This article originally ran in the February 2017 issue of AVN magazine. Click here to see the online edition.
Sure, porn stars get to have sex for a living, but that doesn’t mean they can’t find true love just like anyone else in the world who is celebrating Valentine’s Day this month.
In fact dozens of porn couples enjoy thriving intimate relationships with fellow talent, navigating their work and home life with skill, grace and constant communication.
So this month AVN reached out to several of the adult industry’s high-profile performing couples who agreed to answer a few questions about how they keep their own romances going strong while also leading a fast-paced porn lifestyle.
The eight couples we interviewed: Kayden Kross & Manuel Ferrara; Savana Styles & Lexington Steele; Kissa Sins & Johnny Sins; Francesca Lé & Mark Wood; Joanna Angel & Small Hands; Asa Akira & Toni Ribas; Jessica Drake & Brad Armstrong; and Anikka Albrite & Mick Blue.
How long have you been a couple?
Brad Armstrong & Jessica Drake: Almost 13 years.
Kayden Kross & Manuel Ferrara: It will be five years in April.
Lexington Steele & Savana Styles: Savana and I have been together two years, married one year.
Toni Ribas & Asa Akira: Asa and I first met on a Mason set for Elegant Angel’s Insatiable movie. I’ve had my eyes on her for a while since I discovered her online and it was instant attraction fireworks and magic. We hooked up a few times but I was still going back and forth to Europe; finally on Valentine’s Day 2012 she worked for and with me on a shoot and we’ve been together ever since.
Joanna Angel & Small Hands: About four-and-a-half years and still going strong!
Anikka Albrite: We have been a couple and in love for four years! Our three-year marriage anniversary is coming up in March!
Mick Blue: We have been a couple since AEE 2013.
Johnny Sins: We have been together for almost four years now!
Kissa Sins: Yup, four years ago I was trying to have a one-night stand and we’ve been inseparable ever since!
Francesca Lé: We’ve been married for over 15 years. We only dated for two months before we got married. The minister was looking down at his beeper the whole time barely paying attention to us.
Mark Wood We got married in Vegas at Little Chapel downtown. We were having dinner one night and Francesca got me drunk and said let’s go to Vegas and get married. It sounded like a good idea at the time.
What’s the best part of being in a relationship with another adult performer?
Brad Armstrong: Understanding of your work/career. They get that it’s a job like any other job. Every morning when you leave for or come back from a day at the office it’s not a jealous argument about what you’ve been doing.
Mick Blue: The part of being in a relationship with another adult performer is that we can share our life and our job together and we also have the possibility to take and spend free time together as we would like to plan when ever and how long we want. We understand each other’s jobs and are here for each other to support our careers.
Anikka Albrite: There are many benefits to being in a relationship with another adult performer. The biggest benefit is we both do the same thing, and so it is easy to communicate and understand each other. I also enjoy working with him! He's my favorite co-worker!
Kayden Kross: They get it. There are no illusions about what it’s like on set, or that sex on camera is identical to sex off camera.
Manuel Ferrara: The fact that we can collaborate on projects.
Lexington Steele: Best part is mutually understanding and respecting the nature of the emotional support necessary to maintain a love interest when both partners have sex with others for a living. The ability to separate Sex and Love is essential.
Savana Styles: This job is not conventional; this includes having sex with other individuals. So, to be in relationship with another adult movie performer avoids all the battles connected to the jealousy. And also permit more comprehension from the other partner.
Toni Ribas: Probably the best unique thing is the mutual understanding and openness about sex and the bond you have as a couple when you can look past any jealousy.
Kissa Sins: It’s amazing working together! Especially for Sins Life because we get to choose girls we’ve been perving on and hire them to fuck us and it’s great! One of our favorite things to do is look at each other while we’re both licking the same pussy and say “I love you!” Sharing vagina is probably our favorite thing to do together and it’s a dream to be able to film it and put it on DVD!
Johnny Sins: It’s awesome to be able to integrate my very sexual “job” with my at-home life. We don’t shoot made-up scenarios on our website, we just share our real sex life with everyone—it’s really cool. I also love how Kissa has all these really close relationships with a lot of porn girls cause they always wanna come home with me after work to fuck both of us!
Joanna Angel: You get to have your cake and eat it too. … Lots of it. Good thing I like cake.
Francesca Lé: The best part for us is it keeps everything out in the open. When Mark works for one of our productions, I know who he is having sex with and when he works for other directors I know who he is working with, too. We have no secrets.
Mark Wood: The best part is she knows exactly the kind of issues I am dealing with on a daily basis so I can always talk to her and get her opinion on anything business related. I don’t have to walk on eggshells like if she was a civilian.
What would be your best piece of advice for other couples?
Brad Armstrong: Revert back to [the second question]. It’s crucial to ‘Let Work Be Work!’ Sure there are going to be jealous ‘moments’ but let them be just that: moments. ... Don’t let them build up and tear you apart. Also try and be a TEAM. The business can sometimes be a harsh place to navigate. ... Two heads are better AND stronger than one. And there will inevitably be times when one of you are working more than the other. ... Don’t let EGO chip away at your relationship.
Mick Blue: Most important is that you respect and love each other. Do and make decisions always as a team. Tread your relationship as something special. Last but not least, have no secrets to each other, be honest and have as much sexy time as possible.
Anikka Albrite: My best advice for other couples is to always communicate with each other and make sure your partner feels special to you. The best advice someone once gave me was to treat each other the way we treated each other when we first started dating. It is sound advice and is so very true!
Kayden Kross: Just because porn stars are more resilient to jealousy doesn’t mean you’re off the hook when it comes to demonstrating with small gestures why they shouldn’t be jealous.
Manuel Ferrara: Always work to keep open communication with your partner.
Lexington Steele: Understand that your professions will become an issue at some point. It is then that you must be prepared to love your partner for who they are despite what we do as a job or profession.
Savana Styles: In my opinion, the best advice for other couples would be to: Live And Let Live...I mean to NOT try to control your partner’s life. To respect his/her choices and not try to change him/her. This behavior is very common when we are in couple and it’s also very destructive. We fall in love with someone, then after few months of living together, we want to change that person. It cannot work like this. Love is compromise and respect.
Toni Ribas: To be honest and respect your boundaries, and have as much fun as possible!
Kissa Sins: I think relationships are really built on trust. I really hate seeing couples argue over jealousy or general distrust when a lot of the time they’re just being paranoid. I think if you love someone make sure you trust them and then really DECIDE to trust them and love them for who they are and don’t be overbearing or controlling. Respect each other! You’re best friends more than anything else!
Johnny Sins: Make sure you find a girl like Kissa who will eat lots of hot girls’ asses with you!
Joanna Angel: Commit yourself to honest, open, communication with love at the center, be selfless, and have the ultimate desire for your partner’s happiness no matter what label, dynamic, or lifestyle you lead.
Francesca Lé: Be each other’s best friend first.
Mark Wood: Don’t get married. But if you are having second thoughts, I always remember “it’s cheaper to keep her.”
