THE BONE YARD

Adult film stars after porn: did they have happy endings?

Antonio Moreno, aka adult film star Hector De Silva, wears a grey suit and unties a bowtie around his neck.
Image Credit: Instagram, @hectordsilvaoficial

Is there life for adult film stars after porn? We found ourselves asking this question after legendary Héctor de Silva hung up his jock. His new gig? The retired adult film star is running for mayor in a quaint town in Spain! Talk about a costume change!

But what about the rest of the adult film world? Do they all find glamorous new careers after they’ve retired? Or is it a bit more of a mixed bag?

Let’s peel back the covers and take a peek at what happens to adult film stars when the cameras stop rolling.

Joshua Broome

He prayed the gay away, folks! Just kidding, he just stopped being gay-for-pay. After a short-lived career under the moniker Rocco Reed (NSFW), now-pastor Joshua Broome leans into his past and preaches the good word to his followers on Instagram and his church in Dallas. While we don’t love the career change, we do love a guy who can make fun of himself.

Colton Ford

Documented in the 2005 indie Naked Fame, big bear Colton Ford made a sort of successful transition from porn to pop star. Forsaking more Grabby Awards (he won for best group sex scene in 2002), Ford went on to cover Stevie Wonder’s “Signed, Sealed, Delivered” with a dance mix that went to No. 9 on Billboard’s Hot Dance Club Play chart. You danced to it at Mickey’s that one time.

Simon Rex

Adult film stars after porn: Simon Rex attends the 2021 Gotham Awards at Cipriani Wall Street on November 29, 2021 in New York City.

There were just those couple of solo vids in the early ’90s and the guy isn’t even gay. Still, that scene around the pool still has us panting for Young, Hard and Solo Simon Rex (NSFW). Revelation of his previous on-camera work got Rex famously dumped as an MTV VJ, but he picked up some acting credits on the WB and minor success with alter ego Dirt Nasty. That’s if you call showing up in character as a foul-mouthed rapper on Paris Hilton’s reality show success. And since Simon is still an oiled-up 19 year-old in our mind’s eye, we do.

Markie More 


Markie More, the man who once sizzled screens in the world of adult entertainment with Next Door Studios, took an unexpected detour from his titillating career back in 2019. But why, you might ask? Well, hold onto your lube, because this is where the plot thickens. More decided to swap out his steamy scenes for a brand-new gig as an activist. He joined the ranks of some unlikely crusaders: the Mormon-backed anti-porn warriors of Fight the New Drug. Gross, hope they like being back linked to some porn-friendly queerdos!

Tag Eriksson

This Swedish hunk, real name Fredrik Elkund, was some kind of business genius back in Stockholm before jumping into porn titles like The Hole (a NSFW The Ring parody) and Training Camp II. But it was his reverse career change that piqued the Times’ interest for a Fashion & Style section cover story. Elkund is now a real estate wunderkind, out about his porn past, and broker-to-the-stars like Daniel Craig and Cameron Diaz. Bravo enlisted him on Million Dollar Listings NY, where Andy Cohen is presently perfecting his Swedish meatballs recipe.

Collin O’Neal

Collin O’Neal as an iReporter for CNN

The star of Mo’ Bubble Butt and Humping Iron traded in his porn card for a substitute teaching certificate at Miami Beach High in 2010. But, like Kevin Hogan below, was revealed and then revoked, by the Florida Department of Education. Happy ending, however, for O’Neal aka Shawn Loftis. After the ACLU turned him down (“Your case would be stronger if your job did not involve supervising children”), he was reinstated by the Florida Education Practices Commission and has gone on to become a popular weather iReporter for CNN, of all things. That POV work must have come in handy.

Harlow Cuadra and Joseph Kerekes

Source: Snapped: Killer Couples on Oxygen

In 2007 we told you about this pair of on-screen and real-life lovers who left the industry for a career behind bars. Cuadra and Kerekes were found guilty in the murder of Cobra Video founder Bryan Kocis and are both are serving out life sentences. We hope together, with a camera crew, because we’d pay to be a fly on their cell walls.

Kurt Wild

Gay-for-pay top man Kurt Wild gave up guys and the business for good in a beer-fueled 2011 Twitter (now X) implosion. All while his wife was about to deliver his fifth kid! Talk about multitasking. After shutting his feed down, Wild sent a message to industry site The Sword to apologize to Brent Corrigan (haven’t we all?) and reassure us everything’s cool with his lady and him. “Now I am working on wildlife photography and family values.” “Wild” life photography. Get it? And speaking of Brent Corrigan…

Brent Corrigan

Brent Corrigan, everybody’s favorite bottom, is an e-commerce Jekyl and Hyde. And who can blame him? During his successful porn career, he toed the line between both worlds, starring in both straight and gay titles. But Brent didn’t stop at just turning heads; he went on to turn the page on that chapter and ventured into mainstream cinema. Like a phoenix rising from the ashes, he shed his adult film persona to star in Milk, proving he could do much more than, well, milk his previous fame.

Hytch Cawke

Image source: MyFox Boston

Also known as Kevin Hogan, this guy with the homage-to-the great-director nom d’porn quit the biz to concentrate on teaching, becoming head of the English department at a charter school in Massachusetts. But his past and the poorly constructed title Just Gone Gay 8 caught up with him in 2011 when he was outed by a local Fox station’s “investigative” reporting team (er, I’m watching this hot guy online and recognize him, get me the newsroom). When confronted on camera, Hogan said by way of explaining, “I don’t know what you’re talking about.” And who wouldn’t? He was placed on administrative leave.

In the unpredictable world of adult film stars transitioning into new careers, one thing is certain: they continue to surprise us with their eclectic journeys, from activism to entrepreneurship, and even conquering Hollywood. Their post-porn careers prove that life after the camera can be filled with opportunities to make a lasting impact in various fields. Or, not so much.

Curious about the post-porn adventures of your favorite stars? Subscribe to the Queerty newsletter and stay in the loop about where ex-porn stars like to hang their hats (and other things) after they retire!

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