Mia Khalifa Reveals Startling Truth Behind Adult Film Earnings—and the Hidden ‘Trap’ She Didn’t See Coming

Ever wondered what it’s like to become the world’s most searched woman—literally overnight—and then desperately wish you hadn’t? That’s the wild paradox at the heart of Mia Khalifa’s whirlwind stint in the adult film industry. One minute she’s an unknown, scouted in Miami, the next she’s not just topping Pornhub charts, but dodging international controversy and even receiving threats from ISIS. Can you imagine landing in the Internet hall of fame for something you only did for three months—and then realizing those three months would follow you like Wi-Fi for the rest of your life? I honestly can’t decide if that’s every marketer’s dream or nightmare . Yet somehow, amidst all that chaos, Khalifa spun her infamy into social media clout, OnlyFans millions, and even strutting actual runways. But let’s face it, success born from a “trap” isn’t as glamorous up close—and the long-term cost? Well, it’s way steeper than any viral headline. Ready to peek behind the clickbait curtain? LEARN MORE.

Mia Khalifa explained the ‘trap’ she fell into during her short-lived career in making porn.

The former Pornhub star ended up being the most searched person on the site on a number of occasions, despite only working in the industry in that way for a matter of months.

As her controversial first film made international headlines and led to her apparently receiving death threats from ISIS, Khalifa cleared up how much money she made from appearing in the content. Real name Sarah Joe Chamoun, the 32-year-old has since gone on to find huge success on OnlyFans, racking up millions of followers on social media. She even ended up walking fashion runways and launched her own jewellery line.

However, it has hardly been smooth sailing for Khalifa as she’s previously spoken about the long-term impact about her time in the adult industry.

Khalifa was scouted in Miami back in 2014 (Pascal Le Segretain/Getty Images)

Rise to fame

Khalifa previously told The New York Times (NYT), that she became ‘infamous by accident’ after entering the adult industry in October 2014.

And quickly, she said she was ‘pressured’ into doing what became her most famous video – performing explicit sex acts while wearing a hijab.

She said ‘every news outlet’ picked it up within hours and she was ‘completely out of control’ or her image and reputation.

Short-lived career and ‘trap’ she fell into

Despite remaining a highly ranked star on Pornhub in the years that followed, Khalifa only actually spent three months working in the porn industry before leaving in 2015.

During an interview with friend Megan Abbott, she called out companies that ‘prey on callow young women’.

“[The industry} traps women legally into contracts when they’re vulnerable,” she said.

Khalifa also added to NYT that her being Arabic and ability to speak Arabic was ‘exploited’ for the controversial video.

She has said she was ‘exploited’. (305pics/GC Images)

Earnings from adult career

Khalifa told Abbott that she made around $12,000 (£9,900 at time of interview) when she was performing for porn and ‘never saw a penny again after that’.

Plus during that 2019 interview, there was still an active website under her name which she said she wasn’t involved with and gained no profit from.

Eventually taking to OnlyFans in recent years, it was previously estimated that she was making $6.2 million (£4.6 million) a month from her posts.

Long-term impact

As well as the hate from online trolls, Khalifa has since opened up about people ‘grabbing’ her in public and her struggles in working a ‘normal’ job.

And while speaking to Louis Theroux for his podcast, the star said she had felt ‘clouded by shame’.

“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 said.

“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.”