A version of this feature appears in the October issue of AVN magazine. Click here for the digital edition.
LOS ANGELES — The drill sergeants stormed into the barracks just past 3 a.m., screaming as they flicked on the lights. Amid the chaos, Kayley Gunner knew exactly what to do.
Dreary-eyed and groggy, the Army Pvt. descended from her top bunk and dropped to the concrete floor. Counting in unison with 19 other females—all in their first week of basic training—Gunner began to rep out pushups. ONE! … TWO! … THREE! … FOUR! … all the way up to 20.
Gunner finished and hopped to her feet. The sergeants, she says, were glaring at her. Not because her form was was poor, or because she’d been slow to finish. Instead Gunner had drawn their wrath for what she was wearing.
Or rather, what she wasn’t.
Other than a g-string, Gunner was completely naked.
“It was a bad look and they weren’t happy,” the buxom 24-year-old says. “I was told that was not appropriate.”
Gunner tilts her head back and laughs.
“I guess that was a sign I was meant for porn,” she says.
Six years later, Gunner is thriving in her rookie season in adult, having shot approximately 70 scenes for high-profile studios such as Blacked, Brazzers and Cherry Pimps. Back in July, Motley Models president Dave Rock offered Gunner a contract 10 minutes after she walked through his doors.
The allure, Rock said, wasn’t just that Gunner is one of the industry’s most promising new stars.
“She’s also one of the most unique,” Rock says. “There’s really no one else like her.”
Indeed, the adult industry has never boasted a talent with the backstory of Gunner. Actually, make that Sgt. Gunner, who is most certainly the first real-life military officer in the history of porn.
Gunner achieved the sergeant ranking toward the end of her five-year stint in the United States Army, where she served from 2015-20. Her stage name is actually an ode to her military career, as Gunner consistently received praise from her superiors for her marksmanship with a machine gun.
“I was always at the range with the guys,” Gunner says. “It’s not everyday that you can shoot a machine gun in the civilian world. It’s scary at first, but once you get used to it, it’s a powerful feeling.”
Gunner’s military path was influenced largely by her mother and father, each of whom had long careers in the Army. The family moved to Oahu, Hawaii when Gunner was 2 after her parents were stationed at a base there.
As one could imagine, a large chunk of Gunner’s youth was spent on the beach and the areas surrounding it. There were countless days during her teens, Gunner says, when she and her friends skipped school to shop and socialize on the boardwalks or to surf in the ocean.
Gunner was quite skilled on the longboard, to the extent that she could walk back and forth on it as she rode a wave.
“Long boarding is very relaxing,” Gunner says, “but getting stuck under the board is scary when waves are on top of you. You’ve got to be a good swimmer—and you’ve got to learn to hold your breath. That’s probably helping me more than I realize in porn.”
Speaking of which, Gunner watched plenty of X-rated content during high school, particularly lesbian porn. She was also a diehard fan of the TV show "The Girls Next Door” and went so far as to contact Playboy to inquire about becoming a bunny.
“They told me I needed to turn 18 first,” Gunner says with a laugh.
When Gunner finally did reach that age, she chose camouflage over corsets, following in the footsteps of her parents and joining the Army. Stationed in Oahu, Gunner showed resiliency after her sleeping-in-the-buff mishap the first week of basic training, spending the next few years ascending through the ranks of the military hierarchy. Whether she was working a desk job in human resources, teaching group fitness classes or peppering targets with her machine gun, Gunner earned the respect of her peers and commanders, which eventually propelled her to the ranking of sergeant.
“We did a lot of combat training,” Gunner says. “Lots of crawling through the dirt in all of our gear, climbing over walls in gear. Sometimes I miss it, just being in the mud … no makeup, ever. It was definitely night and day from what I do now.”
As disciplined as the military required her to be, Gunner still found opportunities to dabble in the adult lifestyle. She began dating a fellow solider and eventually married him.
Allowed to live off base, Gunner and her former husband frequently hosted orgies and swingers parties with other military couples. It was then, Gunner says, that she learned how to squirt. She also discovered that she enjoyed being watched.
“That was a big turning point for me, sexually,” Gunner says. “It helped me as far as being open to other people.”
Gunner’s interest in porn also increased. She jokes that she was “obsessed” with Abella Danger and messaged her on Instagram after learning the mega-star was seeking a personal assistant. Gunner included a picture of herself in military garb and said she could double as Danger’s security guard.
“She responded and asked if I’d be willing to move to Miami,” Gunner says. “I told her I would, but we never communicated after that. It was probably for the best. Otherwise I might not be where I am now—and this is much better.”
Gunner’s five-year contract with the Army ended in 2020. She opted not to extend her time and instead received an honorable discharge.
“I’m very proud of my time in the military,” Gunner says. “It was very fulfilling. It’s something you do because of a love for your country. But I kinda felt like I’d accomplished all I’d set out to do.
“I was ready to press my boundaries. I wanted a different challenge.”
Newly single, Gunner enrolled in college but quickly discovered the daily routine wasn’t for her. So she dropped out and tried her hand at camming. Personable, bubbly, witty—and strikingly gorgeous—Gunner was an instant hit. Gunner said the experience was as rewarding for her as it was for her audience.
“I went from having my whole body covered up all the time by an Army uniform to taking all my clothes off to cam,” Gunner says. “It made me feel beautiful. It definitely boosted my confidence.”
After only a few months, at the urging of her fans, she transitioned into studio porn in September of 2020. Ten months later she signed with Motley Models, one of the top agencies in the industry.
Motley’s Ryan Kona says Gunner has an incredibly high ceiling, with the potential to become an international star.
“She’s the epitome of how a porn star is supposed to act and how a porn star is supposed to look,” Kona says. “Her being a veteran and serving our country in the military has given her a high level of confidence. She knows how to carry herself and present herself. And she commands a lot of respect from the people she’s around.
“Kayley is a classic porn star. That’s what Motley wants to be bring back to this industry. This industry needs those mega super stars, where people around the world recognize their name.”
For the most part, on camera, Gunner already has the vibe of a porn veteran. She’s squirted in multiple scenes, and she’s held her own in shoots with heavyweights such as Keiran Lee, Isaiah Maxwell, Ramon Nomar, Seth Gamble and Zac Wild.
Specifically, Gunner has received praise for her work in the virtual reality and POV genres. She appears natural and at ease talking into the camera, a trait she says she developed while camming. One of her most popular scenes thus far is a POV for bannedstories.com. The shoot started on a firing range, where Gunner showed off her prowess with the machine gun. She and her partner then drove to a nearby park for some extracurricular activity. The scene has been viewed more than 1.1 million times on Pornhub.
In other areas, Gunner is still adapting. Although she was always a fan of lesbian content, Gunner wasn’t too experienced with other females before entering porn. But shooting with big-name stars such as Gianna Dior, Lily Larimar and Kenzie Taylor has made her realize how much she loves being with women. She’s certainly left quite an impression on her female scene partners.
“She’s a future superstar,” says Kenzie Anne, who shot with Gunner for Brazzers this month. “Our chemistry was incredible. She’s very sexual—and definitely bi. And she shares dick really well. I would love to work with her again.”
Gunner said she’s had fun “learning on the go.”
“I want to have more experiences with women,” Gunner says. “I want them to take me and guide me and show me the ropes. And then let me go down on them. To me, it’s sexy to be with someone that’s more experienced and maybe even a tad older. Someone like Brandi Love or Silvia Sage.”
Gunner says Sage, one of the industry’s top MILF performers, has been a confidant of sorts throughout her first year in the business.
“She stressed how important it is to show up on set with a good, positive attitude,” Gunner says. “She told me to make a positive impression on everyone in the room.
“The military taught me a lot of things, too: discipline, the importance of being on time, social skills, how to talk to people and how to show respect. There are so many things I learned in that career that carry over to this one.”
Judging by her long list of scene credits, Gunner is adapting just fine. At times her rapid ascension has been overwhelming. Not just to her, but to the men with whom she once shared the trenches back in Oahu.
“I’ve had lot of old soldiers from my time in the Army hit me up on social media or subscribe to my OnlyFans,” Gunner says. “They’re like, ‘Sergeant, is this really you?’”
Gunner laughed when asked if her career choice has evoked harsh words or criticism from anyone she knew in the military.
“Not yet,” she says. “If it ever happens, it’ll probably be from someone who’s upset that they never got to smash.”
Proud as she is of her past—and as willing as she is to share her story—Gunner says her military background is accompanied by one drawback. Far too often, fans and colleagues ask her opinions about politics or try to get her to take sides on polarizing topics that are sparking debate throughout the world.
Earlier this year Gunner filmed a scene called “Make America Hard Again” and people accused her of being a Trump supporter.
“There are certain things I refuse to discuss,” Gunner says. “I won’t discuss politics or religion in this environment. I’ve got a platform and I want to use it—but my platform isn’t for that. People can go to CNN or Fox News for that.”
Gunner pauses and smiles.
“I’m Kayley Gunner,” she says. “I’m not a politician. I’m just here to make everyone horny.”
Photography by @derique.hanche
