This Is How Porn Affects the Children of Adult Film Actors

If you’ve ever wondered what happens to porn actors as their career progresses, you’ve also probably wondered what it’s like when they choose to have children. How does porn, especially now that it’s all over the internet affect kids growing up in the shadow of their parents’ line of work? Most kids, it turns out, are quite normal.

It’s true that children are very resilient and while it may sometimes be worrying to wonder what would happen if they (or the kids at school) found out what their parents used to do for a living, being in porn isn’t as embarrassing or taboo as it used to be. In fact, I worry a little more about Liz Phair’s son being mocked for his mom’s awful song “Hot White Cum” than I do about Asia Carerra’s kids finding out about her career (although, you know, they’re probably more embarrassed by the colander on the head thing than porn anyway).

Uproxx has combed through the recent Reddit ask thread regarding the children of porn actors and has found that while some kids have been affected negatively, many, if not most, were actually pretty okay with the whole thing — especially, as I learned, if the “porn gene” is passed on from generation to generation.

My dad was a porn star in the 70s.

His genes must run strong, because I have a huge dick, a hairy chest and a sweet mustache. Thanks, dad!

Some kids aren’t just well-adjusted, they’re doing phenomenally well:

There’s a girl at my school and her mom is a adult movie star. I don’t know if it has affected in anyway, she seems pretty normal. Now the mom is running a yoga studio and the daughter is the youngest yoga instructor in the world.

But some will never be able to watch porn ever again:

I have a hard time watching porn, because every once in a while my Dad will pop up. Imagine that, it is pretty weird.

As someone who has had conversations with his parents about their sex lives (they’re getting divorced, lots of shit came out, thanks Jezebel for helping me pay for therapy) I agree with Uproxx’s Andrew Husband when he says that he’s glad that his parents kept things “under wraps” tape-wise. Imagine how horrifying a conversation with your mom about her thoughts on oral sex are…now imagine accidentally seeing one of your parents have sex when you’re trying to have an orgasm. Thank god my parents haven’t ruined porn for me. (Things they have ruined for me: Life, love, and the pursuit of happiness.)

Speaking of parents, one performer wrote up what happened when his kids found out about his career:

So as a parent who has done porn (ex wife and I were both performers and later ran a smallish production company) I can tell you how the reacted.

My oldest child found out when she was 23 or so. She refused to speak to us because she was disgusted. We reconciled when she was 25 and in very deep trouble and came to us asking for help (abusive BF).

My second child, son, also found out but when he was 17. He’s super mellow and was like “Eh…” He found out by breaking into a locked file cabinet that had some artwork featuring his step mom. He got into trouble for the invasion of privacy, and we told him in no uncertain terms that it was doubly inappropriate on top of that and to stay out.

Child three, my ex and my natural child is 16YO girl. We retired the business when she was about 8 and as far as we know she has no idea.

My fourth child by my current wife is 10 months old and is not allowed to use the internet until I’m dead.

TL;DR My two oldest kids from a previous marriage found out their step mom and I did porn. One cared, one did not.

One kid had to (allegedly) leave school after inviting some friends over to watch some VHSes while his parents were out:

I guess theyre all thoroughly enjoying themselves watching this chick from behind. Then the camera pans to the front and they get a square view of the woman’s face. It’s the kid’s mom.

He never lived it down. Not only was his mom in porn, but he’d been spanking the monkey to her. People would see him walking between classes and yell the name of the actor who was in the scene with her (I don’t remember the name now. Mike something, I think.)

When he made the football team someone put up still frames of his mom in other films in the locker room.

But one kid has a pretty good story to tell:

I did find out Ron Jeremy had sex in my kitchen. So there’s that.

Young Ron Jeremy or Old Ron Jeremy? Because I would never use the utensils again if it was the latter.

The lesson here, it appears, is that porn like any other career that your parents may have can be a source of incredible embarrassment or not matter at all. It’s probably also down to the parents and how they handle it. Although I wouldn’t suggest they handle it like my dad, who is a wastewater engineer did. Once, when my brother came home and was upset about being teased by the other kids, my dad told him “hey man, they’re nothing without us! Tell them to think of our family every time they look in the toilet! Tell them to think of me.”

That didn’t go well.

Image via Media Rights Capital