Tara Myers is hitting the news as the Missouri school teacher outed for her porn star past. With porn stars typically having a relatively short working life, what is a girl to do after her working life in front of the camera comes to an end? In some instances, porn stars see the light and decide the ‘industry’ is not for them, turning to religion in many cases, or simply deciding that now some money has been made they can do what they really wanted in the first place, become stay-at-home moms (or dads).
Without being judgmental, just what has happened to some of the porn industries stars and starlets?
10. Tara Myers
As Rikki Andersin and Tericka Dye, Myers performed in numerous porn films back in the Nineties. After her stint in the industry she made some life changes and settled down to become a schoolteacher and volleyball coach. The mother of four was struggling as a West Coast stripper when she was ‘lured’ into making porn films. A pupil at her school dug up her raunchy past and the resulting fallout is Myers has been fired from her school post despite passing all the mandatory background checks required.
The question here is whether Myers deserved to be fired for something she has clearly turned her back on a long time ago?
9. Pastor Melissa Scott
Pastor Melissa Scott looks too hot to be a preacher, but she leads a televangelical ministry in California she inherited from her husband, who died in 2005. As Barbie Bridges, Scott was a major porn star in the Eighties, though she has done as much as anyone can to rid the Internet of any evidence of her past. When her past was brought to light, some insisted on her resignation, but others maintain that Scott’s story is a demonstration of the power of faith and the redemption which is available.
Scott continues to head University Cathedral in Los Angeles and her sermons are best sellers on the Christian lists.
8. April Garris
April Garris is another porn actress who turned to God after a brief, six month stint in the porn industry in 2001. During that time she made around 20 films before her deteriorating mental state and drug dependence made her seek help. Today, Garris is an ordained chaplain with the Pink Cross Ministry which helps porn actors and actresses transition out of the industry. She is a vocal critic of the industry from both a religious and practical lifestyle perspective, citing the prevalence of drug and alcoholism together with lax healthcare protection standards, particularly in respect of HIV and other STDs.
7. Linda Boreman
Better known as Linda Lovelace, she starred in the iconic porn movie, Deep Throat. After Deep Throat in 1972, Boreman starred in only two more porn movies, both soft core flicks, though she also appeared in magazines such as Playboy. She attempted to transition to more mainstream films, but was heavily into drugs and was considered ‘difficult’ to work with. She finally straightened herself out, got married, had two children and lived fairly happily ever after until she was killed in a car wreck in Colorado in 2002.
6. Jessica Bennett
Better known as Asia Carrera, Bennett was born in NY to a German mother and a Japanese father. She ran away at age 17, landing in the porn industry where she became one of the biggest porn stars in the business. She married twice and had children after retiring to Utah. Her second husband was killed in a car accident in Las Vegas in 2006, but fortunately an insurance policy was in place and Carrera was able to maintain her retiree status (she was 8 months pregnant when her husband died). Carrera is a staunch supporter of atheism and has announced her alcoholism issue she believes was caused by the death of her husband. Additionally, Carrera has claimed that once her stock of porn merchandise has been exhausted she will completely retire to anonymity so her children may grow up without being affected by her past.
5. Stephanie Gregory
Stephanie Gregory has been a long time stalwart of the porn industry, and is a veteran of over 120 films where she is better known as Stormy Daniels. Gregory came to national prominence when she declared her candidacy for a Senate seat against Republican incumbent, David Vitter in 2009. Running as Stormy Daniels, she eventually withdrew from the campaign citing a car bomb attack on her publicist and lack of funds.
4. Janine Lindemuller
Lindemuller is a porn actress who wishes she wasn’t on the basis she is currently serving time in federal detention for tax evasion from her porn activities. More famous for being married to Jesse James before he was hitched to Sandra Bullock, Lindemuller lost custody of her daughter to James while she was incarcerated.
She appeared on the Howard Stern radio show where she denied engaging in sex in jail because she didn’t want to risk more time.
3. Louisa Tuck
Louisa Tuck was quietly working as a school lunch lady assistant for less than $6,000 a year in New Jersey. That is, she was until her porn past as Crystal Gunns was discovered and parents created havoc with the local school district. Tuck was fired by the local school district over objections from legal advisers who claimed there were no legal grounds to fire her. Supporters pointed out that Tuck had not been engaged in the industry for over 5 years, and as President Obama admitted to doing cocaine he also should be fired. Tuck retained her position at the local YMCA despite the hullaballoo.
2. Michael Verdugo
Verdugo appeared in a gay bondage movie in 1996, however the one-time actor (he claims it was ‘just one time’) subsequently built a career in law enforcement. As a Florida cop, Verdugo was used to putting the cuffs on until 2008 when he was placed on administrative leave. An investigating panel cleared him to continue holding his police certification, though his old police department was none too happy.
1. Shelley Lubben
Shelley Lubben is another porn star who found redemption in religion. In the porn industry Lubben used the stage name “Roxy” and was highly active in the industry, however after quitting porn she became a born again Christian dedicated to helping porn actors and actresses out of the industry.
Lubben has been vociferous in her public campaign to expose the porn industry for what it is: unglamorous, poorly regulated and extremely hazardous to the health and well-being of the people involved. Lubben is now an ordained Chaplain who focuses almost exclusively on the porn industry and sex workers through the Pink Cross Foundation she established with her husband, Garrett. The bottom line from Lubben is that porn may look glamorous, but the reality is far from it and exposes the seedy underbelly of the industry.
41 Comments
Unfortunately that’s the nature of the internet and electronic age we live in.
Nothing of your past is secret anymore. Like in the example above a student found a teacher’s past through some simple internet searches.
It’s bad enough what one did decades ago is liable to be found, people who do porn nowadays will never rid themselves of that ‘stigma.’ Unless they get some radical plastic surgery and identification ‘scrub’ I suppose.
Kind of sad in a way.
none of my teachers were sexy enough to be porn stars..although my 8th grade algebra teacher was a New Orleans Saints cheerleader..i passed her class with a 95…i don’t remember anything about algebra..lol….but good for these people who see there’s more to lfe than what they were doing..i question the one guy on the list having done one movie and be considered a porn “star”…more like a featured male…but his resume doesn’t stack up, no pun intended, to the ladies on this list.
No way a list such as this exists without Erica Rose Campbell on it. And probably top-3.
Erica was a glamor model not a porn star, so for this list she didn’t qualify…good for her.
What about Julia Chanel (back in the 90’s she was very popular in adult movies nowadays trying to raise a singer carreer) and Christine Young (also popular in the 90’s now hidding somewhere in Africa helping the poor children)?
If you check the Internet Adult Film Database (iafd), look at porn star Channone. If that’s not Pastor Scott, then she’s got a doppleganger some place…
In regard to No. 9, I would trust and respect a pornstar over a televangelist any day of the week.
The first one at the very top was a surprise to me. I see her on tv regularly teaching the Word here in Florida.
good to see all of them now working for the society!
Jessica Bennett (Asia Carrera) was described here as “one of the biggest porn stars in the business”. With that in mind, I firmly that it will take an extremely long time for her to gain the anonymity she desires. Also, in this day and age of free flowing information, isn’t it safe to say that it would only be a matter of time before her children learn the truth about her past?
Especially if they ever google their mother’s real name and find an article titled, “Top 10 Reformed Porn Stars.”
I think any long-term anonymity is virtually impossible under any circumstances – Google mom’s name will lead them to Wikipedia before they come here. Hopefully memories will fade by the time her kids reach inquisitive teen status, however I doubt it, and that’s the harsh lesson of Tara Myers.
No Bodyrock.tv ?? She was formerly Susana Spears.
How is Chrissy Moran not on this list?
well this article seems very fair, unbiased and neutral in tone….
HAHAHA are you kidding me! Karl youve got to do a bit more research mate. Shelly lubben was a drug addicted prostitute for five years before she got into the porn industry. Which by the way, she was only in for around 6 months. She has also been proven to be a (massive) liar and is suspected of skimming huge amounts off the top of her so called charity.
I agree. I’ve read enough about her to know her stories don’t add up. She’s also been caught on tape recently drunk & acting a fool.
Dazza-
What an insightful comment mate.
To quote you – “she has been proven to be a (massive) liar” – I made no reference to her credibility, though I suspect yours a great deal.
“…she is suspected of skimming huge amounts off the top of her so called charity.” – again by you I presume.
Glad this piece piqued your interest, but frankly, people like you make me feel like vomiting – though I don’t think you’re worth the effort.
Final quote for you, “HAHAHA”
Karl
Actually, pretty everything she claims happened to her is a lie. Ask her family. Ask the porn girls she “helped” by lying to them and publishing statements “by them” that they disavowed and declared to be complete fabrications. And then there is that video of her telling a “Christian” audience about her staff that she points at Washington to make God do her bidding . . . . Witchcraft in the “Church” , ah well that’s an old story in itself.
Shelly is a true nut job who ran away from home because she could no longer get her way and couldn’t be the center of everyone’s universe any longer. By her own admission, she became a drug-addicted prostitute who had multiple diseases and pregnancies before she made her TWO porn movies. Apparently, she was so bad off that the porn people wouldn’t get near her.
Wow. Really interesting life stories. Too bad for the school teacher being fired.
What about Sylvester Stallone?
I agree with shyarra, you forgot to mention Sylvester Stallone, probably the most notable.
I have to agree with you – Sly was a glaring omission – The Italian Stallion as I recall – pre-First Blood days – I guess I’ve been called out 😉
Tracy Lords is a notable omission too.
Really interesting life stories. Too bad for the school teacher being fired.
Dude, this article is rubbish. Jessica Bennette aka Asia Carrera did not “run away” at 17, she won a full academic scholarship to Rutgers University, where she double-majored in Business and Japanese. Great job fact checking guys.
It’s like that all over. The people left out. The false “facts” in so many cases. It is what is – click bait hacks in twenty minutes or less. Now, that’s something the internet “journalists” know about.
http://www.asiacarrera.com/faqs2.html#5
From Ms Bennette’s FAQ section of her website – smart she may be, but I do my fact-checking [seriously].
Otherwise, nice comment Paul….apart from your fact-checking of course 🙂
Karl, you’ve been called out several times in this article… Was all it took to get you apologetic and smiley facing was a couple minutes on a new window ?
Is it me or are there a disproportionate number of Germanic women in the porn industry?
Wot ? No Sasha Grey ?
Sasha left the industry last May and this was originally posted in March – she wasn’t reformed at the time of writing, but good to see her in the mainstream and constructive.
a bunch of porn film retiree’s, whose new careers made there past undesirable.
All i see are a list of hypocrites.
One should never do something one is not proud of,
nor should anyone be ashamed of what they did to survive.
Has X Box 360 made a Kinect virtual game about Sasha Grey ? 🙂
Good list, Karl. I see you skipped the famous cases that we’d all know anyway, but I have to ask if you considered Charlotte Rampling or Traci Lords for this list. Both crossed over to mainstream movies, and I suspect a lot of young people seeing their movies today have no idea of their past or how much furor it caused when they first appeared in non-porn films.
I see a lot of people are presenting alternate histories for some of the people you mentioned. I hope these people are checking their own facts very carefully. I was recently called a liar for saying a certain male country singer grew up wealthy in Louisiana. My opponent’s source was the singer’s own comments on an album cover. My source was the woman who grew up just down the street from where the singer lived as a child.
I would not call Janine reformed. She still is involved in the industry, has been in & out of trouble & married a felon.
Erica Rose Campbell real name is Lena Martin, born Lena Paille. Source is court documents in NH- http://www.courts.state.nh.us/supreme/ebriefs/2009/20090110_Defendantsbrief.pdf
Erica Campbell is Lena Martin. She lives in St. Louis MO and works at ATT. She just graduated from Nursing school in Dec 2014. Started her Facebook in Sept 2014.
https://www.linkedin.com/profile/view?id=214209336&authType=NAME_SEARCH&authToken=cFT_&locale=en_US&srchid=2986794101421105729672&srchindex=1&srchtotal=1&trk=vsrp_people_res_name&trkInfo=VSRPsearchId%3A2986794101421105729672%2CVSRPtargetId%3A214209336%2CVSRPcmpt%3Aprimary
https://www.facebook.com/themartinfamily2006
She quit b/c of god? I dont think so. She lied. Records show that she quit 2 weeks after a court case in NH that involved her niece getting sexually assulted and the guys defence was that Lena Martin helped “educate” her….
She didnt quit b/c of god. She abandoned her fans over personal reasons. tell the truth.
I am glad to see that I am not the only person (Steve Thomas, Ryan) who did research on the former Erica Rose Campbell, now goes by her real name Lena Paille Martin. That is how I found out her real name too, through the document on line about the case on her niece being molested by her sisters (Michelle) then live in boyfriend. The way I understood it was the boyfriend was trying to blame it on Erica (oops I am sorry Lena) by saying she was in the porn industry and Michelle’s daughter got all the molestation stories from watching her aunt’s porno’s; even though Lena only did girl/girl porn no guy/girl porn.
On Lena’s facebook page she does have a quote from a bible verse so the finding God becoming a Christian thing may be real.
Also on her facebook page, she says she lives in NH not Missouri. There was a conversation between her and someone else that is making me say that. She could be fibbing. She was good at fibbing when she was a porn chick. I only met her once in person. I am probably the only person on this planet who was a fan who was very disappointed in her when I met her. You can accuse me of holding a grudge, being a disgruntled fan, having a score to settle kind of guy and it may be true, but that does not change what I have found out about her.
One more thing I would like to add, there was a rumor that Lena was thinking of quitting the porn business as early as 2006. I think the issue with her niece may have been the straw that broke the camels back, tipped her over the edge to get out.
Anyway, I do feel validated by your comments Ryan and Steve Thomas as well. so thank you. That’s all I wanted to say.
Pornstar’s who fib? Oh, my . . . .
There was a whole bunch of comments here before and now they are gone. That totally sucks. UGH!
Some top listed porn stars-
Tori Black
Lisa Ann
Alexis Texas
Sara Jay
Nikki Benz
Kayden Cross
Lexi Belle
Sunny Leone
Jesse Jann
Samantha Saint
Kelly Divine
Stoya
Tasha Reign
Dakota Skye