Stormy Daniels, arguably the most famous pornstar in the world and an award-winning adult film director with more than 100 movies under her belt, announced today a new production policy requiring all performers appearing in her movies/scenes to be a minimum age of 21.
“I have decided to not cast any talent under 21 for sex roles in my movies and scenes anymore,” said Daniels, who can currently be seen in VH1‘s hit revival of the early 2000s reality series The Surreal Life. “For two decades now, I have witnessed the disturbing pattern of girls coming into the business too young and for the wrong reasons, then regretting their decision and trying to move on to other careers only to be shunned and forced to return, and I just want to do what I can in order to prevent that from happening.”
Daniels’ decision makes her the first director in the adult industry to institute a 21+ mandate after Axel Braun, who implemented that policy in 2013.
“It is not a popular decision, but it is the right one,” added Stormy. “Axel has been doing it for over 9 years…and he’s the most successful and most awarded porn director in history!”
Braun, a legendary figure in the adult industry with a career spanning 30+ years and more trophies on his mantle than anybody else, is quick to praise Daniels’ decision: “Back in 2013, when I decided to stop shooting performers under 21, I did not expect anybody else to do the same,” said Axel, whose latest porn parody Spideypool XXX just picked up a staggering 11 AVN nominations. “It was not a crusade, a PR stunt, or a political move, just a personal decision dictated by my own feelings and experience, so I obviously understand Stormy and applaud her for taking this step.”
Daniels’ new production policy comes at a time of ever-increasing mainstream visibility. People and other news mainstream news outlets have chronicled her every move on The Surreal Life, including the recent episode in which she shattered her co-stars’ misconceptions about sex work by describing her tradecraft as a Wicked contract star and director.
Her 60 Minutes appearance with Anderson Cooper was the most watched interview in a decade and the second one in the history of the program, topped only by Barack Obama’s first post-election interview in 2008. She’s been profiled in such prestigious publications as TIME, Rolling Stone, US Weekly, and FHM, memed and satirized in political cartoons, wrote a New York Times Best Seller, and she’s mentioned in tracks by Megan Thee Stallion and Kanye West. She was even a special guest on SNL, appearing as herself in a sketch along with Ben Stiller and Alec Baldwin.
In the adult space, her Wicked Pictures directing comeback feature Hysteria recently collected four 2023 AVN Awards nominations, including Best Leading Actress (Aiden Ashley), Best Supporting Actress (Anna Claire Clouds), Best Screenplay – Movie or Limited Series (Daniels), and Best Hair & Makeup (Bonegazi). Meanwhile, she continues to tour the globe giving lectures at prestigious Universities to share her experience and perspective on the reality of sex work.
“We are treated like criminals, but even convicts have work release programs and are allowed to move on and succeed,” Daniels continued. “It’s absurd that a person who has killed someone has a better chance at being forgiven than a pornstar. That’s proof of how skewed society’s views are about sex. I have personally experienced this multiple times when being turned down for jobs that I was absolutely the best candidate for, loans for homes that I clearly had the money and requirements for, and of course when I was famously called a liar just because I worked in the adult business.”
Stormy’s last remark was a reference to the legal case involving her former lawyer, the now disgraced and disbarred Michael Avenatti, in which he was accused of stealing nearly $300,000 from the publishing proceeds generated by her best-selling memoir, Full Disclosure. Avenatti, acting as his own attorney, sought to discredit his former client by questioning not only her adult entertainment career, but her lifelong personal interest in the paranormal when she took the witness stand. Just as she has always enjoyed shutting down trolls on social media, she sparred with Avenatti point-by-point, removing controversy from the issue by providing honest clarifications and factual context. Avenatti was subsequently found guilty and convicted of fraud and identity theft.
“Ultimately, these are the reasons why I chose to fund my paranormal show on my own and agreed to tell my story on The Surreal Life,” Daniels revealed. “It’s also why I’ve hit roadblocks getting my horror movie produced. Financiers and producers loved my screenplay and skills, but tried to insist I hide my identity by changing my name.
They are too chicken to admit Stormy Daniels is more than her sexual performances. I could name a hundred other times and ways this discrimination has happened to me and other sex workers. It’s time for this to end.” Daniels’ policy will go into effect immediately.