I searched and read the threads here at ADT I could find on highest paid, lowest paid, average paid, etc. I also read an article listing Jenna, Tera, Jesse, and Ron "the hedgehog” Jeremy (allegedly worth 7 million), as the highest paid pornstars. Good for them and God bless. What I want to know is...will the Stoya's, Lisa Ann's, Nikki Benz's, Shyla Stylez's, Tori Black's, Sasha Grey's, Jenna Haze’s, Belladonna’s and the women at the very upper echelon of the industry, assuming they stay or did stay (if now retired) in the business for a minimum of 5 years, and don't blow their wads, retire rich (i.e. millionaires)? What I am driving at is...while we fans are often in awe of our favorites (and I realize favorites don't always correspond to richest)...are they merrily, merrily, merrily, laughing their way to the bank? I sure hope they are...but I don't know. The best I could gather from the Web is 250K per year for the top flight pornstars and that includes doing the strip club dance circuit. Has the game changed? Do big big stars now have more power over studios than they did just a few years ago? Can anyone objectively or subjectively enlighten? Edited by - Valentine on Jun 17 2012
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RemyGetsMeWet Deactivated User
Freedom Of Speech Isn't A Punchline 300 Posts 6/12
Posted - Jun 17 2012 : 5:13AM
Nice Thread! I would say it's like any line of work where if people are smart with their money, then there's a good chance of them not having to work again. Millionaires? that's hard to say, though I do think that is a major reason why more performers are going towards web shows, they get to keep a hell of a lot more of the money that they bring in. Do the studios promote and pay for costs? sure, but the wage to profit ratio is really off. Edited by - RemyGetsMeWet on 6/17/2012 5:15:11 AM
In the recent BBC program on "Porn decline of an industry" they have featured Tommy Gunn whom it is said makes only 150 USD per scene and puts up in an "unglamorous motel on an unfashionable stretch of Las Vegas Boulevard".
Most of the pornstars struggling to pay even bills these days :) forget about retirement. Filesharing and piracy affected the business.Websites like clips4sale.com killed the revenue stream for bigger porn studios, many people making 5-10 mins clips which are shot at home and selling it to pay regular bills. 50,000 over stores on clips website, clips getting recorded with mobile camera's are loaded onto the site. These clips are targetted for some specific fetish and very unqiue things which you can never expect to see in a movie by porn studios. e.g. pornstars playing with some rubber dinosaur,crocodile,balloon clips,ball kicking and many more... Pornstars these days are more lazy, they find doing a 5 mins clips selling it at 8-10$ is more profitable instead of working with porn studios, webcam shows can get them easy money. So, Now most of the pornstars are trying to get easy money which i believe is a wrong approach, it will not last very long. easy things many people can do and that is reason why we are seeing stores opening up almost everyday on clips websites so point of saturation is very close. In this tough time, Mainstream movie makers took a approach of making quality films for which people have to come in theatres to watch.Mainstream movie makers started creating 3D Movies, expanding the area by covering europe and asia. Porn industry took a reverse approach, instead of working hard and working on new unique ideas, they are looking for easy money approach.Many people quitting porn business because very next day after they release the movie, it goes on share. even bigger production studios are not able to control, they should take some help from companies like removeyourcontent.com. Pornstars complain that creating content doesn't give any return these days and webcam is more proftable, they forget if they keep on shooting same hardcore clips what 1000's of other production studios are shooting why people are going to buy it? Its too much of porn available for free , to get the money out of pocket of someone they need to create a product which is unique and can gain attraction all across the world. more sales channels always help and for Internet business paypal transactions are the key. paypal doesn't support clips download but they can sell DVD's. Easy things many people can do, tough people and fighters pickup things which are difficult to do :), mainstream movie industry managed to put up a fight with piracy but porn industry giving up and result we will see many pornstar quitting the porn business soon :).many of them ready to shoot a custom video for you even for 100-200 USD :), so you can imagine what kind of situation most of the pornstars are in today.
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RemyGetsMeWet Deactivated User
Freedom Of Speech Isn't A Punchline 300 Posts 6/12
Posted - Jun 17 2012 : 3:32PM
^wall of incoherent WTF??? Edited by - RemyGetsMeWet on 6/17/2012 3:33:51 PM
This is all speculation... Jenna is a no-brainer. I would think Tera made some good money during her porn era. She had her own company probably made lots for appearances and stripping. I would think Jesse makes more than Tera did because she had a longer stretch in the business with appearances, stripping and merchandise. She doesn't own her own movie line like Tera but her movies for DP typically sell better than Tera's probably did. So it would all depend on her contract deal. If Ron Jeremy has made 7 million it isn't from porn. Ron's peak in porn was during a time when male performers didn't make that much. To my knowledge Ron never had his own company like John Leslie, Joey Silvera, Tom Byron or any of the guys with long careers have had. All those bit parts in "C" and "D" level movies probably paid close to nothing. Isn't Ron's whole claim to fame is he's the homely guy that made porn and had sex with women out of his league and other homely guys made him their porn hero? There's no money in that. As far as what other pornstars make it's hard to say. Some only do porn, some do lots of porn, strip, do appearances, escort, have their own site, and have merchandise. Depending on the girl stripping and excorting pay lots more than making porn. If they have vibrators or blow-up dolls or fleshlights or whatever and they sell well that might make them big bucks...but it's hard to say. I think if a girl works hard and wisely they could do very well with a porn based career.
Keeping an eye on the intersection of Pop Culture Blvd. & Porn Culture Ave. 151 Posts 7/11
Posted - Jun 17 2012 : 5:47PM
It takes a lot of money for someone in their sixties to retire to a high standard of living. It takes even more money to do so in your late twenties or early thirties. A top adult performer has probably gotten used to a certain standard of living and unless they want to live at a much lower standard, which some may have no problem with, they need at least some post-porn income. This could be from a mainstream job, setting up their own business, escort work or maybe they marry a well off husband/wife. The marriage route might often lead to a nice divorce settlement as well, especially in a community property state like California. Bree Olson is the retired performer I am most familiar with and she has claimed to have retired from porn a millionaire. How much over a million is less clear but she does have a reputation for being frugal with the dollar. She said one of the reasons she stopped shooting porn was that the economic upside was limited. She says she was offered a boost in her rates after leaving Charlie Sheen but that would have been short term and as soon as the novelty wore off she would be back to normal rates. Normal for a top tier star is better than the average performer gets but it is still not that high and the pressures on the industry are lowering it. Plus there are fewer scenes available in general. One of the reasons Bree is still doing some feature dancing, beside being an exhibitionist, is that doing one feature dance gig a month can basically cover her expenses. Which means she does not have to spend any of the nest-egg she built up shooting porn waiting for mainstream work.
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Blomkvist Deactivated User
129 Posts 12/11
Posted - Jun 17 2012 : 6:04PM
For tax purposes, nobody who's actually made a lot of money in porn is going to give you a straight answer.
that's a shitload more than I and most people in the US make. According to CNN and the IRS as late as 2008 average American income was only $33000. Granted pornstars wouldn't retire on that amount you listed above - so I guess I agree with the basic gist of your statement, but that would be plenty to sock some away in investments if they were wise with the money. Granted that is 250K in California, not Texas, so YMMV
So if 33.000 is what you need per year, a million only keeps you going for 30 years, not enough to retire when you're 30. People think that a million is a lot, but if you work 40 years at that 33k, you make 1.3 million, add some more for your pension. Sure, there are ways to make money investing, but there are also lots of ways to lose money that way. You need some serious money to retire early. Jacco
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Rosco Fuji Deactivated User
On the licking stick, Mr. Magic Dick! 3309 Posts 2/09
Posted - Jun 17 2012 : 10:50PM
+1
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Rosco Fuji Deactivated User
On the licking stick, Mr. Magic Dick! 3309 Posts 2/09
Posted - Jun 17 2012 : 11:03PM
Oh please! In order for that to be true she would have had to gross at least $3 Mil at the very minimum and probably more like $4-5. That'd mean she'd have to have a rate of about $15K per scene. Yeah, she's was a star but I doubt she got paid that much. And she can't be that frugal as she drives a Lexus.
Keeping an eye on the intersection of Pop Culture Blvd. & Porn Culture Ave. 151 Posts 7/11
Posted - Jun 18 2012 : 12:22AM
^^ She has claimed to be a millionaire in interviews but obviously I have not seen an auditors report. But if Bree Olson has not managed to save some significant money these last seven years then no pornstar has. Your numbers seem based on earnings made from shooting scenes while the reality is that was probably a minority of her income stream. Feature dancing, appearance fees, endorsements, and other ancillary revenue is where any financially successful adult performer is generating most of their income.
Do the top Pornstars make enough to retire rich? That would depend upon where they want to retire to, wouldn't it? If they want to retire to New York, NY then the answer is, 'Not even close.' On the other hand, if their choice is Muskogee, Oklahoma then the answer might be different.
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Rosco Fuji Deactivated User
On the licking stick, Mr. Magic Dick! 3309 Posts 2/09
Posted - Jun 18 2012 : 1:19AM
You're splitting hairs, she'd still have to gross quite a the $4-5 mill. Your love of Bree is well known, but come on, be serious, endorsements? Outside of dildos and fleshlights and a few other misc items like that, she's not that big of a star.
You may be a lover but you ain't no dancer 556 Posts 1/12
Posted - Jun 18 2012 : 2:47AM
I don't know about everyone else, but I know Jenna Haze, and Jesse Jane are millionaires, I read that Jesse Jane is worth 8Mil and Jenna Haze is worth 4Mil.
Vanessa de rio retired and she lives in newyork,now doing webcam shows from her website.i guess she made alot of money,she was a performer and still cannot find any one close to her performances.wish she can do few more movies ....another performer who reminds me of Vanessa del rio is Deborah wells and I guess she is retired as well.i don't think any of the pornstars can make the kind of money what pornstars made till 80-90's.
Retiring rich, and retiring from the industry as a millionaire are two completely different things. We're talking about people who are in their thirties or even younger, and they might have a million or two in the bank to last for the next 30+ years. The industry just doesn't pay enough to make you rich as a performer. If they don't do anything else after they retire, they won't be millionaires for long, and nowhere near rich. I'm not sure how accurate this is, but if it's real, I'm surprised at how steep the net worth drops after the first few porn stars... The 20 Richest Porn Stars
Yeah, $1 million is really just a number... I'd imagine the lucrative stuff has nothing to do with porn, but the stuff on the side that porn appearances can promote - merchandise, modeling, other media appearances, stripping, escorting, etc
I'm curious as to how they came up with those numbers. Not saying they can't be true but some don't make sense. For example how could Tracy Lords have made 7 million? I'm sure at one point she had a book deal or two but were they worth that much? I seriously doubt she made a lot from porn or from the few mainstream "B" movies she made.
Like everything else it's not really how much you make, it's how much you keep. A ditch digger can retire semi-comfortably if he saves a lot of what he makes. Too many people in porn blow every dime they make, but that's also true of a lot of people working in so-called "straight" jobs. Life's a whole lot different if you make it and save it instead of making it and then pissing it away.
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Blomkvist Deactivated User
129 Posts 12/11
Posted - Jun 18 2012 : 12:05PM
On the one hand, I'm surprised he's being paid such a low rate. On the other hand, I've always thought he's lucky to even be in porn.
I felt the same way, but once I looked her up I was amazed at how many other projects she did. She actually did a lot of acting, and while they were mostly small roles, she was credited for all her parts. She even did some music, and even had a song "Control" reach #2 on the Billboard Dance Charts. I really don't know what all that stuff means financially, but I assume she was making more per mainstream role than the average pornstar gets for an adult scene, plus the book deal, which made the NY Times Best Seller List, and whatever her music career got her. It's also probably easier to keep your money when you're nowhere near the porn industry. The thing I always notice about many pornstars, at least from my perspective, is how it seems like they're always partying and going out with other performers. I'm sure it makes an adult career much easier to hang out with other pornstars all the time, but it must be a drain on the bank. When you're young, and almost/barely a millionaire, you probably already think you're rich. If you add a lot of partying, shopping, and traveling to that equation, it must be easy to go through a huge portion of that money.
^That song "Control" by Traci Lords goes back to 1995 (Radio Active Records). Anyone who's familiar with the theme music in the video game Mortal Kombat will probably have somewhat of an understanding as to how Traci's more than likely sittin' comfy (financially speaking).
People tell lies my friend. Some people like publicity. I don't like publicity. 674 Posts 5/11
Posted - Jun 18 2012 : 5:30PM
This about sums it up, well stated. Any performer who states they made a certain amount of money is subjecting themselves to fines and imprisonment if the IRS chooses to go after them. The IRS can easily check returns for any individual and if what they paid in taxes does not match what they claimed they earned they are in heaps of trouble. Loose lips, sink ships.
I don't understand this. Don't you get in trouble for not paying your taxes? It's not hard for the IRS to figure out how much money you're making. I'm assuming most big stars are handling their business properly. Why would they risk getting ridiculous fines and/or locked up?
pornography wasn't sex but fantasies of an impossibly hospitable world 12377 Posts 9/07
Posted - Jun 18 2012 : 5:55PM
The Ron Jeremy claims are absurd, if he made that much why would he be doing those dinky 'appearances' at strip clubs? The stories of most retired pornstars shows that they are far from rich. Those that do okay are those that have saved their money, but it's not enough to retire on.
People tell lies my friend. Some people like publicity. I don't like publicity. 674 Posts 5/11
Posted - Jun 18 2012 : 6:58PM
Not sure I am on the same page of thought as you. Yes, you easily can get into trouble for not paying the FULL Amount you owe in taxes. The Full Amount you owe is not ALWAYS a clear thing. The IRS can't necessarily tell what money you are making if your employer does not report it. In some instances, people get paid in cash. It is a gray area as to what your actual income is if you do not declare it as earned income. Technically, you are supposed to report any income you earn to the IRS. My point is.... any person who openly claims to have earned a specific amount of money is exposing themselves to the IRS. No one wants to be audited by the IRS or have to deal with the Feds if they are smart. Blomkvist is spot on right, for tax purposes you will not get a straight answer to what someone truly earned.
^I see what you're saying. I'm not sure why I misread your and Blomkvist comment the way I did. Somehow I was thinking it was talking about stars not paying any taxes.
I don't see how Ron Jermy could possibly have made 7 million dollars unless he got lucky in investments. Ron's one of the most well known pornstars but that doesn't translate into income. Porn guys are at a huge disadvatage compared to porn girls because they can't strip, can't really escort, and don't make many (if any) personal appearances.I think the vast majority of pornstars who "retire" only retire from porn and not from working at all. I'm pretty sure if you could track down most ex-pornstars they're still working in some capacity if they didn't marry into money.
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Rosco Fuji Deactivated User
On the licking stick, Mr. Magic Dick! 3309 Posts 2/09
Posted - Jun 18 2012 : 10:34PM
^Well, yeah. If a person actually reads accounts and interviews with porn stars away from the standard promo BS, you'll find the reality and it's not always pretty. Don't forget, it's a cash in cash out business. In the last year or so, there was a thread here from a former big name in porn, don't recall who, but it was a profile that ran in an LA paper and it was basically a "I made ton of money in porn and spent it just as fast." She had a Benz but once the quick cash dried up, she lost it and was driving an old beater of a truck she got from her parents. Look at the average girl's wardrobe when they do the "meet on the street" scenario and you'll see a $500 pair of glasses and a Louis Vitton purse. There's two scenes right there. Then look at the red carpet outfits at the AVN awards, between the girl and her date's outfit, that's 3 scenes right there. Mika Tan has been quoted as saying she wished she saved her cash instead of spending $1500 on outfits. Then there is the hair, the nails, the tanning salons, the tats, the implants, the occaisional abortion, etc etc. I can go on and on, but it's more of the same. Kacey Jordan claimed she got $30,000 for her romp with Charlie Sheen and immediately blew it all.
What? Even with our socialist government raping over 50% of those earnings, that still equates to 625K, from which you could buy a house, and invest in a 401K and... meh, you are right! That actually ISN'T enough to retire on!! Wow..
Well, I guess it all depends what you call "handsome". The reason Ron is as popular as he is was because he was a not so great looking guy who got to bang all those hot porn girls and for some strange reason many male fans of porn liked him because they felt if a guy like him could get those girls there's hope for them. I never understood that logic. But it makes no sense to me Ron is on that list unless he made some investments of some sort because even though in the early days Ron worked a lot he still hasn't worked as much or as long as a lot of other guys in porn who not only worked longer and more but went on to direct and have their own studio. Ron's well known for being cheap and spending as little as possible but from what I see he didn't really make the kind of money they're talking about (7 million) from porn.
People tell lies my friend. Some people like publicity. I don't like publicity. 674 Posts 5/11
Posted - Jun 19 2012 : 12:54PM
Maybe I don't remember correct, but in his prime, wasn't Ron Jeremy in shape, and considered very handsome?
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He entered the industry in decent shape back in 1979 but in the 90s, put on weight. If you do a Google Search under Images you can see him as early as his High School Days.
I don't think there has been one single porn performer that made enough to retire rich. The ones that made six figures and above made it by either selling their porn production company for huge amounts, being the owner of their own movies or have vaired interest in businesses that aren't porn related. We always say that Jenna Jameson and Tera Patrick are the two richest pron performers but no one ever mentions that they really made that money when they sold their production company. Are they both still millionaires today? I can't speak for Jenna but Tera is coming to Montreal to strip this month. I would think that a millionaire would have a lot better things to do then fly into canada to strip.
He entered the industry in decent shape back in 1979 but in the 90s, put on weight. If you do a Google Search under Images you can see him as early as his High School Days.
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Yeah Ron has been around for a long time. Can't think of another pornstar who has rode their fame as much or as long as he has. Dude has probably been invited to more events outside of the normal porn circuit then anyone, certainly any male performer. He has directed and produced before too, although I don't think that successfully. Having fame and being famous doesn't always translate into being wealthy though. He seems to do alright though. Pornstars have rarely gotten rich by performing on film alone. They don't get any royalties, and tend to get their profits offset by production costs while making their own films. I think the top directors/performers do tend to do well, but that can wane as the years go on. California isn't exactly known as a cheap place to live, and they do pay taxes now too, which I figure is a nightmare for newcomers who find themselves in 6 figure tax brackets most could never imagine. Sex aside, it hardly appears to be an easy lifestyle, and few are true lifers in it from what I can generally tell. Edited by - aplus on 6/19/2012 1:42:02 PM
Even with today's low interest rates, if you just stick it in the bank and leave it alone. My grandfather spent his life as a mechanic in a shoe factory. He never made a lot of money. But, when he retired at 65 in 1961, he & my grandmother lived what seemed to be a very comfortable life for some 26 more years.
^Truth there is a way to do it. if we're talking top performers making 6 figures for a few years, investing nearly all dollars earned is the only logical thing to do. the biggest advantage porn stars have is their age. most people will earn more than a porn star, but it will take them a whole career, so they'll never have a million dollars at one time to put to work for them. porn stars are in the unique postion invest 80% of their earnings while still surviving on the remaining 20%. if they can really maximize their savings, by time they retire at a young age, they could reasonably have enough money that, if invested right, could provide a lifetime of income. im not saying it's easy, but when you earn a load of money essentially at once (in terms of a life time, earning ~1.5mill in 5 years is almost "at once") there exists an optimal investment strategy where your pile of money will give you a steady, livable income for life without itself ever getting smaller.
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Rosco Fuji Deactivated User
On the licking stick, Mr. Magic Dick! 3309 Posts 2/09
Posted - Jun 19 2012 : 4:55PM
He entered the industry in decent shape back in 1979 but in the 90s, put on weight. If you do a Google Search under Images you can see him as early as his High School Days.
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He was also in Playgirl.
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Rosco Fuji Deactivated User
On the licking stick, Mr. Magic Dick! 3309 Posts 2/09
Posted - Jun 19 2012 : 5:04PM
2 things, don't forget it's been widely reported that Jenna was the "front" of the company, but the brains behind the operation was her hubby Jay Grdina. Secondly, according to mags like Fortune, Forbes, and Money, the majority of millionaires in this country are working millionaires. They drive late model mid range cars, have nice, but not extravagant houses, and live a modest life. And, even if Tara is a millionaire, it's only kicking off about $60,000 a year pretax. A nice little supliment, but hardly enought to go hog wild, thus she still dances.
Unless they escort and don't get sucked into living the lifestyle, then no. Most girls will not retire rich or even wealthy. That's why you'll see a lot of girls coming back. It's the only thing they know or are good at.
Theoretically simple but it seems very few people do it. It isn't at all surprising that pornstars don't save there money because lots of people don't. Forget about pornstars and think about all the movie stars, rockstars, athletes, and lottery winners who have made some serious money and still somehow end up broke.
Predatory Woman 3, The - review by Captain Jack
Posted - Jun 17 2012 : 5:01AM
