Former adult star Mia Khalifa revealed how one 'weird' interview question made her realise she 'couldn't go back to normal life' after quitting pornography.
The influencer, whose real name is Sarah Joe Chamoun, became an overnight star in the world of adult movies after starring in her first film back in 2014.
A controversial entry to the world of porn, the Lebanese-American model wore a hijab in one scene while performing a sex act that saw her family disown her and the Islamic State even photoshop an image showing her being beheaded.
The 32-year-old now boasts tens of millions of followers on social media. But the here and now is a long way away from her life after entering the adult industry; something she quit after just a few months.
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Spending just three months in the industry, she tried to return to normal life after starring in a handful of movies.
But she hadn't realised just how famous she had become; something seen later on after she was the most searched adult star on Pornhub in 2016 and 2018, despite retiring in 2014.
After her Instagram got hacked in 2015, she didn't return to the platform and social media in general until 2016.
It was during this period after quitting porn that she tried to return to normal life before rejecting it and embracing the platform she had given herself.
"I knew at that point there is no turning back, everyone knows who I am," Khalifa told the Call Her Daddy podcast back in 2021 in a conversation with host Alexandra Cooper.
"I can't work anywhere. That's why I left the law firm job; it was very uncomfortable for me to work there."
Recalling her life at the time before she became a social media influencer, Khalifa recalled one interview where she was asked a 'weird' question by the people potentially giving her a job.
She said: "It's very weird to go in to a job interview thinking, 'oh I'm just going to go back to normal life' and have the interviewer ask you if you ever did porn."
Responding, Cooper asked Khalifa if she thought the question was asked because they knew who she was.
"Yes, they recognised me," the ex adult star said.
"I went to a couple interviews where some comments were made and then I finally got a job at a law firm and then I got a job working for a friend's company at a construction, firm and then I just realised, 'I feel uncomfortable wherever I go'.
"| can't be sent in to the field. They have to be careful about who they let in the office because some subcontractors are creepy. I started to feel like a burden on the person who was taking a chance on me and giving me a job."
Khalifa how boasts almost 40 million followers on TikTok, 26 million on Instagram, and six million on X (formerly Twitter).
Topics: Adult Industry, Celebrity, Entertainment, Mia Khalifa, PornHub, Social Media, US News, Viral
Tom Earnshaw