Former adult film star Mia Khalifa has recently shared her experiences with autism and OCD diagnoses.
Born in Lebanon and moving to the US at age 11, Khalifa entered the adult film industry at 21.
Despite making only a few X-rated films, she quickly became an internet phenomenon, with her videos garnering millions of views.
By 2016 and 2018, Khalifa was the most-searched adult star on various adult entertainment platforms, catapulting her into mainstream celebrity status and beginning her career as an influencer.
Her journey to fame, however, included significant challenges. She faced considerable controversy and even received death threats over a video where she wore a hijab.
Khalifa commented to The Washington Post in 2016 that the scene was meant to be ‘satirical’ and should be seen that way, mentioning, “There are Hollywood movies that depict Muslims in a much worse manner than any scene Bang Bros [the production company] could produce.”
After exiting the adult industry, Khalifa has pursued various other endeavors, including joining the subscription platform OnlyFans, where she reportedly earns about $6.2 million (£4.64 million) a month.
Recently, she spoke with journalist Louis Theroux, discussing the significant impact her stint in the adult industry had on her life.
She also candidly discussed her childhood and teenage years before receiving diagnoses for obsessive compulsive disorder (OCD) and autism during high school.
“I was diagnosed with ADHD in seventh grade, then [diagnosed with] autism and OCD in high school,” she revealed to Louis Theroux on The Louis Theroux Podcast on Spotify.
Khalifa described being medicated for ADHD throughout her childhood and high school years, and how it intersected with her other conditions. “Tics, pattern recognition, really specific and strong special interests that I become obsessive with then the OCD kicks in and it snowballs, creating things my therapist has to deal with,” she explained.
“For me, it’s about recognizing impulses and not being able to restrain myself, knowing that what I’m about to say is offensive and not being able to stop myself, even though my brain is telling me to.”
“It’s like a compulsion. But I love my special interests and being able to come home and unmask and be able to have my physical and mental ticks more freely.”
In her conversation with Louis Theroux, Mia Khalifa opened up about the mental health challenges she faced for a decade after her short stint in the adult industry.
She described feeling “extremely clouded by shame” and experiencing “a visceral reaction” whenever she heard her name spoken.
Khalifa revealed that it took “nine years of therapy” to come to terms with the impact her past had on her mental health.
Besides her work on OnlyFans, Khalifa has also made a name for herself as a sports commentator and regularly live streams on Twitch to her audience.
