ST. PETERSBURG, Fla.—Keisha Grey was 19 when she got into the adult industry in 2013, and in eight years had racked up hundreds of scene credits for almost every production company in the business. With a raw sensuality, nubile body and gap-toothed grin, Grey quickly became known as an in-demand starlet who was down for the most adventurous scenes. That’s why she got into the adult industry in the first place, she said—for the adventure.
Accolades followed not long after, with stints as a Twistys Treat of the Month, Vixen Angel, Girlsway Girl of the Month and Playboy All-Star, as well as starring in showcase features including Elegant Angel’s Keisha Is Titwoman and The Dark Side of Keisha Grey from Dogfart/Pulse. At the 2016 AVN Adult Expo in Las Vegas, Grey was profiled in CNBC’s “The Dirty Dozen: Porn’s Biggest Stars.” She also earned back-to-back AVN Awards in 2016-17 for Best Group Sex Scene.
But work had slowed for Grey around the time the pandemic hit in early 2020. By 2022, she had decided to step away from performing and she’s been on hiatus, with a smattering of scenes, since then. She needed to take care of herself, adding a couple of times during our interview that she wants to be “an open book.”
“Yeah, so it's not easy for me to talk about,” Grey told AVN, “but I want to get the word out there that I was very unhappy, so, I was self-medicating and I wanted to get clean and sober—so, that's why I took a step back and went home to Florida to work on my sobriety.
“I ended up getting into a really abusive relationship and basically just was not respecting myself or treating myself how I wanted to, so, I was letting other people treat me just the same,” she explained. “That only drove me deeper into addiction. So, yeah ... It's taken me two years to heal from that. I haven't shot [scenes] and that's because I was focusing solely on healing, maturing and making sure that I'm my first priority.”
Grey continued to create content for her OnlyFans page—not only adult content but scenes from her everyday life and other interests, like playing the electric cello. When she started skateboarding, she posted clips of learning how to drop in, do tricks and “fall on my ass,” she said laughing. It was fans from the skater community who she credits for helping her through the depression and dark days when she was filled with self-doubt. The interaction and support from followers, in addition to therapy and sobriety, have given her hope.
“My fans honestly, through OnlyFans and talking to people, they kind of saved my life. Like, they're the ones that encouraged me to do the best for myself, take care of myself, and get out of [the relationship],” she said.
Another source of encouragement for Grey has been the return to performing in June with a b/g scene for Bang Bros., titled "No Strings Attached," which paired her with Johnny Love. The clip dropped on August 5.
“I stepped foot [on the set] and I was nervous, but I was just like, ‘Okay, just keep trucking, you got it and enjoy it—and I enjoyed it. Even though I was very nervous, I felt like I belonged again and it was definitely a catalyst for getting me back in,” she recalled.
“I tend to get in my own head a lot. I mean, everyone does I guess, but yeah ... I think that my maturity level, like my work ethic and everything is so different than what it was before on set.”
Regarding “before,” Grey acknowledged having been difficult and unreliable at times in the past, and said, “I know that I had a reputation but, well, I'm hoping for redemption because, yeah, my work ethic has changed dramatically.”
“I definitely wanna get back into the more hardcore stuff that I was doing,” she added. “I was doing gangbang and d.p. and stuff like that, which I really enjoyed. I have a lot of tattoos now. I look more mature—I look like a woman now. I was always a teeny-bopper type but now I have huge tits, and I don't know—I just am more womanly.”
Though currently self-booking, Grey anticipates that she will sign with an agency eventually.
“I don't wanna feel overwhelmed. I wanna focus on just putting out the best product that I can for my fans because they’re everything,” she said.
For now, Grey plans to leverage the connections she has with companies and directors. She’s booked some work through early fall and said that new content should start being released more frequently and regularly, as she gets back in the mix. Grey also will hit the road for soon-to-be-announced live appearances and to pursue interesting projects and work with smaller content creators.
“I'm gonna be doing a lot of traveling coming up and I really would like to, I don't know—branch out and just adventure and work with companies and people that I've never experienced before. That's why I joined the industry in the first place, because I wanted to experience [new things] In a safe place,” Grey mused.
“I'm hoping to start producing and directing stuff for other peoples’ OnlyFans,” she said. “I have a lot of really good ideas in my head. I'm an artist, obviously, so I get inspiration from everything and I wanna help other people with their OnlyFans [and] come out with products they're really proud of, if that makes sense.”
For more information, visit Grey’s website or find her on X @littlekeish.
