Playboy magazine is advancing the newsstand date for its upcoming issue with nude pictures of actress Lindsay Lohan in part due to photos that were leaked online in advance, Hugh Hefner said on Friday.
The Playboy founder tweeted that the issue will now go on sale late next week, which roughly coincides with the December 15 airdate for Lohan's planned interview on Ellen DeGeneres' TV talk show.
"Because of the interest & the internet leak, we're releasing the Lindsay Lohan issue early," Hefner posted on Twitter. He later added that "her issue goes on sale late next week," although he did not give a specific date.
A spokeswoman for the men's magazine did not immediately respond to an e-mail seeking more information.
Lohan, who has seen her career spiral downward in recent years due to drunken driving, drug and theft convictions, recently posed for the pictures that will be featured in the magazine's January/February issue.
This week, a picture snapped of the cover featuring Lohan was leaked online, and on Friday, nude pictures of the actress also landed on the Web. Those pictures are very similar to Marilyn Monroe's iconic centerfold photograph used in 1953's first Playboy issue.