This feature is the cover story of the April edition of AVN magazine. Click here to see the full digital issue.
LOS ANGELES—Ivy Wolfe remembers wrapping her lips around something thick after winning Best New Starlet at the 2019 AVN Awards.
“I went upstairs and ate a big, fat, juicy, meaty bacon burger to celebrate my success,” Wolfe reveals. “And I sat alone in my hotel room with a bacon cheeseburger and I smoked a celebratory joint and watched kid’s cartoons. And then a friend dropped by and congratulated me and rolled me another joint.”
Wolfe, who captured the top honor for a new female performer on January 26 at The Joint at Hard Rock Hotel & Casino, tells AVN she was not thinking even for a moment that she would be called to the stage to accept the trophy.
“I can’t fucking even,” admits Wolfe, who is the first performer from Motley Models to win the coveted crown.
“Honestly, when I was up on stage I was surprised I even composed myself to properly say ‘thank you.’ I was just in complete shock. I had my heels off because I was totally not expecting to win. I was waiting to clap for Alina Lopez or one of the other beautiful ladies. Then when they called my name I was like, ‘Oh my god, wow.’
“I was so absolutely overwhelmed with complete and utter gratitude. Then I walked up on stage and ever since then it’s kind of slowly sunk in.”
The 22-year-old former district manager of Jersey Mike’s Subs also won a second award at her first-ever AVN ceremony—Best All-Girl Group Sex Scene for her tryst with Eliza Jane and Jenna Sativa for Girlsway’s “A Flapper Girl Story.” But the excitable blonde already was devouring her food by the time that award was announced at the end of the show, so she had no idea she won that one, too, until later.
“I’m a very homebody type. I’m not really a party girl. I knew I didn’t need to party that night,” Wolfe confesses. “Then I found out I won another one. I was like, ‘Oh my god.’ I was like super excited. … I’ve just been more and more grateful and more and more motivated to keep producing amazing content and performances for everybody.”
Wolfe landed a signing spot at Greg Lansky’s Vixen booth for the AVN Adult Entertainment Expo, arriving in Vegas with six nominations, including one for a Fan Award. She says despite it being her first time attending on the adult industry’s biggest night she felt zero butterflies.
“I was surprisingly—for such a homebody, or should I say, a loner—I was surprisingly not nervous at all,” Wolfe says. “I was overwhelmed with gratitude to even be nominated and be part of the awards show and to sign for the Vixen booth. I was so happy to be there and meet people that support me and take pictures of me.
“I was just overwhelmed with happiness. That was an amazing experience. I love [Greg Lansky] and love his entire team.
“They work really hard to create a quality signing experience for the girls. … I got to meet so many lovely fans and smash their faces into my ass.”
She adds, “I had mascara lines on my ass at the end of most days. I have more women fans surprisingly than male fans that I’ve found—at least ones willing to approach me.
“I love that they’re so supportive of another woman. Because I love women so much. I have a monogamous girlfriend right now, so my love for women really comes off in my girl/girl scenes and attracts other girls.”
Wolfe made her porn debut in 2017, performing in almost 100 titles for all the major studios en route to 2019 AVN glory. She authored a breakout year in 2018, racking up honors such as Twistys Treat (September 2018), Penthouse Pet (October), Girlsway Girl of the Month (December) and Vixen Angel (December).
For Wolfe, her Penthouse cover ranked high on her list of achievements.
“As a little girl I always wanted to be on a magazine cover,” Wolfe says. “It sounds so typical—like every other little girl wanted to be on cover of a magazine. When I was holding it in my hand I thought I was gonna pee myself. I was so shocked. It was a really beautiful moment. I always wanted to be in a nudie mag. That’s not every girl’s dream, but that was my dream.”
Wolfe led the 2018 field of new starlets by example, demonstrating how a strong work ethic can lead to opportunities. She learned a lot about herself in the process.
“I’ve learned that no matter what I can’t fucking help it when I show up to work, I give 110. But that I am the kind of person that I take it slow. I don’t exhaust myself. Slow and steady wins the race,” Wolfe reasons. “Just put your all into everything you do and take care of yourself and look out for yourself.
“One thing I’ve learned from this year is at the end of the day you matter most. When you’re on set, give your all. But when you’re at home take care of yourself and always be thinking of yourself. If you’re not thinking about yourself you’ll get lost. Quality over quantity.”
Wolfe’s ability to focus on the task at hand helped her move up the ranks fast at Jersey Mike’s; she started her career with the chain in Washington and then transferred to Portland, Oregon, where she was promoted to district manager after just one year.
“I only worked there for one-and-a-half years,” she says.
“Porn really helped cement this knowledge about myself. I give my all in everything I do. I just can’t help it. I wish I wouldn’t, but it’s just who I am. I’m also a people person. There is nothing I care more about more than making sure everybody feels beyond comfortable and happy and appreciated.
“I was in a line of work where people pleasing was everything. That was always why I succeeded. I’ve had people bring in ‘thank you’ cards [to Jersey Mike’s] a week later. They wrote a whole paragraph about how amazing their experience was and how they never felt this taken care of. It would just melt my heart.”
Wolfe says her former colleagues at Jersey Mike’s all know about her porn career.
“So all of my old employees are like, ‘Oh, get it Ivy.’ They’re like, ‘You look way better than you did in that Jersey Mike’s apron, way better,’” Wolfe jokes. “I think they could tell that I was a very open-minded, wild and sure-of-herself person. I don’t think it was too much of a leap for them to think I could do this.”
Wolfe, who was born in North Carolina and lived in Tacoma and Seattle while growing up, flirted with adult while she was pulling long days at Jersey Mike’s in Portland, where she lived for about a year.
“I was on my shutting-down-sexual-shame journey,” she recalls. “I was doing some nude modeling and was working 72 hours a week at Jersey Mike’s and getting paid so little. I don’t feel like I was truly appreciated. So I just up and quit.
“One day I had kind of reached my limit and got into a fight with one of the employees and I was like, ‘I’m done.’ I started stripping and nude modeling and doing a photoshoot trying to get into Hustler. And halfway through the shoot, I did a solo video of me masturbating. I had never masturbated in front of anyone before. I was excited about it. It kind of turned me on a little, so I did it. And he said, ‘Why aren’t you doing porn?’ I viewed him so prestigiously and so highly. I was like if he’s saying that… Then he gets me on the phone with this agent—Dave with Motley…”
Wolfe, who likes to sing “when I feel like it,” at press time in mid-February was considering sharing her talent at an industry event in March.
“I feel like I’m always singing, and I am going to start taking it seriously and make some music,” Wolfe says, noting her musical range varies. “I am definitely all over the place. I like a Janice Joplin vibe a lot of the times. Definitely slow, evocative, seductive purr—kind of like Amy Winehouse.”
She says if she performs at the Pajama Party on March 15 she would sing “Dirty Laundry” by Bitter: Sweet.
Wolfe also says she’s hoping to do a gangbang in 2019.
“Oh, that’s happening this year. There’s nothing stopping me—nothing keeping me from that gangbang this year,” she says. “You also may or may not see some anal and DP action this year. I’m definitely going to try and shoot really exciting, shocking stuff this year.”
[Ed. note] - Ivy last week announced she would be taking a hiatus from performing.
Photography by Keith Ryan
