This feature is part of the cover story of the May 2018 issue of AVN magazine. Click here to see the digital edition.
When mainstream TV news anchors talk about Stormy Daniels, they no longer identify her as a “porn star.”
It’s assumed everyone already knows.
Thanks to the deluge of national media coverage of her alleged sexual liaison with President Trump in 2006 and the $130,000 payoff she received in 2016 to stay quiet, the AVN Hall of Fame performer has become a national figure and one of the most controversial women in the world.
While the extent of Stormy’s notoriety is hard to measure, one thing is certain, according to several seasoned adult industry observers: in the span of four months this year Stormy has become the most famous living porn star—and arguably the biggest of all time.
“Just off the top of my head I’d say that she absolutely is the most famous living porn star, and even more famous than dead ones like Linda Lovelace and John Holmes,” said Jared Rutter, the former chairman of the X-Rated Critics Organization, who has been in the adult industry since the early ’70s and remains a senior contributor to AVN magazine.
“People who never heard of Jenna [Jameson] or Ginger [Lynn] have heard about Stormy. The irony is that what they know is so limited: just the fact that she has sex for a living and once got banged by Trump.
“Only a few press accounts even mention that she also directs movies. The extent of her contributions as producer-writer-director, for which she’s gained respect within the industry, is still unknown to the general public—not to mention her talent for sketch comedy, which is on view in her movies. It’s only the Michael Cohen payoff that made her a household name.
“When Time can use a pun on your first name on its Trump cover and assume that millions will get the joke, you know that fame-wise you’re on top.”
Before the Stormy scandal erupted, most industry insiders agreed legendary performers Ron Jeremy and Jenna Jameson were Nos. 1 and 1A as the best known adult film stars of all time.
Several others have managed to transcend porn and penetrate the mainstream—including Sunny Leone, Sasha Grey, Lisa Ann, Mia Khalifa, Asa Akira and Traci Lords.
But Stormy trumps them all—at least for now.
“At this moment she may be the most famous porn star in the world; however, over time we’ll see,” said super agent Mark Spiegler, who first stepped onto a porn set in 1985 and began working full-time in adult in ’95.
“There’s a Latin saying—‘sic transit gloria mundi’—or ‘all glory is fleeting.’ Here today, gone tomorrow. Also, there’s a difference between famous and infamous. But I would say right now she would definitely be the most famous porn star in the world.
“If Trump is gone in three years, certainly she’ll still be famous because she was before, but 10 years from now will she still be?”
Bob Christian agreed.
The general manager of Adam & Eve, who has worked for parent company founder Phil Harvey for the past three decades, said, “absolutely Stormy” occupies the No. 1 spot. But he adds that history will be the final judge.
“International exposure, virtually daily, for several months now—for better or worse!” Christian said. “But how will she be remembered 10 years from now? I don’t know, but she will be remembered!
“I think Jenna Jameson is second. First for a long time.”
Now an exclusive director and performer for Digital Playground and Brazzers after working only for Wicked Pictures for the past 14 years, the 2004 AVN Best New Starlet recently was named Penthouse “Pet of the Century.”
AVN founder Paul Fishbein, who started the magazine in 1983 and now produces mainstream projects—including X-Rated 2: The Greatest Adult Stars of All Time!—said it’s clearly Stormy’s time.
“I think right now Stormy has to be the most famous … over the years it was Ron and Jenna,” Fishbein said, adding that Rocco Siffredi, whose 2016 documentary Rocco was a hit in Europe, is also one of the most high-profile adult performers alive.
Vivid Entertainment Group VP of Production Marci Hirsch agreed, saying, “Stormy Daniels is the most famous living porn star of the Trump presidency era, that’s for sure ... unless news of a liaison with another adult performer comes up before he leaves office.”
Meanwhile, AVN Hall of Fame director Axel Braun took the Stormy comparisons a step further.
“Stormy is not only the most famous living porn star ... right now she is quite possibly the most famous woman on the planet,” Braun suggested. “We are looking at a smart, empowered, self-aware and unapologetic woman who was catapulted to the front page of every news outlet in the country and managed to display composure, wit and intelligence.
“In my five years at Wicked Pictures I only directed her once, in Sleeping Beauty XXX: An Axel Braun Parody, where she played Maleficent. If anybody is making the foolish mistake of underestimating her, I strongly suggest they watch that movie.”
Photo courtesy of Digital Playground
