[WARNING: some video footage on this list is of an adult nature and may contain shocking or sexual images.] Despite being lusted over by hundreds of millions of people worldwide, pornography has always been held at arms length compared to other forms of popular entertainment. This is certainly due to the fact that pornography contains graphic and sexual imagery that goes against many religious and cultural norms. While porn has become more socially acceptable and even mainstream, there have been several controversies relating to the industry, the actors in it, and people who view porn. Here are the most significant ten.
10 Terrorist Death Threats
Religious symbols and their use have always been a source of controversy, even outside the porn world. In 2015, however, a new shock began after Lebanese-born porn star Mia Khalifa appeared in a scene wearing a hijab, a garment used by Muslim women to signal modesty.
Upon release, this scene garnered the attention of the Islamic State, who in turn called for the murder of Khalifa, even going so far as to post a photo of her home to their Twitter page and creating a fake video of her being prepared for execution. [1]
These threats, as well as the group’s hacking of Khalifa’s Instagram page, led to her leaving the porn industry after only a few brief months. In 2018, Khalifa revealed in an interview that she left the porn industry due to these threats and regretted her work there.
9 Addiction
Society recognizes and accepts the damages caused by things such as alcohol and drug addiction, however equally damaging things such as pornography addiction are simply brushed off. This is despite numerous studies that have proven the dangers of regular porn use. Such effects include erectile dysfunction, social isolation, and relationship dysfunction. [2]
Porn addiction was brought to the forefront of public attention briefly in 2016 when noted actor Terry Crews revealed that he had been struggling with it for years, even needing to attend rehab in order to fully quit and save his marriage. Sadly, there has been no other mainstream recognition of this issue since.
And with 40 million Americans using porn every day, and pornhub.com receiving an average of 120 million visits a day, this is a problem that is growing hugely.
8 Mercedes Carrera Child Abuse Scandal
On February 1, 2019, police raided the home of porn star Mercedes Carrera and her husband, Jason Whitney, leading to the pair later facing several criminal charges. The most damning of the charges are those in relation to the alleged sexual abuse of Carrera’s young daughter from a previous relationship.
The girl reported the alleged abuse to her father, who in turn reported it to the police. Searching the couples’ home, police found that their bedroom had been outfitted to record pornographic videos, as well as digital evidence which they say proves abuse. In total, the couple were charged with inappropriate touching, oral copulation, and digital penetration, in addition to several charges relating to gun and drug possession which were later dropped. [3]
Their trial was scheduled to begin February 6, 2020, however due to scheduling issues with lawyers as well as the coronavirus, it has been put on hold until further notice.
7 The Suicide of August Ames
On December 2, 2017, Canadian born pornographic actress, August Ames, tweeted a warning that a performer on a set she had previously worked on had been involved in gay pornography. She implied that it was unprofessional to let him work with female performers.
The tweet became a lightning rod of controversy, with many in the industry accusing Ames of hating gays. Ames doubled down, saying she had the right to feel safe in her job and should have the choice to work with whomever she pleased, but the threats, accusations and criticism of her kept coming. [4]
The next day, December 4th 2017, Ames sent out a final tweet, simply reading, “fuck y’all.” Her body was found a day later: she had committed suicide by hanging. This tragedy sparked an international debate around bullying, insanity in the porn industry, and people’s opinions on homosexuality.
6 Bradford Thomas Wagner
Between 1993 and 1998, the women of Boulder, Colorado lived in fear of the Tantra Rapist, an assailant who is known to have sexually assaulted at least 4 women. In June 2004, police arrested 36-year-old real-estate agent Bradford Thomas Wagner for allegedly committing 5 rapes between 1993 and 1998. [5]
In the early 1990s, coinciding with some of the alleged rapes, Wagner had starred in twenty gay porn films under the name “Tim Barnett”. Authorities in California also considered Wagner a suspect in 14 other rapes committed prior to his time in Colorado. Before he could be brought to trial however, Wagner hanged himself in his cell using a bed sheet, dying on July 13, 2005, at the age of 37, taking the truth of whatever happened with him.
5 Child Pornography
Most of us probably think that child pornography is confined to the dark web, where only the most depraved members of society venture. The truth however, is that child pornography is available on nearly every mainstream porn site in the world, with not enough being done to take it down.
In 2020 alone, Pornhub, the most popular online streaming service, was found to have hosted videos of a kidnapped 15-year-old being sexually assaulted. The CEO of the company Girls Do Porn was charged with luring women under false pretenses to appear in videos and footage depicting children being sexually abused were being routinely uploaded to the site. [6]
These controversies led to condemnation across the political spectrum, as well as protests outside of Pornhub’s Montreal headquarters in March of 2020. Protesters demanded that company executives be held fully responsible and the website be shut down due to the many laws broken. Pornhub has not responded to the demands and continues to operate as normal, with those critical of the site pursuing legal action in order to shut down what they believe to be a website aiding in human trafficking.
4 Pornstar Dismembers Man to Live Out a Movie
In one of Canada’s most shocking crimes, former gay pornstar, stripper, and wannabe movie star, Luca Magnotta, stabbed and dismembered a Chinese exchange student, Jun Lin, after meeting Lin on a gay dating app.
Upon dismembering him, Magnotta sent Lin’s body parts to a series of public schools, and the offices of various Canadian Political Parties, including the governing Conservative Party. Soon after this he went on the run, triggering an international manhunt. He was eventually caught in an Internet cafe in Germany reading articles about himself. [7]
At trial, it was revealed that Magnotta had spent most of his adult life trying to achieve fame, whether it be through his work as a pornstar.
3 Serial Killer Pornography
Several serial killers such as Ted Bundy have cited pornography as something that led them to kill, however not many serial killers go so far as to appear in pornography outright. There are always exceptions however. American Serial Killer, Leonard Lake, spent much of his childhood taking naked photos of his sisters, often with the encouragement of their grandmother. This sparked Lake’s interest in pornography, one that followed him for the rest of his life.
This is evidenced by his adult activities, where he made, produced, distributed, and starred in various amateur porn movies, usually featuring bondage and sadomasochism. [8]
Some of these themes echoed Lake’s crimes in which women were imprisoned in a bunker on Lake’s land and repeatedly sexually assaulted before being murdered by Lake and his accomplice, Charles Ng.
2 Incest
Incest is rightly condemned in every developed nation around the globe, and can lead to mental instability, drug abuse, and suicide in its participants. That hasn’t stopped the porn industry however. The step-fantasy has been a long-running theme in the porn industry, however, it was strictly fantasy, until recently at least.
Now many porn studios are recruiting blood relatives to appear in scenes and photoshoots together. In January 2020, a mother and daughter went viral on Twitter after they announced they were creating an OnlyFans account, complete with the pair posing in lingerie. This is only one of many similar cases of family members appearing in pornographic videos together. [9]
Fraternal twin sisters going by the names Joey and Sami White have appeared in numerous scenes together, as well as Polish sisters going by the names Natalia and Natasha Starr.
1 The Wonderland Murders
John Holmes is considered to be the first mainstream male porn star. He also stood accused of murdering four people and attempting to kill a fifth in what is known as The Wonderland Murders.
The events surrounding the murders are obscure, however what is known is that on the night of June 31, 1981, 4 members of the Wonderland Gang were killed, with a fifth member found badly injured but still alive. A palm print of John Holmes was found at the scene leading to his questioning by police. [10]
Holmes pleaded Not Guilty” and after a three-week trial was acquitted of all charges except one count of contempt of court, for which he served 5 months in jail. He made a brief return to porn after his release, but soon after he was diagnosed as HIV positive, causing him to retire from the industry permanently. Even on Holmes’ deathbed police were still trying to gain information on what had happened that night, however the HIV had rendered him unable to answer.
These tragedies shed light on the darker aspects of the porn industry, from terrorist threats and addiction to horrific crimes and exploitation. It’s a stark reminder of the human cost behind the often-glamorized facade.
What are your thoughts on these revelations? Leave your comment below.
