Mia Khalifa is one of the top searches on PornHub: Where’s her money?
Mia Khalifa rose to porn infamy when videos featuring her having a threesome while wearing a hijab surfaced. The irony of her newfound fame was that Mia spent only three months in the industry and was featured in a mere dozen videos. Nevertheless, Mia became the most-searched adult film star on the planet in 2019.
Mia, now working as a sports commentator, model, and social media influencer, is still scrutinized by the many of the public who believe she’s profited millions off her racy videos. However, that isn’t the case as Mia has revealed that in her time in the industry the maximum amount she came away with was $12,000, a shocking number when compared to the massive amount of views on her videos.
So why isn’t Mia rolling around in a big pile of money? That would have to be because she was shamelessly exploited by adult film executives, a practice that is rampant within the porn industry.
Recruited
In 2014, as Mia Khalifa was walking down the street, she was approached by an agent who wanted to cast her in some porn videos. Mia, who was only twenty-one at the time, decided to pursue the opportunity. After three months in the industry Mia was ready to leave it all behind her until a few years later her videos exploded on the internet.
Mia faced huge backlash for videos, especially since she was shown have sex while wearing a hijab. This led to hate comments, death threats, and even threats of beheading from Islamic State supporters. Mia, a native of Lebanon, has been referred to as “the most shameful thing to happen to Lebanon.”
Mia has rebuilt her life since her time in the porn industry. She quickly realized she would never be out of the public eye completely so she fully embraced her status and became a hugely successful Tik To influencer with currently 9.2 million followers. She uses her quirky, sarcastic style to further address the exploitative nature of the film industry on her Tik Tok platform.
Where’s the money?
When Mia signed her contract in 2014 with Bang Bros, a pornographic film studio, she was completely unaware she was signing away her life. The studio got the rights to Mia’s photos & videos and furthermore refused to give her claim over her domain name even though she owns the trademark to her name.
When Mia signed on to be in the videos she was paid as a contractor and given a flat rate for scenes, meaning that the more scenes she did the more money she would make. What Mia never realized before signing her contract was that the far more lucrative but perhaps riskier option was to receive her compensation by claiming a share of the ad revenue just like a YouTuber would.
Mia never realized there was a second option when she was asked to sign her contract. With the views on her video, Mia could have easily racked up around half a million dollars by now from a portion of the ad revenue. Instead she walked away with 12,000 – and that’s before taxes. Mia has also stated that Bang Bros has most likely made over $50 million off of her videos & image.
Making up for the past
Many have dismissed Mia’s story about exploitation in the porn industry, either refusing to believe she was compensated so poorly or blaming her for making the choice to be in porn. Mia explained that people have told her, “Well you shouldn’t have said yes and had sex on camera in the first place, this is on you.”
Mia states that she’s never wanted to claim money for her videos, all she really wants is to take down the original images from Bang Bros & Pornhub but will never be able to if she has no access to the rights. Unbowed by the power of the adult industry corporations, Mia has used her experience to inform the public and hopefully keep other young women from enduring the same exploitation & trauma as she did.
