Above: Traci Lords at the Los Angeles Premiere of ‘Zack and Miri make a porno’. Grauman’s Chinese Theater, Hollywood, CA. 10-20-08. Image by s_bukley / Shutterstock.com
Considering their line of work, it’s not easy for a porn star to shock people. The adult industry functions in its own spectrum, and rarely mixes with mainstream entertainment or politics. Sometimes, however, something might get out of control and the results are as public and sensational as any non-porn major scandal. Here are five porn stars that have made worldwide news.
Traci Lords (above)
After a couple of years in the business, where she became one of the biggest porn stars in the world, Traci revealed she had lied about her age all along, and had in fact been a minor through her entire porn career. She almost single-handedly brought the whole adult industry to its knees. After the scandal, Traci has kept a somewhat public profile and has made numerous appearances in mainstream movies and television.
Mary Carey
Although not taken as seriously as other celebrities aiming for the job, Mary made headlines by running for Governor of California in 2003. Her platform included taxing breast implants, encouraging citizens to trade their guns for porn, and installing webcams in the Governor’s mansion. Sadly, Arnold beat her.
Linda Lovelace
Porn’s first huge starlet was the face of the porno chic movement of the 70s. Shockingly, though, she eventually revealed that she had been forced into the business at gunpoint by her then-husband Chuck Traynor, and became a spokesperson for the anti-pornography movement. Her struggle has been well-documented in the last few decades and it even inspired a couple of biographical films.
Bree Olson
In 2011, Olson was living with actor Charlie Sheen. This wouldn’t be news otherwise (Sheen has a reputation for dating porn stars,) but it happened during his giant public meltdown, when Charlie was pretty much in every tabloid in the world. Bree was one of the infamous goddesses (Charlie’s name for his live-in girlfriends.)
Joslyn James
One of Tiger Woods’ former mistresses, Joslyn made major headlines when she spoke about their romantic relationship, adding to the downward spiral that was the golfer’s public image in 2010. In March 2014, she also made headlines by being featured in the “most wanted” list for the non-payment of child support, which she had avoided for two and a half years.