RIPPED OFF
Ex-porn star Mia Khalifa ‘didn’t make money off infamous hijab adult film scene that sparked ISIS threats for years’
FORMER porn star Mia Khalifa says she "didn't make any money" off the infamous hijab sex scene that prompted ISIS to send her terrifying death threats.
The 28-year-old has opened up about her brief but turbulent career in the adult entertainment industry, which she exited after just three months in 2015 because of the threats from the terrorist caliphate.
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Speaking on the latest episode of the Call Her Daddy podcast, Khalifa described her 90-day stint in the porn industry as the "worst time" of her life.
, who was raised Catholic, went viral back in 2015 after she filmed a sex scene while wearing a hijab.
Though she rarely talks about the infamous clip, Khalifia, who was 21 at the time, previously revealed that the was told to wear the religious garment by the producers of the film and she "didn't realize she could say no".
Within weeks of its release, Khalifa was inundated with messages of abuse online from members of the Islamic State.
ISIS shared a manipulated image of her, showing her about to be beheaded by an ISIS executioner, with a message warning she's going to Hell.
The terror group also hacked her Instagram and posted jihadi propaganda on her feed before the social media giant shut down her account.
The address and a photo of her apartment were also widely shared online.
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Revisiting that time of her life in the Call Her Daddy interview, Khalifa explained she was "disassociating" at the time she received the threats and was in the habit of just "pretending things like that didn't happen."
Host Alexandra Cooper asked Khalifa to describe "who that girl was" at the time the video went viral, and subsequently provoked outrage.
'To have the most isolating feeling, you're alone, you have people sending you death threats and your family at the time not supporting you, how did you get here today? A lot of people wouldn't have been able to get through that,' Cooper asked.
Khalifa responded: "So, I don't know where I was because that is around the time I started disassociating and just compartmentalising and pretending like things never happened to the point where I didn't talk about porn for the first like three years after, I just went quiet and never spoke about it.
"Every time I did an interview that was the one thing they were not allowed to ask me about, I refused to acknowledge that I did it and it wasn't until therapy that I realised how detrimental that is."
After undergoing therapy, Khalifa said she realized she couldn't keep "scooching things under the rug" and realized she needed to address what happened to her "head on".
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"It's that feeling of 'I don't want to talk about it because I don't want to bring attention to it', but I need to talk about it because I need to explain myself because everyone is misinterpreting the whole thing," she said.
"It's that catch-22 of not wanting to bring it up but needing to bring it up because it's the elephant in the room everywhere you go."
Cooper asked the ex-performer what the months that followed were like for her as a young woman, to which she respond it was the "worst time" of her life.
To make matters worse, Khalifa said the clip - which went on to be viewed millions of times and cement her as one of PornHub's most popular performers - made her almost no money.
She said she was living in a "cockroach infested" apartment at the time, describing it as "disgusting ... so, so bad."
"Because I had two million followers on Instagram, everyone thought I was living it up - and that wasn't the case," she said.
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Khalifa said she was working as a paralegal for a law firm at the time, and later became a book keeper for a construction firm.
Both jobs she said she eventually had to leave because everyone knew who she was, which often made it "uncomfortable" for her to work.
Pressed on the matter further, Khalifa responded: "I just realized I feel uncomfotable everywhere I go.
"I can't be sent out into the field and they have to be careful about who they let in the office because some subcontractors are creepy.
"I just started to feel like a burden to the person who was taking a chance on me and giving me a job," she said.
Khalifa quit social media for more than a year after the online abuse she suffered in the hijab video's wake.
Just two weeks before she quit the porn industry, she had signed a lucrative long-term contract with adult production firm WGCZ Holdings, but she had a change of heart and walked away from the deal.
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After a year-long hiatus, Khalifa returned to Instagram in 2016 after relocating to Austin, Texas, in search of a fresh start.
Now, Khalifa is a sports presenter, live-streamer and cam girl. She got engaged to Swedish chef Robert Sandberg in 2019
She also runs ant, proceeds from which she donated to charity last year to the tune of $160,000.
Earlier this year, Khalifa revealed her time in the porn industry will haunt her until she dies.
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On starting her OnlyFans account, she said at the time: ";I am finally growing into my self-confidence in who I am and the decisions I make for me.
"This is my way of being myself outside the perimeters of conventional social media.
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"Even though I will not be creating nude content, I am going to be treating this page like my Instagram without terms of service lol.
"I want to take my power back and just post what I want and what makes me feel good, and I'm just so thankful that y'all are along for this wild ride."
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