Lebanese Mia Khalifa is still considered one of the most famous actresses in the porn industry, even seven years after her official retirement. Khalifa had one of the shortest porn industry careers of all time, considering the wave she created when she joined and the popularity she gained in the few months she was filming.
The Lebanese Mia Khalifa joined the porn industry in 2014 and immediately raised to the top. She became the most-watched actress on various x-rated websites and even the most-searched porn actress on the biggest porn platform, Pornhub.
The Shockingly Small Amount That Mia Khalifa Has Earned Throughout Her Porn Career
One of the most controversial and popular moments in Mia Khalifa’s short career is the scene she filmed at the very beginning of her career where she had sex with a hijab on. The scene raised so many controversies that the actress even started receiving death threats from Islamic communities all around the world.
“ISIS didn’t scare me. It was jarring. But I wasn’t living in fear.” – she said of the threats. “It was more that I was living in shame.”
When we speak about Mia Khalifa and the fame and popularity she gained over that short period, you may think she made a ton of money. Nevertheless, she is still among the top porn actresses on Pornhub. However, things are not as they seem.
In a popular interview, the actress did in 2019, she revealed the shockingly low amount she took from her porn career. She filmed dozens of scenes and became extremely popular and whoever hired her for a scene had guaranteed success. However, she did not make anything from it. The porn industry giants reaped the benefits of her popularity.
Mia Khalifa earned only $12 000 from her porn career until the day she officially retired. At least that is what she claims to this day. In addition to this, her porn career gained her a feeling of shame when in public and a lot of stress.
“I think, most times, appearing in public triggers post-traumatic stress. Because of the stares I get, I feel like people can see through my clothes. And it brings me deep shame. It makes me feel like I lost all rights to my privacy. Which I did because I’m just a Google search away.” – Mia Khalifa confessed.
After the actress revealed that she is indeed not making any money from her videos that are widely spread on porn platforms, a lot of people came forward to criticize her for being naive or cheated.
“They never promised me ‘millions,’ nor do I expect it. I’m just clarifying common misconceptions about me, and in turn, about the industry.” – she responded to her critics on Twitter.
Ever since the young Lebanese retired, she is fighting to clear off the misconceptions surrounding the porn industry. She had numerous interviews and numerous appearances. She made various public statements, explaining what really happens behind the scenes of the porn set.
Mia Khalifa is born in Beirut. She immigrated to the United States in 2001, as an immigrant who was escaping the fierce violence in Lebanon. She arrived in the States just weeks before the infamous hijacked plane slammed into the Pentagon. As a result – classmates and other children started calling her names. Her darker skin and ‘Arabic’ accent made it easy for children to label her – a ‘terrorist’.
Mia Khalifa is a Catholic, however, her darker skin and accent made her ashamed of her Middle Eastern heritage. She enrolled in the military boarding institute in Virginia and improved her English. In addition, she went and graduated from the University of Texas at El Paso as a history major.
So while Mia Khalifa has already formed herself as a person, the next decision is the one that pivoted her life completely.
The young Lebanese decided to move to Miami. It’s not the move that affected her in any way, but the fact that people from the ‘modeling’ industry approached her and tricked her into getting involved with porn.
While walking the Miami streets, a complete stranger stopped her and asked her if she wants to start modeling. At first, Mia Khalifa says she felt strange, as she was overweight. However, the validation and the compliments she received from producers and the management at Bang Bros made her feel ‘sexy for the first time in her life’.
“I wanted to have a dirty secret and be rebellious.” – Mia Khalifa said. She refers to the time she started filming for Bank Bros. “I was feeling sexy for the first time in my life and I got the stare, and the, ‘Hey, aren’t you from … ’ questions.” – the actress said people recognize her on the streets of Miami.
However, after a short time in the industry, and after filming the hijab video, the actress retired. Ever since she is a completely different person. She married chef Robert Sandberg, and divorced him after 2 years, and became an internet personality. She is now a sports presenter, social media influencer, and a real model.
The Lebanese Mia Khalifa is very popular and has more than 57 million followers combined on all social media platforms. She had 4 million followers on Twitter, 28 million on TikTok, and more than 25 million on Instagram.
The former porn actress wants to make other young girls aware of what happens in the porn industry. She wants to make them think twice before making the decision to do what she did.