LAS VEGAS—Gray Perrier is the featured guest on a recent episode of "The Performers Pod With Chelsea Poe." The hour long conversation, which aired Jan. 22, covered Perrier’s first year in the adult industry, her experience at the 2026 AVN Expo and Awards, and her nomination for Best Trans Newcomer.
Poe kicked off the episode by congratulating Perrier on her nomination. Perrier responded, "I was floored to be on that list, but I felt validated."
The nomination was meaningful for Gray, who only began shooting professionally in March 2025 at the age of 34.
During the conversation, Perrier, who is based in Los Angeles but frequently travels to Las Vegas for work while balancing her personal life and academic studies, emphasized her professional ethos. Perrier believes there is no difference between the commitment that should be given between studio shoots and collaborations, highlighting her deep respect for the personal time of others. She credited her exhibitionist nature as an impetus for joining the industry and shared a comical story from one of her first shoots where she sincerely asked the director if she was allowed to say "fuck" on camera. After being told, "This is porn, it’s not Nickelodeon." Perrier recalled, "I was like, Oh, fuck yes, fuck me harder!"
The episode also delved into her love for bondage, heavy impact, and BDSM, which she links in part to her ultra-conservative upbringing in Wisconsin. Perrier discussed the journey of learning to trust her process, sharing her transition from a "canonically submissive bottom" to also topping to secure more studio work. She emphasized the importance of mental and physical health in that process, a point echoed by Poe, who advised listeners to always trust their own instincts.
Reflecting on her first AVN Expo, Perrier admitted to initial apprehension. The first person she called after learning of her Best Trans Newcomer nomination was her mother. While grateful for the recognition, Perrier shared a grounded perspective, mentioning that awards, popularity, or opportunities, don’t make one any more, or less, valuable as a person.
Poe shared, "Having Gray on The Performers Pod during the AVN Expo was amazing. It was so great to be able to walk the red carpet together and get to be in a bit of a more veteran role to help guide Gray on her first AVN red carpet, just like Siouxsie Q did for me when I came into the industry over a decade ago."
Listen to this episode on Apple Podcasts and Spotify.
Follow Perrier on X @GrayPerrier and Instagram @grayp_media.
