Photo: getty
The struggle is real, apparently.
By Bernadette Giacomazzo — Written on Aug 14, 2019
These days, people know her as a social media influencer. But for a time, this Lebanese American woman was known for being one of the most popular porn stars in the urban world. Recently, though, she came clean about her experiences in the adult entertainment industry — but not everyone believes her. Who is Mia Khalifa, and did she really only make $12,000 doing porn?
Let's look at what we know about her.
1. She initially made the claim in an interview with Megan Abbott.
According to The Toronto Sun, Mia Khalifa initially gave an interview to Megan Abbott, where she told her story for the first time. She said that while people think she's "raking in millions" for her work on PornHub, as a for instance, she actually only made about $12,000 throughout her entire porn career.
However, it bears stating that Mia Khalifa was only "in the business" for three months, so when averaged out, she made about $4,000 a month — which is not bad by any stretch of the imagination.
2. Some people are calling shenanigans on Mia Khalifa's claims.
According to Complex Magazine, when Mia Khalifa made her claims, she drew the ire of more than a few people in the adult entertainment industry who claimed that she was just looking for clout.
"You’re number 2 on PornHub — that f**king pays broad. Stop using PORN to regain clout. You’re not allowed to bash us and then use us to get talked about again. With your bland ass scenes," tweeted Las Vegas-based porn star Tana Lea.
"You have 2.7 million followers and are one of the most well-known names/brands in the industry. You must mean 12K *just* as your shooting fees. Literally, no one believes you made 12K off this industry and then not another penny. You’d have to be the world's worst business person," tweeted Ari Dee, who is best known for her work in Penthouse Magazine.
3. Mia Khalifa has burned a lot of bridges in the "vanilla" industry because she talks down to people.
"I know the educational system in FL is sub-par, but if you request an interview from someone recovering from extensive surgery and they graciously accept to speak on it, maybe don’t introduce them by talking about a different vapid adult actress you once saw at a sporting event as a cheap segue into the interview. I held back what I actually wanted to say to these Floridian inbred idiots, but damn, I hope the FCC sends you a check so high you’ll have to re-mortgage the caravan you and your cats sleep in," she wrote to radio host Drew Garabo, according to Heavy.
Khalifa went off on him because he introduced her as a "former porn star."
4. Some people say that society is being too judgmental towards Mia Khalifa.
In an article titled, "Ex-porn star Mia Khalifa wants to move on with her life. Why won't we let her?" for The Guardian, Michael Segalov says that we, as a society, are too judgmental towards Mia Khalifa, who only wants to move on with her life. "What these sites can’t do, however, is fix how judgmental we are about those who opt to make porn for a living, or those like Khalifa who wish to start a new chapter. With so many of us watching pornography, sending nudes and using technology to enhance our sex lives, it’s about time we stopped getting all high and mighty on the people who help us to get off," he wrote.
5. Mia Khalifa initially drew the ire of ISIS when she performed in a hijab.
"After starring in a clip where she performed a sexual act whilst wearing a hijab, Mia admitted that she'd received death threats from terror group ISIS. She said that she was targeted by the group online with them threatening to behead her and sending her vile mocked-up images of her execution. This led to her leaving the adult industry, but she refused to let it ruin her life," reported the Lad Bible.
6. There's another woman who made just as much as Mia Khalifa did — in just one month.
In another report for The Lad Bible, 19-year-old Stephanie Vixen — a porn star known in England — started a Reddit thread wherein she talked about making just as much as Mia Khalifa did — except she made that much in just one month, as opposed to Mia Khalifa's three-month porn stint.
Bernadette Giacomazzo is an editor, writer, and photographer whose work has appeared in People, Teen Vogue, Us Weekly, The Source, XXL, HipHopDX, The Los Angeles Times, The New York Post, and more. She is also the author of The Uprising series. For more information about Bernadette Giacomazzo, click here.