Kendra Has A Sex Tape, But Is She A Victim?

Stop the presses! Kendra Wilkinson has a sex tape! Just kidding, we obviously aren't shocked by the recent "news" that Wilkinson, a new wife and mother, has a less-than-pristine past.

Hugh Hefner's former paramour has taken legal action to block Vivid Entertainment's commercial release of one or more tapes allegedly dating back to 2005 (which would make Kendra a barely legal 18-year-old in the film/s). Vivid Entertainment released the following statement regarding the tape they intend to distribute for sale, which they have creatively titled Kendra Exposed:

We know that Kendra has millions of fans and we feel that it's rare to find well-produced, hardcore footage of a star of her magnitude. The tape was brought to us by a third party and after consulting with our attorneys, we are confident in our right to distribute it. We've been trying to reach Kendra but have so far been unsuccessful. We therefore made the decision to release 'Kendra Exposed' to stores across the country by the end of May,' said Steven Hirsch, founder/co-chairman of Vivid. "We believe this could be our all time best selling celebrity tape."

"Kendra Exposed" will be distributed under the Vivid-Celeb imprint and Kendra will joining such celebrities as Pamela Anderson and Tommy Lee, Kim Kardashian and Ray J, former Miss USA Kelli McCarty, Shauna Sand and others whose sex tapes have also been released by Vivid.

The explicit tape was made before she was engaged to and then married Philadelphia Eagles receiver Hank Baskett. The name of her sex partner in the video, that was shot prior to her moving into the Playboy mansion, has not been revealed.

There are wildly differing takes on this "scandal," from OK's cover story (which calls her a "betrayed" and "humiliated mom" alongside a relatively prim photo of Wilkinson) to reports that focus on the fact that the star tried to shop the tape herself a year-and-a-half ago. Wilkinson reportedly even went so far as to set up a company, "Home Run Productions," in November of 2008, so that she could control the rights to the tapes.

So which is it: Is Kendra a scandalized, angelic young mother, or a conniving devil of a sex-tape-making, money-hungry fame hound? Well, we tend to think she's a bit of both, and likely not entirely displeased with all of the publicity that the potential release of the tape in question is drumming up.

But having combed through the coverage — and the ensuing reader comments — throughout the Web, we are left feeling uneasy and disheartened. Because the central issue here is indeed a legal one: Did Vivid Entertainment obtain the tapes legally, and do they have a right to profit from them? But much of the coverage and the message boards dwell on Kendra's perceived "right" to merely wish that a sex tape of herself is not released. And here is where we become concerned — because posing in Playboy does not in and of itself mean that others have the right to sell and profit from a sex tape that you've made. Dressing provocatively, prancing around the Playboy mansion in your underwear, dating Hugh Heffner (while he's dating a pair of busty twins), appearing on multiple "reality" TV shows in which your primary character attribute is your sex appeal — none of these things add up to implicit authorization for a company to profit from sex tape you've made.

Come on, ladies! Enough with the shaming! However this story plays out, can we agree to quell our Hater instincts and let Ms. Wilkinson — 24-year-old Ms. Wilkinson — exercise her legal rights without making her "morals" the central issue?