Page 51 - AVN May 2018

When mainstream TV news anchors talk about
Stormy Daniels, they no longer identify her as a
“porn star.”
It’s assumed everyone already knows.
Thanks to the deluge of national media coverage
of her alleged sexual liaison with President Trump
in 2006 and the $130,000 payoff she received in
2016 to stay quiet, the AVN Hall of Fame performer
has become a national figure and one of the most
controversial women in the world.
While the extent of Stormy’s notoriety is hard to
measure, one thing is certain, according to several
seasoned adult industry observers: in the span of four
months this year Stormy has become the most famous
living porn star—and arguably the biggest of all time.
“Just off the top of my head I’d say that she
absolutely is the most famous living porn star, and
even more famous than dead ones like Linda Lovelace
and John Holmes,” said Jared Rutter, the former
chairman of the X-Rated Critics Organization, who
has been in the adult industry since the early ’70s and
remains a senior contributor to AVN magazine.
“People who never heard of Jenna [Jameson] or
Ginger [Lynn] have heard about Stormy. The irony
is that what they know is so limited: just the fact
that she has sex for a living and once got banged by
Trump.
“Only a few press accounts even mention that she
also directs movies. The extent of her contributions
as producer-writer-director, for which she’s gained
respect within the industry, is still unknown to the
general public—not to mention her talent for sketch
comedy, which is on view in her movies. It’s only the
Michael Cohen payoff that made her a household
name.
“When Time can use a pun on your first name on
its Trump cover and assume that millions will get the
joke, you know that fame-wise you’re on top.”
Before the Stormy scandal erupted, most industry
insiders agreed legendary performers Ron Jeremy and
Jenna Jameson were Nos. 1 and 1A as the best known
adult film stars of all time.
“STORMY IS NOT ONLY
THE MOST FAMOUS LIVING
PORN STAR ... RIGHT NOW
SHE IS QUITE POSSIBLY THE
MOST FAMOUS WOMAN
ON THE PLANET.”
—DIRECTOR AXEL BRAUN
Several others have managed to transcend porn and
penetrate the mainstream—including Sunny Leone,
Sasha Grey, Lisa Ann, Mia Khalifa, Asa Akira and
Traci Lords.
But Stormy trumps them all—at least for now.
“At this moment she may be the most famous porn
star in the world; however, over time we’ll see,” said
super agent Mark Spiegler, who first stepped onto a
porn set in 1985 and began working full-time in adult
in ’95.
“There’s a Latin saying—‘sic transit gloria
mundi’—or ‘all glory is fleeting.’ Here today, gone
tomorrow. Also, there’s a difference between famous
and infamous. But I would say right now she would
definitely be the most famous porn star in the world.
“If Trump is gone in three years, certainly she’ll still
Opposite page and above, current photos of Stormy Daniels, courtesy of her new studio, Digital Playground.
be famous because she was before, but 10 years from
now will she still be?”
Bob Christian agreed.
The general manager of Adam & Eve, who has
worked for parent company founder Phil Harvey for
the past three decades, said, “absolutely Stormy”
occupies the No. 1 spot. But he adds that history will
be the final judge.
“International exposure, virtually daily, for several
months now—for better or worse!” Christian said.
“But how will she be remembered 10 years from
now? I don’t know, but she will be remembered!
“I think Jenna Jameson is second. First for a long
time.”
Now an exclusive director and performer for
Digital Playground and Brazzers after working
only for Wicked Pictures for the past 14 years, the
2004 AVN Best New Starlet recently was named
Penthouse “Pet of the Century.”
AVN founder Paul Fishbein, who started the
magazine in 1983 and now produces mainstream
projects—including X-Rated 2: The Greatest Adult Stars
of All Time!—said it’s clearly Stormy’s time.
“I think right now Stormy has to be the most
famous … over the years it was Ron and Jenna,”
Fishbein said, adding that Rocco Siffredi, whose
2016 documentary Rocco was a hit in Europe, is also
one of the most high-profile adult performers alive.
Vivid Entertainment Group VP of Production
Marci Hirsch agreed, saying, “Stormy Daniels is
the most famous living porn star of the Trump
presidency era, that’s for sure ... unless news of
a liaison with another adult performer comes up
before he leaves office.”
Meanwhile, AVN Hall of Fame director Axel Braun
took the Stormy comparisons a step further.
“Stormy is not only the most famous living porn
star ... right now she is quite possibly the most
famous woman on the planet,” Braun suggested.
“We are looking at a smart, empowered, self-aware
and unapologetic woman who was catapulted to the
front page of every news outlet in the country and
managed to display composure, wit and intelligence.
“In my five years at Wicked Pictures I only
directed her once, in Sleeping Beauty XXX: An Axel
Braun Parody, where she played Maleficent. If anybody
is making the foolish mistake of underestimating
her, I strongly suggest they watch that movie.”
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