YAS Podcast: AM & Daisy Do AVN Expo #157 Transcript
In the first episode of 2026, host AM Davies introduces listeners to the revamped YAS Podcast, featuring a special compilation of interviews from the AVN Expo in Las Vegas. The episode highlights the experiences and insights of various adult performers and industry veterans including Kaiia Eve, Lala Ivey, Aiden Starr, AJ Fresh, Shay Fox, Summer Hart, Tef Wesley and representatives from Decriminalize Sex Work. Discussions cover the challenges and evolving dynamics within the sex work industry, the impacts of legislation like SESTA/FOSTA, the role of social media, and the importance of community support. The episode emphasizes the resilience and professionalism of sex workers and concludes with a call for continued advocacy and understanding. Links to everyone below chapter list.
*This transcript was auto-generated and may contain minor errors.* *This transcript was auto-generated and may contain minor errors.* Begin transcript after opening credits.
AMD: Okay, y’all AMD here, first episode of 2026, um, in a different location recording this episode because I’ve been snowed out of my studio. I literally can’t get to it. I fell in the snow trying to get to it to record this, and then I lost my phone in the snow. [00:01:00] I found out later and then to go back and find it.
So, yay. 2026. Um, so far, so slow. Um, this is our, like I said, our first episode of 2026. It has been a little slow going. Um, the top of this year. We really had such quite a busy year, last year. Um, and the break was really nice and getting back into the. Swing of things is just taking a little bit of time. Um, I guess, you know, I don’t have to tell you, uh, what’s happening in the world, but it definitely is.
You know, uh, energy draining, that’s for sure. Um, so yeah, there’s dealing with what’s happening in the world, dealing with massive amounts of snow and just trying to get back to work, you know, after a nice long break. So, would love to hear from y’all how your winter break was. And, um, how 2026 is going for you so [00:02:00] far?
Um, we, I did make it out to AVN you guys, I flew out there, it was my first time and Daisy Ducati and I got to meet in person. We’ve been working together for several years now, but we finally got to meet in person and dude, it was awesome. I mean, it was like we had already known each other, which I guess we have since we’ve spent so much time talking and working together over the last several years. Um, but it was awesome. We had so much fun and we got to walk around and do interviews with all types of performers. So, um, we, this show is actually a compilation of many interviews that we did with adult performers at AVN in Las Vegas, January, 2026.
Now, I’m not gonna lie, right? Uh, I did a couple of interviews on my own at first. All of these interviews you’re going to see were done in order. Um, and I did a couple on my own because Daisy was busy [00:03:00] doing signing still, and, um, it was a lot harder doing it by myself in such a busy setting, um, a loud setting.
So I did a couple on my own and then Daisy did a bunch on camera with some people and, um, it, she’s amazing. And, and so at first when I was walking around trying to get interviews like.
Nobody knew who I was. Um, and then when I started walking around with Daisy, like everyone knows Daisy, and it was, it was really awesome seeing Daisy in her element and, um, being around her community members. Um, it was really awesome to witness that and to, um, be so welcomed into the community as well. Um, so it, it really was such a great event.
. It was really professional, really thoughtful. Um, it was ran very, very well and everyone there was just awesome. So, you know, kudos to the AVN, [00:04:00] um, production team, uh, for the AVN Expo production team. It was, it’s a huge event.
Um, it’s. It was huge, you guys. I definitely recommend trying to go sometime. It was just such a blast. Um, so yeah, so here are some clips starting with interviews that I did. Our first interview clip that you’re going to see is with Kaiia Eve. And Kaiia Eve is an award-winning performer. She’s also a director.
And a producer and you can find out more about Kaiia Eve on X
@kaiia_eve.
That’s K-A-I-I-A lower dash eve. Let’s see what Eve has to say about her work and the industry.
Kaiia: Hello, I am Kaiia Eve. I live out here in Las Vegas. I volunteer for SWAID from time to time
Um, I’m gonna be so honest. Like it’s kind of small, uh, but it’s huge. They [00:05:00] did an update on Instagram and they moved where the dms are and um, yeah, I don’t get as many like dms that I’m noticing that result in sales.
Um, so I don’t know what they do with the algorithm. Also, I know that I have been labeled a problem account even though I have like a good account standing on Instagram. Um, so I just think it’s pretty scrutinized, much heavier than a lot of other people’s are. So yeah, social media is like the beit of my existence as well.
Um, sales have just gone down, I think across the board for me. At least, I wouldn’t say I don’t do direct sales, but in translation, I can, I watch my analytics from where like clicks come from and my clicks are, have gone down. Okay. Um, okay. Like kind of collectively. Um, but I have noticed now that I pay, which I, I really do not want to.
Um, but I, I do notice that when I pay $11 a month for like the [00:06:00] subscription on Twitter. Um, I do get more people who are able to see my tweets. . And like, uh, it’s very suppressed if you’re not paying into it.
AMD: Sure. Yeah. Sure. What’s the most unexpected skill porn has taught you?
Kaiia: Porn has taught me. Um, I never thought that I would be a, uh, video editor. Um, I’ve always been an artist who paints with her fingers.
I don’t even like to use paintbrushes. So it’s like a really foreign concept, being able to sit down and edit art on, um, an editing program. Like of course I was a Tumblr girly overlaying like, you know, text on a cool background, but like what we have to do now. Um, it’s pretty crazy. I just, I never thought I’d be so well-versed.
I actually recently wrote up a resume. I decided against taking this like office job. I can’t work in an office. My ADHD would kill me, but I [00:07:00] tried and I wrote this resume. My brother helped review it and, um, he actually writes resume resumes for a living. He helps people, you know, write them better. Yeah. I told him all of my skills of just like, how many posts do I put up?
How many tweets have I made all down the line. He’s like, this is insane. Uh, you have. So many skills when it comes to working online as an influencer. And he was very blown away as an Ivy League graduate. So remember that we are hardworking bitches out here.
AMD: Yeah. That’s awesome. Yeah. Thank you so much.
So I love that Kaiia was talking about what’s happening on social media. Social media has just been really difficult across the board and we heard that a lot actually at AVN, and it’s not just Instagram anymore, it’s like happening across many platforms. So it’s something to just kind of be aware of, I think is a community, um, that like if you’re feeling some hurt on social media, like.
You’re not alone. [00:08:00] And also, yeah, I, it’s really interesting. As sex workers, we have developed so many skills and one of them is video editing and you have to learn a lot very quickly to stay competitive. So those were some really interesting quotes by Kaiia Eve. Um, next I stopped over @theinmelanin.com booth, and I ran into Lala Ivy, who at first.
She was by herself. And, uh, so I introduced myself and, and spoke to her and it was a big booth and she was by herself. I must have just caught her at a, at a time like that and, um, asked her if I could come back and interview her, um, when there was more people there. So that, you know, ’cause she can’t interview with me and then what happens to the booth, you know?
And so I did. I came back and she was just getting ready to leave for the day. And these people work really hard at these booths, and, um, you know, she waited when she was done breaking down and getting done with her job for the day. She very [00:09:00] graciously interviewed with me for a few minutes.
So, um, huge shout out to Lala Ivy for taking the time. It was such a busy day on Friday y’all. And, um, I just really appreciate everyone that took the time.
Lala Ivy is a Chicago born model and adult performer, and as I mentioned, she was representing inmelanin.com at A BN, and you can learn more about her@lalaivy.com. That’s L-A-L-A-I-V-E y.com. Here’s Lala.
Lala: Hello, I am Lala Ivey here at AVN Expo Show 2026, [00:10:00] and I’m here with
inmelanin.com, representing.
AMD: What’s the myth about porn performers that you’re tired of correcting?
Lala: Oh my goodness. I would say, uh, people like to say that we’re like the most dirtiest people. Oh, no. We’re the cleanest. We get tested very often, very, very often. Every two weeks we get tested for everything that you could think of. Even the newer diseases
that coming out, you know
we’re very clean people. We’re all our health in our, you know, in our wealth and everything.
AMD: Agree a hundred percent
Lala: health is wealth.
AMD: Yeah. So what’s something about AVN that you’d like people to know that they can’t see on social media?
Lala: I feel like you get to see a little bit more of our personalities here.
So you only see just us working on social media, but in person you get to kind of meet us and, uh, how we really interact with our fans and, you know. In
our costars, and our colleagues. So it’s very, [00:11:00] it’s a more intimate event, you know?
AMD: Yeah, I love that. Can you tell us about inmelanin.com and like what sets that, what sets that site apart?
Things like that.
Lala: Inmelanin.com
is a site that is ran and operated by black women. You know, we love to just promote ourselves and also other race that, you know, ehtniticies that support us and our allies and everything, and we just pretty much, you know, put out everything that our fans love to see.
AMD: I love it.
Lala: Like for us, by us kind of situation.
AMD: Yes. Thank you.
I think Lala did such a great job of answering that question, that it’s a huge myth in the industry. Um, and you know that that came up more than once at AVN and, and I’ve also heard this many times before that, you know, the sex workers are get tested [00:12:00] regularly. Um, they have to, it’s, it’s part of their job.
And, um, and I, you know, I was thinking about it. I was like, dude, like yeah, I know like straight up sluts, not whores that, you know had like spread STDs. So not, not like purposefully, but it happens, you know, because they’re not getting tested as regularly. Whereas sex workers, especially the porn industry gets tested so regularly and so that age old myth that that like sex workers are spreading diseases, it’s actually completely wrong and backwards. So I really appreciated that answer from Lala Ivy. Um, thanks again and, and be sure you guys to check out inmelanin.com, which is black female owned, um, yeah, check that out.
so next we get into interviews that Daisy did. Um, yeah, she literally, she killed it. Um, she started with Aiden Starr, [00:13:00] who literally, Aiden Starr is a star y’all. Um, very entertaining to listen to. This is a great interview.
Aiden Starr is a veteran content creator and a director of hardcore porn, and you can learn more about her on X @aidenstarr. That’s at A-I-D-E-N-S-T-A-R-R. Here’s Aiden and Daisy.
Daisy: Hello everybody. We are here with want to introduce yourself?
Aiden: Hi, I’m Aiden Star. Aiden Star.
Daisy: I love Aiden Star.
Aiden: I love you.
Daisy: I love you. Aidan Starr has been one of my most amazing friends in the industry and she has helped me so much in my career.
Aiden: Also, you have also helped me in my career. Um, my very first evil angel movie that really, really fucking made money Da Daisy was on the cover.
Daisy: Yes. I love it.
Aiden: Yeah, I love it. So I thank you.
Daisy: Think I have some copies of that with me?
Aiden: Yes, probably. Thank you for that.
Daisy: Thank you. So it’s amazing to get to talk to you today.
Aiden: Thank you.
Daisy: Thank you [00:14:00] for being on. YAS Podcast
Aiden: Oh, thank you.
Daisy: So, um,
I wanna talk a little bit about some of the things that we’re going through as an industry right now. Like,
Aiden: there’s a lot. There’s a lot. It’s,
Daisy: it’s been a rough year.
Aiden: Yeah. It’s been a rough like 10, 15 years. There’s a lot for sure.
Daisy: Yeah, for sure. So what is one law or regulation right now that people outside the industry don’t understand but should?
Aiden: Oh my gosh. Um, there’s so fucking many. Um, I, I know that there’s stuff coming up that I feel like people probably talked about, and I’m just gonna take it back just in case no one’s brought it up recently to SESTA/FOSTA.
Daisy: Yeah.
Aiden: Um, so this law is meant to help people, uh, to prevent trafficking. And, um, what it actually did was take away the ability for sex workers to advertise for themselves and make money online.
Daisy: Yeah.
Aiden: And so what it [00:15:00] actually did was increase trafficking. Yes. So you want to stay away from regulating where if, if, if people are able to do ads for themselves online, they should be able to put ads for themselves online. Yeah. Uh, trafficking happens when you make things illegal. If you make more things illegal, you create crime, uh, that’s where criminals flock to.
Daisy: Mm-hmm.
Aiden: So I would say for me, esta Foss is still, it just digs at me fucking every day. There’s so much, and I’m sure there’s so many people in here that work in legal and work in that, that are gonna talk about those things. But for me, being in my business. The way I do it. SESTA/FOSTA. Huge issue.
Daisy: Yeah. Huge.
Huge. And it has really, really hurt the industry so much.
Aiden: Yes. Hurt the- and it continues.
Daisy: Yeah.
Aiden: To hurt the industry. Like I used to have access to this website that had what’s called white listing where uh, providers could put,
give references for clients [00:16:00] inside of a database.
Daisy: Oh, that’s amazing.
Aiden: That made. Uh, being a provider is so much safer and that website is gone because of SESTA/FOSTA.
Daisy: And that’s the thing is it takes away a lot of the safety features that we use.
Aiden: Yes.
Daisy: And the things that like, keep us safe.
Aiden: That’s my main beef. Um, obviously I’m upset about internet regulation, but in my heart the most important thing is the safety of providers.
That’s number one for me.
Daisy: Yeah, absolutely.
Aiden: So SESTA/FOSTA.
Daisy: And so you’ve been, you’ve been in the industry for quite a while now. I’ve been in the industry for quite a while. And you’ve been around for a while. When I started,
Aiden: yes. I rode my dinosaur to the pyramid when the my first industry job.
Daisy: What do you think has changed the most since you first started?
Aiden: The internet.
Yeah, that’s how fucking old I am. The fucking internet bro. Like we used to. It’s all this stuff everywhere. Uh, we used to advertise in, um, newspapers, rag mags.
Daisy: [00:17:00] Yeah.
Aiden: We used to have to go to the corner shop or dirty shop at the fucking corner in New York City and pick up the ad mag, um, to see who you wanted.
And then you call the number from the payphone at the corner and Wow. Let us know where you are and what you did so that we know you were safe. Now the internet. Yeah, so that’s I think specifically why I’m pissed off about losing safety features on the internet because the internet, it’s fucking scary, man.
Daisy: Yeah,
Aiden: there’s, it’s, there’s so much anonymity on the internet and I really need to be able to know who my clients are, and girls need to be able to know who their fucking clients are, and there needs to be a verification process. The paper verification process was one way we don’t have pay. Um. Newspapers in the same way we did, or payphones in the same way we did.
Daisy: Yeah.
Aiden: So for me, that’s ’cause I’m real fucking old.
Daisy: That’s, that’s so real. That’s so real. And so what do you think, what do you think lawmakers are getting wrong the most about porn [00:18:00] performers and, and sex workers in general?
Aiden: Yeah. They’re not listening to us about the regulations that we want.
Daisy: Yeah.
Aiden: I was there during, uh, the protesting of Prop 60.
And we said to, uh, Cal OSHA, this is the regulations that we want. And they called us stupid. Literally they said we were fucking stupid.
Daisy: Yeah.
Aiden: I was standing there in Sacramento in the motherfucking courthouse. Never that.
Daisy: Yeah.
Aiden: And they called us fucking stupid.
Daisy: Yeah.
Aiden: These people need to listen to us. We know what the fuck we’re talking about.
Oh, they’re, they’re such assholes. Before us, there were maids who were
asking for regulations and they also told the maids to fuck off.
Daisy: Yeah. I remember that.
Aiden: So please listen to blue collar workers, like maids and sex workers, providers.
Daisy: Yeah.
Aiden: About the regulations that we want.
Daisy: Yes.
Aiden: Because we will tell you what we need.
We need you to listen.
Daisy: Yes. And like making laws about us without. You know,
Aiden: you hurt us. Yeah. And that’s [00:19:00] not cool men.
Daisy: So how, how has the internet with more fan access changed the way that we work?
Aiden: Ah, okay. The internet with more fan access actually made a lot of forms of sex work much safer, for example.
Daisy: Yeah.
Aiden: I, instead of doing in-person sessions, have. Switch to doing video chats.
Daisy: Yeah.
Aiden: And that’s incredibly safe and really wonderful. Safe for the client and safe for the provider.
Daisy: Yeah.
Aiden: So that is a big way that it’s changed it for me.
Daisy: Yeah, absolutely. And often the rates aren’t that much different either.
Aiden: No, they’re exactly the same. It’s nice. You don’t have to leave your fucking house. I don’t leave to have, have to leave my fucking house. I’m an indoor cat. You’re an indoor cat. Let’s fucking do this.
Daisy: I love it.
Aiden: Indoor cats unite on the internet.
Daisy: I love it. I’ve become such a hermit since like
Aiden: I call the internet introverts together in our homes, united the internet.
Daisy: And so in your, in your opinion, what, what does [00:20:00] support for sex workers actually look like at practice?
Aiden: Thank you. Um, support for sex workers actually looks like, um, dealing with your internalized misogyny. You have it. I have it. We all have it. It’s awful. And it’s ugly and it’s terrible. It’s even harder if you, if you think of yourself as a feminist, it’s even harder to admit that you have it.
And so I just wanna tell you, if you’re hearing this. And it it like you, it twitches inside your chest like it has twitched inside my chest. Yeah, there’s nothing wrong with you. There’s nothing wrong with me. I’m not bad because I have internalized misogyny and I’ve been programmed by the patriarchy and by society.
You’re not bad. Um, but we have to deal with it. We have to scoop it out.
Daisy: Yeah.
Aiden: You know, we have to, we have to pull out the poison. And I think that empathy for people and feminism for everyone is, is where is how [00:21:00] you can best support sex workers Oh. And pay us for our work.
Daisy: Yes.
Aiden: Just pay for porn.
Daisy: Pay for your porn tip.
Well be generous.
Aiden: Yeah. Pay for porn.
Daisy: And be nice.
Aiden: And be nice. God damnit, be nice. So many of you motherfuckers are so rude. What the fuck is wrong with you? Knock it off. Yes.
Daisy: Sex workers are humans.
Aiden: Yeah.
Daisy: Treat us as such
Aiden: people. Motherfucker. Thank you so much.
AMD: Yeah, so Aiden’s been in the industry for a long time, so she’s been able to see so many changes happen and, um, I think that, that, that insight from, um, the people who come before us, the people who are still doing the work that have been doing it for a while are just so filled with knowledge. Like I know for myself personally, I really only have knowledge of the last 20 years.
Um, but like. Activism knowledge only maybe the last eight years, [00:22:00] you know, and some of these people that we’re talking to, they’ve been doing this activism work for like a couple of decades now, and they’re just so filled with so much wisdom. So, um, shout out to people like Aiden Starr who are continuing to raise awareness about the things that are happening in our industry.
Next up, Daisy caught up with AJ Fresh. Oh my God, AJ Fresh was so much fun. Um, to listen to this interview. Uh, there was A lot of chemistry between Daisy and AJ Fresh in this interview. Um. AJ Fresh is a 10″ male performer, designer, and director from Angeles, and you can find all of his work, which there is plenty of at allmylinks.com/aj-fresh. Let’s check out Daisy and AJ.
AJ: I’m AJ Fresh here with the lovely Daisy Ducati, AVN 2026.
Daisy: So lately we’ve been dealing with a lot of legal issues in the industry. Mm-hmm. There’s a lot of [00:23:00] a lot of changes going on.
AJ: Yes.
Daisy: What do you think lawmakers are getting wrong about sex workers?
AJ: What I think lawmakers are getting wrong about sex workers is everything. They treat us as like an ostracized community. They don’t respect us as a actual industry.
Daisy: Yeah.
AJ: That has multiple moving parts. It’s not just people fucking,
Daisy: yeah.
AJ: You have directors, producers set designers, PAs.
Daisy: Yeah.
AJ: Performers. It’s a whole thing. And I think that a lot of bullshit stigma that these lawmakers have affects the way that they think about and enforce laws that relate to our industry. You know, they think of as a, they think of us as some like third class, lower rates scum, when really like the whole world buys porn views, porn, sex work in general, whether it’s escorting or strippers or anything, you know.
So it’s kind of weird how it’s like a, a, a, what’s it [00:24:00] called? Hypocritical.
Daisy: Yeah.
AJ: Like, you know, they love sex workers and paying for sex, and you see movies, sex sells, but then they’re like, oh no, we can’t give you a loan. We don’t wanna have you guys doing your own thing. So I think that they get everything wrong.
They need to have actual sex workers involved in the policymaking.
Daisy: Do you, do you think the current legal climate is making the industry any safer?
AJ: Safer? No, because they don’t really care about us, like I said, so they don’t care if people are getting scammed or abused, whether that’s physically, sexually, emotionally, monetarily.
You know, they don’t care about if we get, you know, robbed or anything like that. They’re just like, oh, you guys are just some dirty prostitutes on the side. So I think that if they were treated as more with more of a humane outlook, you know, think of it as like clothing production or movie production, then they would see it as from a business standpoint, and then they would be [00:25:00] more like happily greedy with it.
Daisy: Yeah.
AJ: Because they, they want money. At the end of the day,
Daisy: we’re human beings working a job trying to make a living.
AJ: Exactly. And it’s like you, senators are the ones hiring all the escorts and paying for porn and you know, how you gonna make a law and then fucking go break that law? It’s fucking stupid
Daisy: The hypocrisy is real.
AJ: Yeah.
Daisy: So. We know when mainstream journalism covers sex work, and especially with the new legislation, there can be some, some stigma and some, some weirdness there.
\ Um, what do you wish that journalists would ask performers when covering porn legislation?
I wish
AJ: that journalists would ask performers more about their genuine life experience and their inspirations, what got them into sex work, why they stay in it.
How they’ve been able to capitalize off of it, build their own brands, build their own businesses. You know, like I said, it’s not just fucking, it’s. Production. It’s [00:26:00] everything.
Daisy: Yeah.
AJ: So I wish that they would be more insightful into those aspects.
Daisy: So you’ve been in the industry for a little while now.
AJ: Yeah.
Daisy: What has changed since you got into the industry?
AJ: What has changed since I’ve been in the industry, um, more creator centered. Everything. So like instead of relying on a studio or a director to put you into a scene or a scenario, you can do it yourself with a phone.
So, you know, there’s a lot of niches, a lot of fetishes, a lot of everything. That gets a lot more exposure because it cuts out the middleman of the studio. And what’s good about that is it allows people to express their own creativity. What genuinely makes them horny that they like doing, that they can promote and sell.
Without having some motherfucker over their shoulder like, nah, you can’t do that. You gotta do this, you know, BBC this milf that, you know, they try to categorize people. Whereas [00:27:00] over time, thanks to like these different platforms, you can do your own thing so you don’t have to. Turn to something that you necessarily wouldn’t normally do or be uncomfortable doing.
Daisy: That part.
AJ: and just do your own shit. Make your own fan base and be successful from there.
Daisy: And would you say there’s like more opportunities for porn?
AJ: Definitely. There’s
more
opportunities and you know, you gotta work a little bit harder, but it’s worth it in the long run.
Daisy: Yeah. Absolutely.
AJ: Hell yeah.
Daisy: Thank you so much for talking to us.
AJ: Thank you. Thanks for having me. Awesome. Hey AJ. Fresh. Look me up. Daisy Ducati. We also got a dope scene on uh, can I plug it? I know. Evolve twice. They’re sick. Yeah. Check on my site. Got a little QR code right there. If you can scan it, take a screenshot and thank you for having me.
AMD: It’s totally true that the, these politicians, the one, they’re the ones that are like creating these laws, yet they’re the ones and we know, you know, we hear the reports from our colleagues, like they’re the ones like hiring sex workers, but they’re also like creating laws [00:28:00] against sex work. It literally.
No sense, like what upside down, backwards world are we living in? Um, huge shout out to AJ Fresh, really rad to have you with us on the podcast.
Um, let’s move on to our next interview that Daisy did. Uh, this time she met up with Shay Fox. Shay is also a veteran with, um, a bit of a gap in her porn resume, which you’ll hear about.
Um. Shay Fox is a digital adult creator, a published model, and a public figure. You can find her on X at Club Shay Fox. That’s C-L-U-B-S-H-A-Y-F-O-X.
Shay: Hi, I’m Shay Fox.
Daisy: And Shay, how long have you been in the industry?
Shay: So, I was in the industry. I started in 2009. Um, 2019. I took about a six year hiatus.
Daisy: Wow.
Shay: Just because, not for any reason. And, uh, [00:29:00] then I came back about three years ago and it’s been, I’ve been working really good.
Daisy: Welcome back.
Shay: Thank you.
Daisy: What do you think has changed since you started the industry?
Shay: Since I’ve started. Boy, oh boy. It’s, there’s, there’s a lot of changes. So I came in when there was still DVDs.
Daisy: Yeah,
Shay: wait. Vhs.
Daisy: Oh wow.
Shay: Then DVDs.
Daisy: Yep.
Shay: And we all had our own website and now we all have OnlyFans.
Daisy: Yep.
Shay: Um, so that’s
changed.
I feel like, I feel like it’s good in a way because we have more control over how we upload our content, what we put on there, what our fans like, like we can really cater to that. So I love that piece.
Daisy: Amazing.
Shay: And I feel like there’s a lot of performers, so it’s good.
Daisy: Yeah,
Shay: it’s good.
Daisy: And do you think, do you think having more fan access has been beneficial for performers?
Shay: I think, I think it. I [00:30:00] think yes. The reason why I think yes is because I do feel like. I feel like everybody likes convenience.
Daisy: Yeah,
Shay: they do.
Daisy: Absolutely.
Shay: They want something like that’s why we like only fans. It’s easy to upload. Or even Fansly. It’s easy to upload a loyal fans. Mm-hmm. They’re kind of, all the platforms are very similar.
So the more user friendly they are to us
Daisy: mm-hmm.
Shay: The more user friendly they’re gonna be to to fans.
Daisy: Yeah, absolutely. What’s one thing that feels better about the industry today and one thing that feels worse than when you started?
Shay: Oh my, that’s such a loaded question.
Um, what, what feels better? Um, I feel like the industry itself is still thriving. I do feel like there’s a lot of laws and, you know, changes that are taking place that probably needed to take place. Some of them.
Daisy: Some of them,
Shay: yes. Some of them, you know, I’m all for verifying. 18 and over on our platforms like [00:31:00] that should just be Yeah.
Daisy: Un unfortunately, the way they’re approaching it is Right. Bizarre.
Shay: But anything that has to do with us has never been an easy, we’re not an easy approach. Like it’s always a catastrophe.
Daisy: Yeah.
Shay: You know, and they make it like that.
Daisy: Yeah. And so when, when mainstream reporters report on the industry, what do you, what kind of questions do you wish they would ask us?
Shay: I wish they would do more research. Yeah. I wish they would stick with the facts and not embellish, which they love to do. Um,
Daisy: that’s real
Shay: based on, based on the narrative that they’re trying to push. Yeah. So, you know, and it’s. Sometimes the industry is not, um, not always in the brightest light for everybody, you know?
Daisy: Yeah.
Shay: For us, it’s, we’re comfortable with it. We love our sexuality, so it’s, it’s a beautiful thing. I feel like. Um, some people not, yeah. You know, that’s their issue.
Daisy: Yeah. [00:32:00] Absolutely. Well, thank you so much for talking to us today. It’s been awesome seeing you.
AMD: So it’s awesome that Shay mentioned that she used to work when porn was on VHS tapes. Um, one of the things that we did at AVN on Thursday night was we got to see the Peter North documentary. And, um, if you don’t know who Peter North is, you should Google him. He is basically like the greatest male porn star of all time.
And the documentary was really rad and you could see, you know, like it was like VHS tapes back in the day, like go to the movie. You know the movie store like Blockbuster and there’s a certain section or like you go to an adult store and they were showing like clips of like that kind of stuff, like old school, like how we used to consume porn.
I wonder if that stuff is gonna start to come back considering what’s happening with porn on the internet. Um, but anyways, uh, yeah, it was really great, um, knowing that Shay Fox lived during that era. Um, again, I think it’s really great to talk to people [00:33:00] who have seen these huge mo monumental changes in our industry.
So thank you so much Shay Fox for joining us on the podcast.
Our next interview is with Summer Hart. Summer was really great, full of energy. Um, you know, and she actually also works with an organization in Las Vegas. She’s an adult creator and she works with SWAID Collective, which is a sex worker organization that focuses on harm reduction and mutual age.
So Summer really had a lot to say about what’s happening in the industry right now.
Summer: So age verification is this big thing, and it sounds like it’s so good.
I mean, you have to get your ID out whenever you wanna get a drink, right? But it’s so much different than that. Like with age verification, there’s this really big problem, one of which is that you actually have to submit an ID online. You have no idea where that goes. Who gets to see that? And also that it’s just like intended to crush the adult industry, right?
And the way that that’s gonna work is just basically, [00:34:00] if I can Google your site and then you want me, you, the good guy wants me to like put in my ID and do all the facial scans, verification, right? You know, well maybe I’m just not gonna do that. I’m gonna find an illegal source. And the illegal source, right?
They might host CSAM, they might host revenge porn. They’re a way, way more dangerous place for people to be, a way more dangerous place for young people to be. Um, but those sites, they were never complying with the law anyway, so they’re not gonna go offline. You know, only adult sites were consenting adults who are doing what we’re supposed to do, doing the paperwork, checking IDs.
Only we are getting punished.
Daisy: Yep. And it’s kind of like SESTA/FOSTA, so we’re, it only serves to make our lives harder and less safe.
Summer: And in reality, nobody has kept safe by that. Really. Like if people wanna keep minors from accessing adult content, they need to do, I know it’s a lot harder, but they need to do the hard thing and just install parental controls and watch their kids.
Daisy: And most devices come with the parental controls.
Summer: They’re also free. [00:35:00] Google has them for free.
Daisy: Yeah. So how have the recent law changes affected, like the work day to day?
Summer: So I feel like I see a lot of people making less content, being a little bit more afraid.
I see people like changing what types of content they make because they’re afraid of what the future is gonna look like. I think a lot of us are kind of hedging our bets right now, going, well, can I really like, produce more? You know, because. What if
Daisy: Scary.
Summer: Yeah, it’s scary. It’s very scary. And it, it’s definitely had like a chilling effect, right?
Daisy: I agree. Yeah. It’s, it’s, it’s tough out there. And like, even myself, I’ve been trying to figure out like, all right, what’s the next move?
Summer: Right?
Daisy: Like, where is this gonna go? Where are we gonna, yeah. Like, it’s scary. So do you think the current legal climate makes the industry safer at all?
Summer: No. And in fact, like in the time that I’ve been doing this, there’s lots of things that I think are great.
Like I think 2257’s, making sure everybody has IDs, making sure they’re uploaded, you know, I think that’s all great stuff. Stuff we should have always been doing. But like if we actually talk like, does it keep people safe [00:36:00] from harm? Absolutely not. And actually we’ve been really good for many years at like regulating that within our industry.
Daisy: Yeah.
Summer: Another really good example of that is like, oh, what about STIs? But we’re, we have been excellent at that regular, yes.
Daisy: Rigorous testing standards.
Summer: Rigorous testing standards. I in a million, a million times over would fuck somebody in porn with no condom and I would never, ever
Daisy: That part
Summer: Somebody who’s not, sorry.
Sorry. You guys don’t get tested.
Daisy: Amen to that. Like, and we have to get tested at least every two weeks,
Summer: at least every two weeks. I get tested every week,
Daisy: so what do you wish more mainstream journalists would ask reformers when covering the industry?
Summer: I actually just wish they would include us in conversations.
I think like so commonly you get, you read this article and the, I don’t know, some church group has been consulted. Right. Um, yeah, some anti-porn lobby has been consulted, but they’ve never even talked to a single person who’s actually in the industry and we’re so easy to find. Um, and [00:37:00] it’s just that they don’t wanna talk to us, right?
Like
Daisy: Exactly. Yeah. And they’re, they’re making all these changes in laws and,
Summer: and we’ve never even asked having conversations. You know, they, they talk about it in legislative work, they. Stakeholders, but we’re consistently the only stakeholders who are not invited to the conversation.
Daisy: Exactly. \ Exactly.
And what do you think, what do you think has been the biggest change in the industry since you started?
Summer: It used to be that you could do more stuff, dad kin your stuff.
Daisy: Yeah.
Summer: And you know, people were a little bit more free to express themselves and everybody I feel like knew that it was consensual, that we were all adults, that like this was between two grown. You know, and maybe none of your business if you don’t like it.
Daisy: Yeah.
Summer: Um,
but somehow it’s been up for debate, like, what about these people doing a crazy thing? You know? Yeah. And every single act has been scrutinized. Every single act. Yeah. I, I remember, I, I love, I love fisting.
Daisy: Um, me too.
[00:38:00]
Summer: Um, and I just remember fisting. Becoming obscene in this, in this time, in this, you know, crackdown on MasterCard visa Now fisting is obscene.
Yeah. I, I, that’s homophobic.
Daisy: I did a scene a while ago ’cause I know they had the, the rule where you could only have, you couldn’t have five fingers, it could only be four or less. And so I did a scene where I put four fingers in and then the thumb from the other hand,
Summer: yeah, that should be allowed.
Daisy: See if I get away with it.
Summer: Yeah. And that. To try to figure out and, and there was even a Supreme Court case on this, right, to try to figure out the definition of obscenity is
Daisy: right.
Summer: And it’s so ridiculous to try to restrict the, like what consenting adults are doing together and watching on film when it’s perfectly legal to do.
Daisy: Yes.
Summer: Yeah. But it’s somehow obscene. I don’t know. You’ll never figure out what that means. Anyway,
Daisy: it’s ridiculous.
Summer: Nobody knows.
Daisy: Nobody knows. Well, thank you so much for talking to us today. It’s been amazing. Yeah, of course. Thank you.
AMD: Thank you so much Summer for being on with us. If you want to learn more [00:39:00] about Summer, you can find her on X at Summer Hart. X, XX. That’s S-U-M-M-E-R-H-A-R-T xxx honestly all. You can also Google summer hart porn star and like so much stuff comes up. Um, ’cause she’s also doing some activist stuff right now as well as mentioned.
So yeah, thanks so much, Summer was so great having you and you’re just so filled with information. We really appreciate you sharing that with our audience.
Next up on the interview list, we have Henri from Decriminalize Sex Work.
Decriminalize Sex Work works to improve policies related to all forms of sex work and to end the prohibition of consensual adult prostitution in the United States. So we got to sit down with Henri and Becca from decriminalized sex work. Um, these people are doing incredible work. I have to be [00:40:00] completely honest, um, the mic was not working very well for Becca and so we were only able to capture a very small part of some of the incredibly intelligent things that she was saying.
So I say all that to say. Um, we managed to get Henri interview. Um, pretty decently. Um, but if you want to learn more about decriminalize sex work, the work that they’re doing, um, please go to their website, decriminalize sex.work. Because they’re doing some of the most important work that there is.
Decriminalizing sex work is like the cry of sex workers everywhere. Um, and so yeah, we really applaud them for the work that they’re doing. And we really apologize for not getting Becca’s audio on camera the way we would’ve liked. Um, it was a big room. There was a lot of noise and it was our first time there.
So I promise you guys we’re just gonna get better with time. But for now, let’s hear what Henri has to say with a [00:41:00] little bit of Becca and Daisy.
Daisy: Thank you guys so much for talking to us today. So we’re, I wanna talk a little bit about some of the things that are affecting us right now and some of the changing laws and legislation. So what’s one law or regulation right now that you wish that fans and followers knew more about?
Henri: I think, um, for me, one thing we’re tackling in the Northeast, um, are an uptick, uh, like license establishment.
Licenser bills.
Daisy: Yeah.
Henri: Massage establishments and penalty increases.
Daisy: Yeah.
Henri: And a lot. Feminists who are not really into the idea of decrim, think that these laws are going to put some elements of protection . Into these establishments in their cultures. But what’s really happening is like we have, you know.
Immigration and customs enforcement being
Daisy: Yeah.
Henri: Uh, [00:42:00] not overseen,
Daisy: horrible
Henri: 47 day training program.
Daisy: Crazy.
Henri: Getting them more access is putting sex workers, migrant laborers, and trafficking survivors at risk.
Daisy: So if people say they want to protect sex workers, what do they usually get?
It’s a big one
Henri: for me when I’m in, when I’m talking to, let’s say like fresh allyship or allyship potential or just someone who’s not. In the scene isn’t familiar, doesn’t hang out with sex workers. Is coming with a lot of baggage. From like popularized culture.
Daisy: Yeah.
Henri: Or depiction of sex work. I think like the rescue narrative is old.
Daisy: Yeah.
Henri: It’s annoying.
Daisy: So tired.
Henri: It’s a little bit paternal.
Daisy: Yeah.
Henri: And it suggests that sex workers don’t have autonomy, but the fact of the matter is. We do sex work, by its definition, [00:43:00] is an act of adult consent. Mm-hmm. You cannot be in sex work without these two factors.
Daisy: Yeah. It’s not, it’s not sex work if there’s not consent.
Henri: That’s right. And you know, to assume that everybody who gets involved in sex work is either at the pinnacle of privilege. Or two shakes away from a body bag is deeply problematic.
Daisy: Yeah.
Henri: The world is losing its taste for nuance and I see that, but I do feel that the narrative of rescue versus rights.
Is one of the most common barriers I feel I interact with.
Daisy: Yeah. Yeah.
Becca: And it’s well-intentioned people who come into spaces genuinely wanting to do good and end up being a little close-minded and condescending. Yeah. And a little talking too much, which I’m guilty of myself constantly. Um, but yeah, I think it’s, uh, people don’t look at sex workers and see their peers or friends or neighbors or allies.
They’re just like, here’s this entity. There’s like dog
We’re [00:44:00] humans.
Henri: Yeah.
Daisy: We’re human beings.
Henri: Can you not see our thumbs like, c’mon on.
Daisy: So, in your opinion, what would effective advocacy and allyship look like?
Henri: I think sex workers and survivors to the front.
Daisy: Mm-hmm. Um, yes.
Henri: Training them properly so they can protect themselves and their rights.
Daisy: Yeah,
Henri: I think allyship having some kind of education could be really beneficial too. Yeah. Really what the sex worker rights movement needs right now is allyship testimony. We need public declarations of support.
Daisy: Mm-hmm.
Henri: We need like a des siloed conversation with a working class, essentially. Yes. ’cause we have to understand that all of our struggles are common ground.
Daisy: Yes.
Henri: And I think also for allyship to invest in sex worker rights, the way they consume sex. Would be refreshing. Yeah. You know, like taking that [00:45:00] initiative. If you can watch porn every day, you can read an article once a month. You can donate once a year.
Daisy: Exactly. Amen.
So how do you think we can overcome whorearchy?
Henri: Porn community. I’m gonna hold your hand when I say this. The First Amendment is crumbling before your eyes.
Daisy: Yes.
Henri: And it was the only thing you ever had. Sex workers want to protect you. Sex workers want to be in community with you. Sex workers want to fight for your rights because your rights are, our rights are the rights of the working class.
You’re not better. You’re a whore too.
Daisy: We, we need to team up and work together and fight this shit as a, as a community.
Becca: Exactly.
Daisy: Thank you guys so much for talking to us today. It’s been amazing.
AMD: Thank you so much to that team. Um, they were incredible. Honestly, they were my favorite table to visit. Um, I just clicked with those people so [00:46:00] well. It was, it was. Freaking awesome. So big shout out to the decriminalized sex work table at AVN. Um, I hope I run into y’all again sometime.
Um, let’s move on to our last interviewee.
We have Tef Wesley. T Wesley is an adult creator and a performer from Las Vegas, and you can find more about him on X @tefwesley xxx. That’s at T-E-F-W-E-S-L-E-Y, xxx. Here’s Tef.
Daisy: Hey, how you doing today?
Tef: Hi Daisy. How are you?
Daisy: I’m doing awesome.
Tef: Good.
Daisy: Thank you so much for talking with us.
Tef: Thanks for having me.
Daisy: So why don’t you
introduce yourself to our viewers.
Tef: Alright. My name is Ley. I’ve been in industry for about two years now. Um, right here in Las Vegas. We’re at AVN.
Daisy: Hell yeah. Well, [00:47:00] welcome.
We’re glad to have you on. What is a myth about porn performers that you’re tired of
Tef: that were, uh, sex crazy degenerates? And I mean, of course that, um, that applies to some people.
Daisy: Some of us are,
Tef: I’m not gonna say that that’s not a good thing, but you know. At the end of the day, we’re doing a job. We’re we’re providing a fantasy.
Uh, uh, we’re in the business of providing fantasies and making things look good. Um, that, that might be uncomfortable sometimes, you know? But we’re selling fantasies out here and it’s just the reality of it. But that if you like sex and you are a sex based generation, uh, it’s probably gonna be a lot easier for you.
Daisy: So when people say they want to support sex workers okay, and sex workers, what, what does that look like to you?
Tef: Uh, well, that could mean a couple things. Uh, support can come in a couple different, uh, forms. Uh, obviously, uh, I know a lot of the ladies that I know, they do appreciate the financial support of it.
Um, I know I appreciate the financial support of [00:48:00] it when it comes and that shows that like you’re a dedicated loyal and. Um, no pun intended. Uh, and then also, uh, supporting would be able to, uh, you know, stand up for your friend that’s a sex worker. Uh, when someone says something that’s like completely just like unrealistic about ’em or they have these, uh, preconceptions about ’em and they’re completely misunderstood, stand up for your friend and be like, no, it’s not like that.
That’s not who that person is. That person’s a good person. Uh, you know, you should shut the fuck up. You know?
Daisy: Exactly. Look out for us when we’re not in the room.
Tef: Yeah, exactly. Look out for us. How have our backs. Yeah. Yeah.
Daisy: So you’ve been to a few AVMs now.
Tef: I have.
Daisy: And what’s, what’s your favorite part of AVN that people don’t see on social media?
Tef: Um, I think, um, obviously people see all the companies and they see the fun and they see that I, I personally like to be able to network with people that. Um, we may only know each other as an avatar on Twitter or Instagram. . And, uh, we might have funny inside jokes that we have on social media and, you know, uh, uh, send funny [00:49:00] reels or something like that.
And then we get to see each other in real life, um, uh, and really put a base of the name of a lot of these people and build a real life connection and, um, you know, make real life friends and hopefully coworkers. A bit different mix, you know.
Daisy: Oh yeah. I, I agree. It’s, there’s so many times where I see people and I’m like, do I actually know this person or do I just follow them on my
Tef: Right.
Right, right. I’ve done that a lot this week and then there’s a lot of people who, who, who stop me and, and they’re like, Hey, I’ll follow you.
Daisy: Yeah.
Tef: And I’m like, you know what? You look really familiar. And I’ll look at the badge and I’ll be like, I recognize, and I’m like, oh, yes, I do follow you. That,
Daisy: yeah, it’s fun coming together as a community.
Tef: It’s, it’s cool because, you know, this is the one week that you get to see a lot of people that are in your field of business that are. The country, um, that you may not see in Vegas or in LA uh, or in Florida. Um, you know, because sex workers are all over. They’re all over.
Daisy: So, so what’s one skill that being in porn has taught you that was kind of unexpected?
Tef: Um, it’s taught me how to be way more aware.
, But [00:50:00] it really taught me how to open up. Uh, it taught me how to just, uh, um, it taught me how to flow more and be calculated and lead a scene with my partner.
Um, and that’s an important thing to do as a male performer, is to be able to lead the scene and make, make the systems flow and run to the next, uh, in a smooth fashion where it doesn’t look awkward or say, if you don’t have someone directing you and you’re left to your own to, to do a collab, it’s really important to, uh, lead.
Try to make it as smooth as possible.
Daisy: Yeah, that’s real. A lot of people don’t realize how difficult it’s,
Tef: you know, it’s funny, they think it’s just sex, but you really like, um, there’s so many variables going on in your head while you’re having sex. Um, especially if you’re doing the production yourself and you’re thinking about the lighting.
Um, I actually have something now, I’ll give away one of my tricks so I have a new thing. Plug it to your HDMI to the TV and it works really good in hotel rooms and it streams my phone to the tv. Brilliant. So, so a lot of the times, if I’m doing a position I’ll outta my peripheral, I’ll look at the TV and be [00:51:00] like, my leg needs to move or like, I need to do something different.
You know, just to be able to get the shot better. That’s, that’s so good.
Daisy: I’m, I’m low tech. Sometimes I just put a mirror behind the camera.
Tef: No, that works too. If you have that, then, then absolutely. But a lot of times in hotel rooms it works really well with the TV.
Daisy: Yeah. What advice would you give to up and coming male performers?
Tef: Um, first of all, um, you know, just be yourself. Try to be, try to be a humble person. A lot of times people have what they call male talent syndrome. Uh, it’s really easy for your ego to go through the roof when you’re, uh, getting paid to have with hot women on camera. And I feel like a lot of the times you just need to, um, you just need to like be more down to earth and also care, care about and respect your coworkers, uh, and your production.
Uh, because if you’re on the set, um, everyone that’s there, there doing the job and you respect their time and their effort towards what you’re doing as well. Um, that’s super important, I think. Um, just to be, try to be a pleasant person to be around. Um, it’s not all about sex. It’s about, um, it’s [00:52:00] about being a good person.
Daisy: Yeah.
Tef: It’s about being pleasant to be around and doing your job the way you’re supposed to and making your co-stars and everyone around you feel safe while you’re doing it. Yeah.
Daisy: At the end of the day, it’s a job and it’s a work place.
Tef: It is, and everyone should feel safe doing it. And um, yeah, please respect your costars.
Daisy: Please. Thank you so much for talking with us today.
Tef: Thanks for having me.
AMD: really love Tef’s energy. Um, he’s very friendly and super down to earth and you can tell almost immediately talking to him. So we really appreciate, um, his input and his thoughts on the industry. Um, and, and thank you so much to everyone. Uh, for being on camera with us and agreeing to interview. I mean, we literally put people on the spot.
We’re like, you wanna do an interview for the podcast? And they’re like, sure. And we’re like right now though, right? And they’re like, oh, okay. So everyone was really gracious, even though they were really tired. Friday was probably the busiest day. Um, I know I personally [00:53:00] spent hours walking around, I think from like 1:00 PM to 8:00 PM I was just on my feet walking around.
Um, and thanks to my last surgery, I’m able to do things like that now. And um, there was, I was not bothered at all. I was walking everywhere, all over that casino. So, and I got to meet so many awesome people and if you are one of those awesome people that I got to meet, please don’t hesitate to reach out.
Um, and thank you so much y’all for listening. Some really exciting things coming up in 2026, but we really wanted to get some content out to you, which is why we made this episode. Um, and we really wanted to celebrate AVN and, um, a big, huge shout out to Brian Gross, um, for getting us hooked up as press for our first time at AVN.
And again, thank you so much to the entire AVN production crew. Y’all killed it. It was awesome. [00:54:00] Um, and don’t forget to donate to YAS Podcast, um, because we’re adding new hosts and we would love to buy new equipment to be able to do more live events. Such as we did at AVN. Remember, we’re a nonprofit and your donations are considered a tax writeoff.
Thank you so much for tuning to YAS Podcast, which is in collaboration with YAS Work. And, um, don’t forget to sign up for our newsletter, by the way, because we’re gonna put in sneak peek info in our newsletter. So sign up for that and yeah, we’ll see you guys next time. Thanks so much for tuning in.