Page 25 - AVN Feb 2026

“It proved to me I was doing the right
things and it really helped me to continue in
the same way.”
—Vince Karter
An international media contingent once again converged on the event, lining the
three-hour red-carpet procession that created a parade of 1000 stars—that took
over the casino.
Once inside the three-level Theater—the popular concert spot formerly known as
The Joint—18 awards presentations commenced with the help of the Official Trophy
Girls Ava Amira and Meagan Moore.
Some of the night’s big winners included Vince Karter, who repeated as the Male
Performer of the Year; Aubrey Kate, who claimed Trans Performer of the Year for a
record fourth time; Ryan Reid, who won Best Leading Actress for her performance in
Deadly Vows (Digital Playground); Tommy Pistol, who accepted his record sixth Best
Leading Actor trophy for his role in Strip (Dorcel); Ariel Demure, who received Best
Trans Acting Performance for Transpirella (GenderXFilms)—her second in a row; and
Lexi Luna, who lifted the MILF Performer of the Year trophy.
Dorcel’s Strip received the Grand Reel award for the most outstanding narrative
movie, in addition to honors for Best Cinematography (Matt Holder), Best Screenplay
(Shawn Alff) and Best Hair & Makeup (Milla Van Damme, Raven Lux, Iggy, Lilith
Manson & Alexxx Moon).
Ricky Greenwood captured the award for Outstanding Directing—Individual Work
for Deadly Vows and Best Directing Portfolio—Varied Range; and Sweet Sinner, the
feature studio from Mile High Media, earned the Mark Stone Award for Outstanding
Comedy for Her Best Friend’s Dad.
Cheerleader Kait, who started her adult entertainment career about five years ago
during COVID, says when she climbed the stairs to the AVN stage that something
about it just felt right.
“I don’t know how to say it, but I just felt confident,” Kait told AVN backstage. “Like,
I just felt like this is where I’m supposed to be right now.
“And I took a second to look out at the whole audience and I just felt so proud of
myself and also so like, I love this industry and I love the community.”
Born and raised in Nashville and now residing in Tampa, Fla., the former high
school and college cheerleader—she was a flyer—made a name for herself during
four years as a content creator before her splashy entry into mainstream adult in
anal scene with Scott Nails last April for Brazzers.
She pointed to AVN Hall of Fame performer Riley Reid as a mentoring figure who
shared advice when she was weighing her options.
U P F R O N T | 2 . 2 6 | A V N . C O M
2 5