Mia Khalifa
#2 in our Top 50 Pornstars (Women) · Lebanese-American · active 2014–2015
Photo: Hey B*tch! Highlights · CC BY 3.0 · Wikimedia Commons
Mia Khalifa is the industry's biggest paradox: she filmed for only a few months across 2014–2015, yet became — and in raw name recognition arguably remains — the most famous adult performer on the planet. Born in Beirut and raised in the US, she shot to the top of the search charts almost overnight, with a notoriety spike in the Middle East that turned her into a global talking point far beyond the industry.
She has spent the years since building a mainstream career — sports commentary, modelling, brand deals and a large social-media business — while speaking openly and critically about how the industry treated her early work. Love her stance or not, no list of influential adult stars is complete without her.
Career highlights
- Most-searched performer in the world at her 2014–15 peak
- One of the most recognizable adult-industry names ever, despite a ~3-month filming career
- Reinvented herself as a sports-media personality, model and entrepreneur