This Is How Much Money Porn Stars Actually Make

We are all out here trying to make money. But how much are porn stars bagging?

February 15, 2017

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Complex Original

Frustratingly, we still reside in a society in which the accumulation of money is a purported requirement of fulfilling one's basic needs. Need a place to live? That'll take some money. Need to kickstart your post-Valentine's weed-and-booze diet? That'll take money too. Thus, we toil away in arbitrary careers to keep the money accumulation rolling. But adult film stars actually have a cool job, right?

So what are they bringing in?

Derek Hay, founder of LA Direct Models, spoke with the Independent Tuesday to shed some light on this financial inquiry. "For the right girl, for whatever reason which could vary, to do acts like their first anal scene, first interracial scene, first scene with three, four or five guys, those scenes could pay premium rates," Hay, who was once a star of adult film himself, said. "A company's studios would offer a particular girl a much higher rate to induce her to accept the offer to shoot that kind of scene."

According to Hay, a woman performer can expect to bag around $1,000 for a basic scene with a man. For a scene with another woman, that rate drops slightly to "around $700-800." These rates, Hay added, could fluctuate by as much as 20 percent for certain performers. Hay said the so-called "premium rate" stands at an estimated $2,000 to $6,000 for performer firsts such as anal, with the rare exception occasionally exceeding that range.

Though Hay said it's "universally known" that women performers get paid "a lot more" than men, stars' annual hauls can vary greatly due to agency and other factors. "I don't think that adult stars make as much money as the general public perceives them to make," Hay told the Independent. "I don't think there's anybody, even the biggest stars, who are making more than half a million a year, but if some of the top stars are making $300,000-400,000 per year, by most people's perception that would still be a lot of money I think."

Yes, Derek Hay. That is a lot of money.