Various circumstances have led to people working in the adult entertainment industry.
And while viewers may know nothing of their private lives, the "actors" they see on screen are people like you and me.
Eventually, there comes a time when pornstars reach a juncture in their lives where they start thinking about starting a family.
Some stay in the business while supporting a family, while others have left the past in the past.
But is the past really permanently in the past?
Kids with parents who were or are pornstars shared their stories when Redditor harambe4life69 asked:
"Children of pornstars - what was it like growing up?"
Marriage did not end well with these parents with children.
The Questionable Photos
"One day when I was in 2nd grade I checked the mail and discovered 2 returned photos of my mom and step dad each posing individually, completely naked. I imagine they were 'trying out' for a porno?? Or something..? I still don’t know."
"But when my mom saw me looking at the photos she quickly grabbed them and we never spoke of it again. I’m 27 now. Neither are attractive and oddly enough they both ended up divorced and pretty miserable. I’m fairly sure they did not get the job."
– Intelligent_Flower29
Epic Downfall
"My mom was a sex worker in the 90s, even so successful that she ran her own service and eventually only took the higher scale clients. I remember being 8,9,10 years old in Chicago, New York and Atlanta hotels, and able to buy / order anything I wanted. We had personal computers in every bed room in 1997 which wasn’t common. Catalog and early online orders."
"She at first actually said she 'worked in computers' until I called her cell and her voicemail had a different name on it. Brooke, her name was Kim & My dad got a New computer Christmas one year and she didn’t even know how to turn it on. By the next year she was open and honest about what she did. Between her and my dad, they had the service, a strip club and a pizza shop. My brother got mopeds and gas or electric scooters for gifts, dirt bikes to ride in the backyard."
"Our house was a constant party. My brother started smoking weed, and selling it (he was in high school) and my mom would have it delivered by the pound in laundry baskets to 'support' his 'business venture.' We had a vending machine in the strip club, that my brother and I were allowed to manage for lessons in business."
"She eventually divorced my dad for cheating on her (hypocrite) with the manager of his strip club and she fell off bad since my aunt was a pharmacist at cvs and before the 'epidemic' she would bring HUGE bags of percocets to my mom. Then she would have the clients at our house and go in her room after announcing to myself and my 2 siblings 'I’m going to pay the bills'. Or the men would come out of the room and take me and my siblings shopping at the nearby mall, one would show up with ps2 and an Xbox before paying for our thanksgiving cabin trip."
"Still making money, she started smoking hard drugs and didn’t come out of her room for months, just slipped 100s under the door for us to order 'cafe courier' which was an early 1990s version of door dash."
"It was 5 years. They went from nothing to everything to nothing again. The house in a prominent suburban neighborhood ended up foreclosed on, I was kicked out when I was 12 after a fight with my mom and went back there after I heard from family that the house was taken by the bank over some addition my mom had built on the back, the house had been paid off before she did that."
"When I went back there was spray paint on the walls, the glass block walls were destroyed, and upstairs in my old room was boards on the windows, a metal chair and rope. It was tragic and disturbing to see."
"She’s doing better now, lives in a small home in 2 acres in the country. But she drinks like a fish, and never let go of the betrayal from my dad or how great those few years were. They were Great. But I would have taken average /normal for 10-20 years over that 5 years of crazy greatness."
– LittLilBihh
Life in the fast lane isn't always as glamorous as it may seem.
Plot Twist
"There was an guy in an other town whose parents had made a porno movie, but the plot twist here is that the mom was pregnant at the time. So you could say he was in a porno too. And to top it up a some what known rapper used the sound of the movie, just the start of it, in one of his songs, which have been played at festivals and in the radio. Must have been hard for him."
– SvanseHans
A Few Caveats
"Mum wasn't a flat out porn star but she danced at one of the older strip clubs in Vegas- Glitter Gultch. Most men flirt with her but because it was only adults seeing her naked or going into a private room for other services so it never bled over into teasing by children. I just learned at a young age that you could pay your bills with your body but if you stay in the industry the more risk to your person is involved physically, mentally, and emotionally."
– mewdejour
Popular Student For The Wrong Reasons
"Someone from my high school."
"His mom was 'locally famous' for some apparent extreme sex tapes."
"He was teased non-stop about it once kids found out."
"He ended up leaving the country the moment he turned 18 (which was in the middle of his senior year) after legally changing his name."
"I wasn't in his class (I was a year under) but from what I remember, he hated his mom and was extremely aggressive in his last year before running off."
– Defoler
Why No One Comes Over
"Not me, my friend’s mom had been a nude model for motorcycle pinup magazines and nudie spreads in the 70s or 80s before he was born. I knew this guy for probably 3 years from hanging out at mutual friends’ homes before finally going to his place. He never mentioned his mom being a nude model before, but when we walked in to the house, his parents were sitting in the living room smoking cigarettes under this giant poster sized photo of her topless and sprawled out on a motorcycle, looking very seductive and horny. He explained it later and said this is why he rarely has friends over."
– FartAttack911
Dad's Magazine Spread
"My dad was in a nude magazine that circulated in the 90’s all around Australia called Picture Magazine. He was no porn star by any means. But he did have a nude picture inside of a magazine. People brought the picture to school I would show it to me like I haven’t seen my dad walk around the house naked. I was less embarrassed when I managed to wrangle this comeback 'why you got a naked picture of a guy in your backpack dude?'”
– thecretin
Banned
"My middle school banned my parents from coming to my graduation/promotion because it was 'inappropriate' to have them there."
"Edit: lmao yes, this really happened. This was like 2005/2006. Yes, religious, private school. Administration knew who they were because another parent recognized them at drop off and told the school they didn’t feel comfortable having porn stars (that they clearly watch) around their kids. School agreed. Definitely did not make me popular in school."
– lilsnuff69
The Kids Suffer
"There's a ~40 year old lady who posts nudes both here (username has 'poindexter' in it, I think?) and onlyfans that clearly show her face and always mentions she's a mom. Well, her kids' religious school found out and kicked the whole family out of the parish. It made the local news headlines when she tried to fight it, which is where I heard about it. Now everyone knows and it'll be googleable forever. I feel pretty bad for her kids."
– LetterSwapper
The home decor was a dead giveaway of their erotic profession.
The Boss Who Scored
"My former boss is married to a lady who also works at our company and who everybody knows. Once he invited his whole team home for a grilling party and to show us his newly built house (we are a construction company so that's not too weird). It was awkward enough entering the bedroom of my boss, but the huge framed nude photo of her above the bed took the cake."
– ellenitha
Cool Chauffeur
"One of my best friends in HS had a mom who did porn back in the early 90s. Found out after we graduated but nobody really cared at that point because we all knew her - she had driven most of us home blackout drunk from parties one time or another. She was cool, really chill, but apparently quite strict with her own kids. Died a couple of years ago from breast cancer, really (edt) bummed me out when I found out. She was a nice lady."
– MindlessNote3735
Wall Of Conquests
"I worked as house cleaner for a time, and one of my clients was a porn star. She had posters from all the movies she’d done hanging on the hallway walls. She had two kids, they were maybe 11 and 8. I couldn’t imagine growing up with pictures of my mom like that on the way to the bathroom every day."
– Effycrush
Not every childhood involving a pornstar parent was necessarily a traumatizing one.
No Judgment
"I’m late but I’ll give my personal take as the daughter of a mom who did porn in her early 20’s."
"I didn’t even know until I was around 15 so it didn’t affect me before that honestly. My mom moved on to non-porn line of work so it’s not like I grew up near it or really grew up while she was still in the industry or anything like that. Also, she’s not one of the extremely popular ones that a ton of people would know so she most likely wouldn’t get recognized on the street I don’t think haha."
"My cousin was actually the one who told me (but didn’t show me anything) and I confirmed it with my mom later on. Pretty awkward for me to say the least haha."
"Also, I’m not embarrassed or ashamed of it really and I don’t have any traumatic stories that relate to this tbh. Not sure what else I should add 😁"
– kafelade
A Good Mom
"It was not that memorable. I didn’t know until I was older that she did old-school playboy type stuff. I was shocked when i learned about it but since i never really knew as a kid it didn’t affect me all the much."
"Since everyone always asks."
"-no, there weren’t abusive boyfriends all the time. She didn’t really date, but one bf was nice and fairly normal. They broke up for the usual incompatibility reasons, not bc she was in porn."
"-she was not a drug addict."
"-she was just struggling as a single mom when my dad died and had to do what she could."
"-no, I’m not embarrassed. Most everyone I tell thinks it’s cool and then I have to explain childhood was normal, she was a good mom, she wasn’t a drug addict etc etc."
– 30-50_feralhogs
Beats A "Real Job"
"People expect her to have been some kind of dirty terrible person but she just simply wasn’t. If there weren’t lines of perverts buying the VHS’s and magazines the job wouldn’t have been as lucrative as it was. Sure beats a 'real job' at minimum wage where she wouldn’t have been able to be as good of a parent tbh"
– 30-50_feralhogs
While some would perceive having pornstars as parents as amusing, it's the kids who may disagree.
Based on some the experiences mentioned above, it seems not everyone who has dabbled in the adult entertainment industry wound up with happy endings.
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Experiencing death is a fascinating and frightening idea.
Who doesn't want to know what is waiting for us on the other side?
But so many of us want to know and then come back and live a little longer.
It would be so great to be sure there is something else.
But the whole dying part is not that great, so we'll have to rely on other people's accounts.
Redditor AlaskaStiletto wanted to hear from everyone who has returned to life, so they asked:
"Redditors who have 'died' and come back to life, what did you see?"
Sensations
Happy Good Vibes GIF by Major League SoccerGiphy"My dad's heart stopped when he had a heart attack and he had to be brought back to life. He kept the paper copy of the heart monitor which shows he flatlined. He said he felt an overwhelming sensation of peace, like nothing he had felt before."
PeachesnPain
Recovery
"I had surgical complications in 2010 that caused a great deal of blood loss. As a result, I had extremely low blood pressure and could barely stay awake. I remember feeling like I was surrounded by loved ones who had passed. They were in a circle around me and I knew they were there to guide me onwards. I told them I was not ready to go because my kids needed me and I came back."
"My nurse later said she was afraid she’d find me dead every time she came into the room."
"It took months, and blood transfusions, but I recovered."
good_golly99
Take Me Back
"Overwhelming peace and happiness. A bright airy and floating feeling. I live a very stressful life. Imagine finding out the person you have had a crush on reveals they have the same feelings for you and then you win the lotto later that day - that was the feeling I had."
"I never feared death afterward and am relieved when I hear of people dying after suffering from an illness."
rayrayrayray
Free
The Light Minnie GIF by (G)I-DLEGiphy"I had a heart surgery with near-death experience, for me at least (well the possibility that those effects are caused by morphine is also there) I just saw black and nothing else but it was warm and I had such inner peace, its weird as I sometimes still think about it and wish this feeling of being so light and free again."
TooReDTooHigh
This is why I hate surgery.
You just never know.
Shocked
Giphy"More of a near-death experience. I was electrocuted. I felt like I was in a deep hole looking straight up in the sky. My life flashed before me. Felt sad for my family, but I had a deep sense of peace."
Admirable_Buyer6528
The SOB
"Nursing in the ICU, we’ve had people try to die on us many times during the years, some successfully. One guy stood out to me. His heart stopped. We called a code, are working on him, and suddenly he comes to. We hadn’t vented him yet, so he was able to talk, and he started screaming, 'Don’t let them take me, don’t let them take me, they are coming,' he was scared and yelling."
"Then he yelled a little more, as we tried to calm him down, he screamed, 'No, No,' and gestured towards the end of the bed, and died again. We didn’t get him back. It was seriously creepy. We called his son to tell him the news, and the son said basically, 'Good, he was an SOB.'”
1-cupcake-at-a-time
Colors
"My sister died and said it was extremely peaceful. She said it was very loud like a train station and lots of talking and she was stuck in this area that was like a curtain with lots of beautiful colors (colors that you don’t see in real life according to her) a man told her 'He was sorry, but she had to go back as it wasn’t her time.'"
Hannah_LL7
"I had a really similar experience except I was in an endless garden with flowers that were colors I had never seen before. It was quiet and peaceful and a woman in a dress looked at me, shook her head, and just said 'Not yet.' As I was coming back, it was extremely loud, like everyone in the world was trying to talk all at once. It was all very disorienting but it changed my perspective on life!"
huntokarrr
The Fog
"I was in a gray fog with a girl who looked a lot like a young version of my grandmother (who was still alive) but dressed like a pioneer in the 1800s she didn't say anything but kept pulling me towards an opening in the wall. I kept refusing to go because I was so tired."
"I finally got tired of her nagging and went and that's when I came to. I had bled out during a c-section and my heart could not beat without blood. They had to deliver the baby and sew up the bleeders. refill me with blood before they could restart my heart so, like, at least 12 minutes gone."
Fluffy-Hotel-5184
Through the Walls
"My spouse was dead for a couple of minutes one miserable night. She maintains that she saw nothing, but only heard people talking about her like through a wall. The only thing she remembers for absolute certain was begging an ER nurse that she didn't want to die."
"She's quite alive and well today."
Hot-Refrigerator6583
Well let's all be happy to be alive.
It seems to be all we have.
Trying to lose weight is a struggle understood by many people regardless of size.
The goal of reaching a healthy weight may seem unattainable, but with diet and exercise, it can pay off through persistence and discipline.
Seeing the pounds gradually drop off can also be a great motivator and incentivize people to stay the course.
Those who've achieved their respective weight goals shared their experiences when Redditor apprenti8455 asked:
"People who lost a lot of weight, what surprises you the most now?"
Redditors didn't see these coming.
Shiver Me Timbers
"I’m always cold now!"
– Telrom_1
"I had a coworker lose over 130 pounds five or six years ago. I’ve never seen him without a jacket on since."
– r7ndom
"140 lbs lost here starting just before COVID, I feel like that little old lady that's always cold, damn this top comment was on point lmao."
– mr_remy
Drawing Concern
"I lost 100 pounds over a year and a half but since I’m old(70’s) it seems few people comment on it because (I think) they think I’m wasting away from some terminal illness."
– dee-fondy
"Congrats on the weight loss! It’s honestly a real accomplishment 🙂"
"Working in oncology, I can never comment on someone’s weight loss unless I specifically know it was on purpose, regardless of their age. I think it kind of ruffles feathers at times, but like I don’t want to congratulate someone for having cancer or something. It’s a weird place to be in."
– LizardofDeath
Unleashing Insults
"I remember when I lost the first big chunk of weight (around 50 lbs) it was like it gave some people license to talk sh*t about the 'old' me. Old coworkers, friends, made a lot of not just negative, but harsh comments about what I used to look like. One person I met after the big loss saw a picture of me prior and said, 'Wow, we wouldn’t even be friends!'”
"It wasn’t extremely common, but I was a little alarmed by some of the attention. My weight has been up and down since then, but every time I gain a little it gets me a little down thinking about those things people said."
– alanamablamaspama
Not Everything Goes After Losing Weight
"The loose skin is a bit unexpected."
– KeltarCentauri
"I haven’t experienced it myself, but surgery to remove skin takes a long time to recover. Longer than bariatric surgery and usually isn’t covered by insurance unless you have both."
– KatMagic1977
"It definitely does take a long time to recover. My Dad dropped a little over 200 pounds a few years back and decided to go through with skin removal surgery to deal with the excess. His procedure was extensive, as in he had skin taken from just about every part of his body excluding his head, and he went through hell for weeks in recovery, and he was bedridden for a lot of it."
– Jaew96
These Redditors shared their pleasantly surprising experiences.
Shopping
"I can buy clothes in any store I want."
– WaySavvyD
"When I lost weight I was dying to go find cute, smaller clothes and I really struggled. As someone who had always been restricted to one or two stores that catered to plus-sized clothing, a full mall of shops with items in my size was daunting. Too many options and not enough knowledge of brands that were good vs cheap. I usually went home pretty frustrated."
– ganache98012
No More Symptoms
"Lost about 80 pounds in the past year and a half, biggest thing that I’ve noticed that I haven’t seen mentioned on here yet is my acid reflux and heartburn are basically gone. I used to be popping tums every couple hours and now they just sit in the medicine cabinet collecting dust."
– colleennicole93
Expanding Capabilities
"I'm all for not judging people by their appearance and I recognise that there are unhealthy, unachievable beauty standards, but one thing that is undeniable is that I can just do stuff now. Just stamina and flexibility alone are worth it, appearance is tertiary at best."
– Ramblonius
People Change Their Tune
"How much nicer people are to you."
"My feet weren't 'wide' they were 'fat.'"
– LiZZygsu
"Have to agree. Lost 220 lbs, people make eye contact and hold open doors and stuff"
"And on the foot thing, I also lost a full shoe size numerically and also wear regular width now 😅"
– awholedamngarden
It's gonna take some getting used to.
Bones Everywhere
"Having bones. Collarbones, wrist bones, knee bones, hip bones, ribs. I have so many bones sticking out everywhere and it’s weird as hell."
– Princess-Pancake-97
"I noticed the shadow of my ribs the other day and it threw me, there’s a whole skeleton in here."
– bekastrange
Knee Pillow
"Right?! And they’re so … pointy! Now I get why people sleep with pillows between their legs - the knee bones laying on top of each other (side sleeper here) is weird and jarring."
– snic2030
"I lost only 40 pounds within the last year or so. I’m struggling to relate to most of these comments as I feel like I just 'slimmed down' rather than dropped a ton. But wow, the pillow between the knees at night. YES! I can relate to this. I think a lot of my weight was in my thighs. I never needed to do this up until recently."
– Strongbad23
More Mobility
"I’ve lost 100 lbs since 2020. It’s a collection of little things that surprise me. For at least 10 years I couldn’t put on socks, or tie my shoes. I couldn’t bend over and pick something up. I couldn’t climb a ladder to fix something. Simple things like that I can do now that fascinate me."
"Edit: Some additional little things are sitting in a chair with arms, sitting in a booth in a restaurant, being able to shop in a normal store AND not needing to buy the biggest size there, being able to easily wipe my butt, and looking down and being able to see my penis."
– dma1965
People making significant changes, whether for mental or physical health, can surely find a newfound perspective on life.
But they can also discover different issues they never saw coming.
That being said, overcoming any challenge in life is laudable, especially if it leads to gaining confidence and ditching insecurities.