The term “raven-haired beauty” may be somewhat of a cliché, but every now and then, a star comes along who truly fits the bill. Performer and fetish creator Violet Voss is just such a presence.
\n \n“This year, I’ve already traveled out of the country, gone to two major award shows and bought a new house,” Alina Lopez tells XBIZ, offering a sigh of exhaustion. “And February’s not even over.”
\n \nUpon request, Dainty Wilder will enthusiastically perform explicit sex acts for her adoring fans during a livestream — but she does have certain limits.
\n \nJennifer White has reached the top of the mountain.\r\n\r\nNot only did the veteran performer’s recent showcase, “Hollywood Whore,” win Best Performer Showcase at the 2026 XMAs, but White herself scored the ultimate honor by being crowned Female Performer of the Year.
\n \nRicky Johnson is always in motion. Even as he takes time out of his busy shooting schedule to chat with XBIZ, there’s restless energy behind the calm. This makes it easy to envision a younger version of Johnson, back when he arrived on the adult scene with no connections — but a great deal of persistence.
\n \nIn an industry that sometimes moves at breakneck speed, Ameena Green is taking it slow.
\n \nThe Santa Ana winds are blowing as we drive through the gate of Tommy’s Funhouse, the legendary mountaintop porn house in Newbury Park, California. Inside, we find director Jim Powers in the middle of a typical shoot day.
\n \nWhen Falcon/NakedSword President and CEO Tim Valenti talks about his company’s early days, there’s no chest-thumping or victory-lapping — just a steady, grounded reflection on what it took to keep building, even as the business around him kept reinventing itself.
\n \nSid Knox is marking his 30th year in the industry. Asked what he enjoys most about his work, the prolific producer/director says it’s the process of creating something with like-minded people.
\n \nThe red braids are often what people notice first.
\n \nCherry Kiss was en route to Exxxotica New Jersey when she learned she had received her green card. Fittingly, she had just landed at an airport in New York — home to Ellis Island and the Statue of Liberty. After successfully navigating the naturalization process, which she describes as “hard work,” she felt grateful for the friends who helped her with all the paperwork, and has since been trying to pay it forward by helping other friends with their U.S. visa applications.
\n \nOn the first day of COVID lockdowns, Liz Jordan got temporarily laid off from her job at Pressed Juicery. While waiting to be called back to work, she decided to launch a casual side hustle.
\n \nJonni Darkko wakes up around 6:30 each morning, but it’s not just because he’s a busy entrepreneur. True, he has run his own production company for the past 20 years and maintains a hectic production schedule, directing for DarkkoTV.com and EvilAngel.com—but there’s also Lulu.
\n \n“Dating can be like a haunted house full of jump scares, where each moment has the potential to thrill or harm,” observes Ben Rush. “How do you know if you’re falling in love or falling into a trap? This movie shines a light on that trap — dressed in a jockstrap and leather harness and saying all the right, charming things.”
\n \nErika Lust has spent two decades defying assumptions about what porn can be. The Barcelona-based filmmaker and studio head has built a global reputation on a simple premise: that sex onscreen should feel human, ethical and emotionally resonant.
\n \nMatthew Meier is riding high. At the 2025 Euro XMAs, he not only took home a Best Sex Scene trophy for the second year in a row, but was also crowned Male Performer of the Year.
\n \n“I was literally crossing my fingers,” says Eve Sweet, recalling the moment just before her name echoed through the Theater Amsterdam and she walked onstage to be crowned 2025 Euro XMAs Female Performer of the Year. “I was thinking, ‘Please, I worked very hard for this.’”
\n \nDrake Von may be the internet’s favorite “twink” porn star, but even after winning multiple adult industry awards declaring him as such, he still seems bemused by the label.
\n \nFor Jason Luv, it all started with being in the right place at the right time. “Vixen Media Group was looking for new male talent,” he recalls. “They found me from a previous modeling shoot and reached out. That’s where my career began.”
\n \nOctavia Red makes no bones about her life before porn. “I was working a shitty little casino job, getting sexually harassed by toothless drug dealers,” she recalls. “And they don’t even tip!”
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