The Hard Thing About Being a Male Porn Star

It's a tough job, but someone's got to do it

A porn set in Canoga Park, CA. Photo credit: Susannah Breslin

In 2012, I wrote for Forbes.com what is probably the most-read post I’ll ever write for that site: “The Hardest Thing About Being a Male Porn Star.” I can no longer see the lifetime stats for the post, but it was one of the most popular posts in the year it was published, with nearly 300K views, and the last time I recall seeing the total numbers it was close to 2M views. Two of the men I interviewed have since died: Brandon Iron and Dave Cummings. Speaking of male porn stars, on March 6, a new dramatic series, “Supersex,” based on the life of Rocco Siffredi, who is one of the most famous male porn stars in the world, premieres on Netflix. (Watch the trailer for “Supersex.”) For a more reality-based take on what it’s like to be a male porn star, I recommend the 2016 French documentary “Rocco.” (Watch the trailer for “Rocco”.) According to the movie, being a male porn star is not an easy job; in fact, it is a hard life. As Brandon Iron, one of the male porn stars I interviewed for my Forbes.com story, and who died in 2019, explained to me: “The hardest thing about being a male porn star is convincing your female co-workers that you are an interesting, well-rounded, fun guy who they might consider dating in a parallel universe after a few drinks.” No easy task, I’m sure.

Buy My Book I About | Blog I Newsletter I X I Instagram I LinkedIn I Hire Me I Email