LOS ANGELES—For Vicki Chase, the expectations have changed.
More than a decade after entering the adult industry, the iconic performer no longer fishes for a single paycheck when she reaches into her mailbox at the end of every month.
Instead, Chase pulls out paychecks.
Plural.
AVN Stars and OnlyFans … PornHub and ManyVids … Sext Panther and Clips4Sale.
“I’m getting (paid) by all these different platforms,” Chase said. “You can even monetize your own voice. It’s a great day and age to be in porn.”
Even during a pandemic.
As COVID-19 cripples businesses and various forms of the economy across the country—costing thousands of people their jobs—adult stars are thriving like never before.
When studios were forced to halt production last March, scores of performers turned to self-publishing platforms in hopes of “getting by” until things got back to normal. Instead, many of them ended up with life-changing revenue streams that continue to balloon even as mainstream shoots resume.
Five of the industry’s most well-known stars—Chase, Angela White, Gianna Dior, Kenna James and moderator Charlotte Stokely—addressed the situation Thursday during a panel discussion about the state of the adult industry. The event was part of the virtual #interNEXT21 convention, which was held this week.
“Once I actually started doing things and got my shit together, (my revenue grew) astronomically,” Dior said. “I was mind-blown. I was actually kind of sick about it. No one should be making this much money. This is crazy.
“But I am putting in the extra work. It’s nice to see it coming back. All of my work isn’t in vain. I’m not doing this for a small paycheck. I’m making more money than I ever thought I could make. It’s put me in a super-comfortable place.”
Chase, White and James have experienced the same level of success, although each was quick to note that it didn’t come without an elevated level of effort. Working from home has forced performers to take on tasks they never would’ve tackled before the pandemic. Whether it’s designing their own sets and writing scripts, doing their own hair and makeup or distributing their own content, porn stars have become jacks of all trade in their field.
“We wear so many different hats,” Stokely said, and Chase agreed.
“I’m not just the talent anymore,” she said. “I’m my own producer, my own content manager, my own makeup artist, my own set decorator. It’s crazy the amount of pressure I put on myself. I’m a perfectionist, in a sense. In my head it has to be so big, when really the fans just want to see the real you.”
So intent on improving her OnlyFans account was Dior that she moved out of her apartment (which she shared with a roommate) during the pandemic and purchased her own home.
“Now I have a whole (separate) bedroom in my house where I have my lights set up, and I have a bed,” Dior said. “I have all my stuff organized. It was kind of extreme, because I literally only moved into this house so I could have an OnlyFans room. My house is now a set. This is where I go to work. This is my life now.
“Thank God I got it together. I couldn’t sit at home and do nothing. I learned so much in such a short amount of time. I learned to be more responsible.”
Chase said her OnlyFans subscribers have first dibs on all of her newest content. Eventually, she said, she monetizes it on other outlets.
“There are a lot of platforms right now,” she said. “We’re so blessed, but at the same time, it’s so overwhelming. We’re not machines. We have to be very patient and compassionate with ourselves. It’s a lot.”
White believes limiting content to one platform is a risky approach.
“I know performers who relied on their income from Pornhub,” she said. "When they lost billing, it really affected them. OnlyFans is fantastic for performers right now. But we don’t know how long it’s going to last. It’s really, really important to diversify, whether it’s through AVN Stars or ManyVids or FanCentro. All these other platforms are really, really good to make sure our income is safe.”
As much as she enjoys shooting content from home and engaging with fans, White said the extended absence from sets reinforced how much she loves studio porn. She said she misses the energy and vibe on set and being surrounded by friends that she considers family.
Dior feels the same way. She said she recently wrapped up a 12-hour day on a set but still wasn’t ready to go home.
“I was like, ‘Can’t I just stay here? I don’t want to leave,’” Dior said. “My job isn’t OnlyFans. I don’t want it to be OnlyFans. I want to be a porn performer. That’s why I did this. I feel so good on set. It gives me a rush.”
Still, time and time again, Dior said she’s asked why she doesn’t quit studio porn altogether and focus on the self-publishing platforms that are generating most of her income. While Dior said she has no intentions to take that step, she fears many other performers will.
“They think it’s a waste of time to go on set,” Dior said. “I’m just the opposite.”
So is James.
“The performers who find it irrelevant and don’t think they need it anymore … they sometimes forget that that is how they built their brand,” James said. “So eventually you’d risk becoming irrelevant, if you’re not out there gaining new fans all the time.”
While White recognizes the impact studio porn can have on someone’s career, she said OnlyFans, AVN Stars and other self-publishing platforms have changed the game and given performers “more power than ever before.”
“Studios will continue to exist,” she said, “but with these independent publishing platforms, they’ll become less important. Not unimportant, but less important. These self-publishing platforms really empower us, especially during a time like the pandemic. Even as studio porn comes back, having these platforms makes us more empowered. It means we have the ability say ‘yes’ to the shoots we want and ‘no’ to the shoots we don’t.
“It’s an exciting time in our industry.”
And a profitable one, too. As all four performers can attest, there’s no better time to be a porn star.
“It feels like I really have a 9-to-5 job now, a consistent paycheck,” Chase said. “It’s more sustainable. I’m very thankful for that.”
