twin, Kristina AI, on the AI platform OhChat.

"AI is taking over the world, to be honest," she told OK!. "Everyone's likeness is going to get used one way or another, so I wanted to get ahead of it and do this on my own terms with OhChat instead of it happening to me without any say in it."

To make her digital twin as authentic as possible, Kristina provided voice recordings, photos and videos throughout the development process.

"My digital twin is spot on. She looks the same and has my personality," she shared before clarifying, "AI is really popular, but I don't think it's ever going to replace a real human connection. Kristina will always be the best version of myself."

Additionally, Kristina disclosed she plans to pursue acting, modeling and reality TV.

"I'll never stop doing reality TV because I genuinely love it. And I'm not gonna lie, I love the attention, haha," she quipped. "I also want to keep acting, modeling, and, of course, working with OhChat while creating exciting features for my digital twin."

She continued, "I'm happy, living authentically, and finally able to be myself."

Kristina revealed that her struggles continued even after her time at the Playboy Mansion ended.

"We got a lot of jealousy from the other Playmates because we were twins," she said. "We were the first twins to each get our own months, which made Playboy history. We were the youngest Playmates and the youngest girlfriends."

Kristina reflected, “We gained weight. There was alcohol and pills. We were really unhealthy and lost and, even at points, suicidal. We had no one. It was just us, trying to figure it out after losing ourselves."