Mia Khalifa recently discussed her past in the adult film industry and how it affected her decision-making capabilities.
At 21, the Lebanese-American entered the porn industry, quickly becoming globally recognized after her first adult film.
Despite the video’s polarizing reception, it drew millions of views on PornHub, making Khalifa the most searched-for person on the platform.
She briefly continued in the industry, filming just a few more adult movies over three months before quitting.
Despite her short tenure, she gained massive global popularity, even being the top-searched adult star in 2016 and 2018.
Khalifa has moved on to a lucrative career on the subscription platform OnlyFans, where she reportedly makes around $6.2 million (£4.64 million) a month.
Though her porn career is well in the past, Khalifa shared in an interview with British journalist Louis Theroux the lasting effects those brief months had on her.
In an episode of The Louis Theroux Podcast on Spotify, Mia Khalifa discussed how her brief adult film career significantly impacted her mental health for nearly a decade.
Speaking with the 54-year-old Theroux, she confessed to feeling ‘clouded by shame’ and mentioned that she would shudder whenever she heard someone say her name.
“The reason I used to have a lot of trouble talking about it is because I was extremely clouded by shame,” Khalifa said. “I used to have a visceral reaction to even hearing the name Mia and knowing that if someone is calling me by that name, they are seeing me in a way that I don’t want to be seen in.”
“But that had a lot more to do with my mental health than it does about the bigger picture of things.”
“I think that nine years of therapy is a lot and it’s not because of what I went through in the industry.”
“It’s what I had to go through to get to a point in my life where I feel like I am of a healthy state of mind to make decisions in my life.”
“And that’s how long it took me to make those decisions that are so life changing.”
Khalifa added: “When you’re 19, 20, 21 years old,18 most of the time, that’s what they’re hoping for.”
“You don’t know what you’re going to want for your life or what you want out of your life.”
“You don’t even know yourself that young. You should not make life changing decisions when you’re that young.”
She has openly spoken about the changes needed in the adult entertainment industry, emphasizing her desire for other adult actors to avoid the hardships she experienced.
