Khalifa reflects on how a controversial pornographic video catapulted her to fame and changed her life forever.
Mia Khalifa has spoken candidly about the moment she understood that her life would never return to “normal” after a controversial adult video made her an overnight sensation.
Now 31 years old, Khalifa became infamous in the adult industry after starring in a film where she performed explicit acts while wearing a hijab.
This controversial choice not only gained her significant attention but also sparked intense backlash and threats.
Khalifa, originally from Lebanon, shared that she received death threats, and extremist groups like ISIS even manipulated images of her, depicting violent scenarios.
These moments marked the beginning of her notoriety and the challenges that came with it.
The video that launched her into stardom divided public opinion, but it also made Khalifa one of the most recognized names in the adult entertainment world.
She quickly became the most searched star on PornHub, cementing her place as a major figure in the industry.
Despite her fame, Khalifa’s time in the industry was short-lived. She appeared in only a handful of films and left the adult world within three months of her debut in 2014.
However, her presence continued to dominate searches, with her name being the most searched in both 2016 and 2018, long after she had retired.
Fast-forward to 2024, and Khalifa has reinvented herself. Now thriving on platforms like OnlyFans, she earns an estimated $6.2 million monthly, proving her ability to pivot and find success in new ventures.
Khalifa recently opened up about the difficulties she faced during this transition in an interview with The New York Times.
She described the exact moment she realized she could never live a typical life again, reflecting on how fame altered every aspect of her daily existence.
The realization wasn’t a pleasant one, and she shared that it left a lasting impact on her sense of identity and normalcy.
Mia Khalifa has been open about her experience in porn TikTok/@officiallouistheroux
“I was working at a law office. Anyone who would come in, there would be whispers in the waiting room,” Khalifa explained, recalling the uncomfortable dynamic at her workplace.
She added: “I started to feel like a distraction — and uncomfortable. That’s when I realised, this isn’t going to change. This isn’t going to get better.”
She also noted that her relationships with coworkers shifted dramatically. Female colleagues began treating her differently, while male coworkers’ behavior made her feel like a “zoo animal.”
Khalifa elaborated on her discomfort, saying: “I don’t like the women that I work with looking at me a certain way, and I especially don’t like the men looking at me in a certain way because it’s like a zoo animal.”
She eventually decided to take control of her narrative and reinvent her public image, sharing: “So I reopened social media, and I decided to try to be an influencer and a public person if that was the fate that I had sealed for myself.”
Reflecting on the controversial film that propelled her to fame, Khalifa admitted she felt pressured into participating. She described the experience as exploitative, saying it capitalized on her identity as an Arabic-speaking woman.
Khalifa says she was looked at like a ‘zoo animal’ after going back to her day job Edward Berthelot / GC Images
Khalifa also reflected on the immediate fallout, saying: “Not long after, I would say maybe a couple hours after it premiered, the avalanche started. Every news outlet picked it up, and everybody had an opinion.”
She added, with a note of regret: “I was completely out of control of my image, my reputation. I feel like a lot of people have slutty phases when they’re 20, 21. Unfortunately, mine was in 4K.”
The experience profoundly affected her mental health, as she later revealed in an interview with Louis Theroux on his Spotify podcast. Khalifa opened up about the challenges of reconciling her past with her present.
She has made millions since quitting porn Instagram/@miakhalifa
Sharing more about her struggles, Khalifa admitted: “The reason I used to have a lot of trouble talking about it is because I was extremely clouded by shame,”
She continued: “I used to have a visceral reaction to even hearing the name Mia and knowing that if someone is calling me by that name, they are seeing me in a way that I don’t want to be seen in.”
She emphasized that her mental health journey wasn’t solely tied to her experiences in the adult industry, adding: “But that had a lot more to do with my mental health than it does about the bigger picture of things. I think that nine years of therapy is a lot and it’s not because of what I went through in the industry.”
