Once upon a time, Mia Khalifa was the hottest name in the adult film industry. The porn star's videos were in high demand and she grew a devoted fan following through her acts. But things changed soon after the 25-year-old received death threats from ISIS, forcing her to quit the industry.
Talking to Lance Armstrong on his podcast The Forward, the Lebanese-American confessed that doing porn was a "huge mistake" and recalled her exit from the industry.
"It all started to spiral out of control when the death threats from ISIS started coming in. That's when I stepped away. As soon as I started to gain popularity that's when I was like 'get the f*** out of this," she said.
"This was not what I was trying to do whatsoever. I just wanted to let loose and rebel a little bit. It didn't validate me. Nothing like that ever does," she added.
She went on to speak about her first experience shooting a porn movie and when she decided to dive into the porn industry. Following her exit, Mia also said that she is trying to rebrand herself.
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Mia became a renowned name in the porn world after she became the top-ranked performer on the adult site PornHub. The history graduate, who moved from Beirut, Lebanon, drew massive criticism from the Middle East for her videos. Countries branded her a disgrace. ISIS sent forward death threats.
Many explicit visuals from her videos got people protesting. But there was one particular video, featuring the porn star performing her act wearing a hijab that caused an uproar. Speaking to Washington Post in 2015, Mia said, "There are Hollywood movies that depict Muslims in a much worse manner than any scene Bang Bros [the company behind the video] could produce."
