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Vanna White appeared in a pictorial in the May 1987 issue of Playboy, on pages 142–143. She was not that issue’s Playmate or centerfold: the magazine’s archive identifies Kymberly Paige as Miss May 1987 and the centerfold. Before publication, White sued to stop the photographs from appearing, then decided not to seek an order blocking them while her lawyers continued pursuing damages claims.
What appeared in the May 1987 issue?
The May 1987 issue archive lists a Vanna White pictorial on pages 142–143. It separately identifies Kymberly Paige as “Miss May, 1987” and the centerfold. White’s appearance should therefore be described as a pictorial, not as the issue’s Playmate or centerfold.
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Playboy May 1987 Single Issue Magazine – January 1, 1987 ( | $39.97 | Buy on Amazon |
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Playboy Magazine, July 1987 | $39.97 | Buy on Amazon |
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Playboy Magazine, May 1986 (Single Issue Magazine) | $7.99 | Buy on Amazon |
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Playboy Magazine - February 1987 - Stephanie Beacham (Single Issue Magazine) | $13.73 | Buy on Amazon |
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July 1983 Playboy Magazine | $14.96 | Buy on Amazon |
Why did White try to stop publication?
White filed suit in February 1987 seeking to prevent Playboy from publishing the photographs. Contemporary reports described a dispute over permission to use the images and how they came to be transferred to the magazine. Those points were contested claims, not facts established here by a review of the court record.
In February coverage, Playboy communications director Robyn L. Radomski described the planned images as “tasteful, quality shots”—the magazine’s characterization, rather than an independent assessment. The Los Angeles Times report of February 10, 1987 and the Associated Press report of February 14, 1987, republished by the Los Angeles Times covered the dispute and lawsuit.
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Why did White stop seeking to block the photographs?
By March, White had decided not to seek a court order preventing publication. In a prepared statement reproduced by The Washington Post from a UPI report, she said: “I have reluctantly {decided} not to obtain an order preventing publication of the photographs.” The braces are part of that newspaper transcription.
She also explained her reasoning: “Non-publication of the photographs under these circumstances may very well be more damaging to me and my career than the injury which I will undoubtedly suffer from publication.” Her lawyers said they would continue pursuing damages claims. The UPI report, republished by The Washington Post on March 18, 1987, reproduced her statement; the Los Angeles Times coverage of March 19, 1987 reported that her lawyers would continue the claims.
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What did White later say about the photographs?
In a 2017 interview account, White recalled that she posed for the photographs in 1982 and said she regretted the decision. That is her retrospective recollection, separate from the disputed claims reported during the 1987 lawsuit. Time recounted her comments in “Vanna White on Her Playboy Cover: ‘I Did Something I Shouldn’t Have Done’”, published March 30, 2017.
Quick Recap
Best Value
- Vintage magazine
- Great articles
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- Collectible
How to distinguish the established details from the dispute
- Issue contents: The archive lists White’s pictorial on pages 142–143 and names Kymberly Paige as Miss May 1987 and centerfold.
- Legal dispute: White filed suit seeking to block publication; contemporaneous accounts reported competing claims about permission and the photographs’ provenance.
- Change in course: In March, White chose not to seek an order blocking publication, while her lawyers continued pursuing damages claims.
- Later recollection: White said in 2017 that she had posed in 1982 and regretted it.
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