The porn industry gave us plenty of things to watch in 2024.

And also plenty of things to write about.

Whether it was beloved performers capturing awards, retired legends re-entering the talent pool, politics creating fear and division, or new technology altering the landscape, there seemed to be a fresh hot-button topic every month.

Here are PornCrush’s “Top 10 Stories of 2025”

10. ELLY ENTERS THE MIX

The No. 1 bullet point on Elly Clutch’s resume is that she became one of the world’s most popular porn stars before she ever shot a porn scene. Or rather, a studio porn scene. Nonetheless, that’s not easy to do. Elly, though, is of a rare ilk. Yes, she’s undeniably beautiful—we’d even say flawless—with cascading auburn hair, a runway model’s legs, and a cover girl’s ivory skin. All of those qualities helped her land shoots with Playboy, Penthouse, and Hustler. But Elly’s physical assets aren’t the only reason she was able to elevate her brand over the past few years, despite a catalog mostly limited to collabs on her OnlyFans and ManyVids platforms. A successful Twitch streamer, Elly is brilliant at marketing, a grinder on social media, and a staple at the industry’s top parties and events, where her warmth is felt by everyone from the top “it” girls to porn’s newest faces. Everyone knows Elly—and everyone loves her, which is why there was so much excitement last summer when the 26-year-old announced that she was breaking the seal and taking the plunge into studio porn. Few debuts, if any, in recent history have been as anticipated as “Lights, Cameras, Facial,” the Brazzers threesome featuring Elly alongside A-listers Luna Star and Scott Nails. And Elly more than lived up to the hype, turning in a sizzling performance that drew industry-wide praise. “She’s a newcomer performing like a veteran,” PornCrush critic Andrew Curse wrote. Insistent on being selective with her bookings, Elly went on to shoot four other scenes for Brazzers while also working for Ricky’s Room, Digital Playground, and LucidFlix. Though not high in volume, her performances were so undeniably strong that AVN couldn’t help but bestow her with a Best New Starlet nomination. We won’t be surprised if she wins before achieving bigger milestones in 2026.

9. RETURN OF THE QUEENS

Maybe they were bored, maybe they were horny—or perhaps they missed the spotlight. The reasons don’t really matter. We were just glad to see some of the industry’s top retired porn stars back on studio sets in 2025. The most notable name was Adriana Chechik. AVN’s 2017 Female Performer of the Year had spent the past few years as a full-time streamer while occasionally shooting collabs for her content platforms. Much to the delight of her fans, Adriana came back full throttle toward the end of 2025, shooting a blowbang for Evil Angel and a POV scene with Mr. Lucky before starring alongside Blake Blossom in a sizzling Blacked Raw threesome with Sheem the Dream. Also making a comeback was trans star Aubrey Kate, arguably the top talent in her genre's history. The three-time Trans Performer of the Year directed and starred in two of 2025’s top features: “Transtoinette” and “Aubrey Kate’s Wet ’N’ Wild,” while also working for every A-list studio that shoots trans porn. Twenty-year veteran Eva Angelina also made her way back to studio sets, picking up where she left off with intense DPs, gang bangs, and orgies. Other popular stars making a comeback include Carmen Caliente, Armani Black, Kylie Quinn, Lily LaBeau, Rosalyn Sphinx, and Yhivi.

8. MGEN CONTINUES TO SIDELINE PERFORMERS

Although the number of positive tests for Mycoplasma genitalium (M-gen) has slightly decreased, the confusion and frustration surrounding the disease continue to be issues. Most of the performers who contract m-gen are asymptomatic and question whether they are even contagious. Others are leery about taking the aggressive dose of prescribed antibiotics, partially because of the side effects and partially because they’re worried about becoming resistant to the medication. Not to mention that it doesn’t always work. PornCrush spoke with multiple performers throughout 2025 who were sidelined for nearly a month with M-gen, taking numerous rounds of antibiotics before finally testing negative. And then they tested positive again a few weeks later. Thousands of dollars were lost due to missed work, creating a daunting financial burden for people already living paycheck to paycheck. Sources told PornCrush during the fall that PASS was consulting with medical experts and considering revamping its testing protocols for M-gen, but a decision has yet to be made.

7. KYLIE PAGE PASSES AWAY AT 28 YEARS OF AGE

One of the most well-liked stars in the industry, Page, 28, was found deceased in her Los Angeles apartment on June 25, with an autopsy revealing that her death was caused by “the effects of cocaine and fentanyl.” Page was 19 when she responded to a Craigslist advertisement in 2016 seeking adult performers. “She was tired of being poor,” Page’s mother, Aimee, told PornCrush. Page shot porn off and on over the next nine years and gained notoriety by appearing on the Netflix documentary “Hot Girls Wanted.” Like many performers, Page tragically fell victim to one of the dangers omnipresent in the adult industry, but also in entertainment as a whole. She became addicted to alcohol and drugs and was often in relationships with abusive partners. Page had made several attempts to get clean and was reportedly on a path to sobriety in the weeks before her death. “I feared something like this was going to happen,” Aimee said. “I feared she was going to (die), just because of her lifestyle. I was worried she was going to relapse, and she did.”

6. WILDFIRES, CONTROVERSY THREATEN TO IMPACT XBIZ, AVN EXPOS

The excitement that usually permeates throughout the industry heading into awards season was replaced by fear and tension. It started in Los Angeles when the devastating January wildfires caused some to question whether the X3 convention and XMA awards show would even take place. Even though the area surrounding the Hollywood Palladium was unaffected by the fires, there was concern that the city's downtrodden vibe would negatively affect attendance. Luckily, that wasn’t the case, as both of XBIZ’s events went off without a hitch—perhaps providing a therapeutic dose of positivity during tough times. AVN also received a scare when Virgin Hotel and Casino workers went on strike over unfair pay, picketing outside the property, disrupting traffic, and pestering hotel guests. Some performers boycotted the convention, either because they “stood with” hotel workers in their fight or because they worried the hotel's atmosphere and vibe would be disrupted by the picketers. Pornhub even pulled out of the event altogether. Fortunately, the strike ended a day before the convention, and the AVN Expo and awards show were both deemed a massive success.

5. A NEW LEVEL OF EXTREME

A five-or 10-man gang bang would probably seem like a walk in the park for Bonnie Blue and Lilly Phillips, who continued to take on hordes of men at a time in romps that gained national attention. In January, Blue claimed to have broken a world record by having sex with 1,057 men in 12 hours, including one who brought his mother to watch. She attempted to set up a “petting zoo” in June where she’d be tied up in a glass box as 2,000 men took turns having sex with her, but that was later canceled. Earlier this month, Blue was arrested in Indonesia—where pornography is outlawed—when a shoot location was raided before production began. She was later released and deported. Blue has been banned from OnlyFans for violating its rules regarding “extreme challenges” and now distributes her content on Fansly. Blue’s theatrics one-upped those of Lilly Phillips, whose 101-man gangbang was the focus of a 2024 documentary that turned Phillips into a national name. Phillips claims to have had sex with 50 men in one day in March of 2025, but she spent much of the past year working on ManyVids content. She also shot a handful of studio scenes for studios such as Vixen, Ricky’s Room, and BangBros. Tiffany Wisconsin is another performer who has earned a reputation for similar shenanigans, claiming to have had sex with 50 men in a day. She also prioritizes sex with elderly men, a fetish that got her banned from multiple nursing homes in 2025, according to the Village Voice.

4. RADIANT ROOKIES

Every new year brings a flurry of fresh-faced talent, but the performers who made their studio debuts in 2025 seemed to be at a higher level. At least in terms of jaw-dropping beauty. Leading the pack was Ava Amira, an Iraqi-born former McDonald’s employee who entered the industry over the summer. Ava’s coming-out party occurred when she turned heads on the red carpet at the Pornhub Awards—and that was before she’d ever shot a studio scene. The months that followed saw the top studios in the business lining up to book the buxom stunner, and AVN selected her as a trophy girl for its upcoming awards show. Another newcomer who quickly captured the industry’s attention was Jewel Diamant, a former fashion model whose still photos are absolutely mesmerizing. With long, slender legs and a toned tummy and torso, Jewel has been a hit in front of the video camera, too, as directors for Adult Time, Brazzers, and Vixen can attest. They’re also high on Isa Bella, a 30-year-old Latina who has flourished since signing with InVision Models last spring. Isa has quickly become one of the industry’s most in-demand newcomers and recently relocated to Los Angeles to pursue her career with even more vigor. Other new performers who are impossible to ignore include Maddie Wren, Summer Kline,  Scarlette Moon, Mia River, Ophelia Fae, Tess Thompson and Lucy Lotus. Simply put, the face for the 2026 Best New Starlet award should be more competitive than ever.

3. ANNA'S CLEAN SWEEP

Usually, there’s at least some sort of intrigue surrounding the AVN and XBIZ Female Performer of the Year award. Experts typically have three or four names they consider to be “favorites” and would be content with any of those models being crowned the winner. But at the 2025 ceremonies, there was no question that Anna Claire Clouds was going to win. If she didn’t, things would’ve seemed fishy. With more than 100 scenes for nearly every studio in porn—and a Jules Jordan showcase that was second-to-none—Anna’s had distanced itself from the pack with a resume that was as impressive as any in recent memory. Still, the main reason Anna won at both AVN and XBIZ was that her scenes were high not just in volume, but also in quality. Whether she was entangled in a girl-girl tryst for Slayed, shooting a passion-filled scene for Elegant Angel, getting drilled for Vixen, or DP’d in her showcase, Anna was an illustration of versatility and range in 2025. And her elite acting skills were simply the cherry on top. One of the top all-around performers of the 2020s, Anna took a step back in 2025—but only a small one. Her scene count was just south of 100, and her performances hardly slipped. Her efforts were rewarded with 11 AVN nominations—the most of any performer heading into January. Can she repeat? We certainly wouldn’t argue if she did.

2: AGE VERIFICATION LAWS, OTHER RESTRICTIONS CAST CLOUD OF UNCERTAINTY

Porn has always lived with restrictions. What changed in 2025 was how quickly those restrictions started to touch the actual product. Not just payment processors, not just advertising rules, not just social platforms shadow-banning links, but the front door itself. A growing list of states moved to require age verification for sites whose content is deemed "harmful to minors," often using a one-third threshold. For fans, it meant friction. For platforms, it meant liability. For performers, it meant one more variable that can crush traffic overnight, even if their content and hustle stay the same.

The turning point came on June 27, when the U.S. Supreme Court upheld Texas House Bill 1181 in Free Speech Coalition, Inc. v. Paxton, allowing the state to require that a subset of websites verify that their users are 18 or older. The ruling gave lawmakers a green light they had been chasing for years. Almost immediately, the question for adult platforms shifted from whether these laws would spread to how they would respond as they did. Some sites tried to build compliance systems. Others chose the simpler option: cut off access in entire states rather than collect sensitive identification data.

Arizona wasn’t the first state to see that kind of block. What it did provide was a late-2025 snapshot of the new normal after the Court’s decision: another major market flips the switch, and another audience is forced to choose between handing over ID information, changing habits, or leaving. As Arizona prepared to implement HB 2112 in late September, Pornhub once again opted to block access, this time for Arizona users, instead of building an ID-based verification flow there. Missouri followed the same pattern in December, with Pornhub again blocking access after a new rule took effect. The result tends to rhyme. Fans either walk away, find a different site, or shift to creator platforms where age and payment checks occur at the point of purchase, not during casual, and now much more SFW, browsing. Creators feel it as a sudden softening of the funnel: fewer random clicks, fewer new subscribers, and greater reliance on social media and collab networks to replace what used to be easier, ambient traffic.

The pressure was not limited to the United States. In late May, the European Commission opened formal proceedings under the Digital Services Act against Pornhub and other major porn sites, focusing on whether their measures to keep minors out are actually effective. Europe made clear it is not satisfied with a one-click "I am over 18" screen. With potential penalties that can reach a meaningful percentage of global revenue, regulators signaled that age gates are no longer just a box to check.

1. ENOUGH IS ENOUGH

In 2025, perhaps more than ever, numerous female performers came forward with allegations of mistreatment by individuals and companies throughout the industry. Whether it was boundaries not being respected on set, photographers pressuring women for physical favors, collaborators withholding payments, or actual physical and sexual assaults, performers weren’t shy about speaking truth to power and holding those who abused it accountable. The most high-profile cases involved Lilith Grace and Tess Thompson, both of whom filed police reports alleging that Robert Moran, the founder of 101 Modeling, sexually abused them in hotel rooms while they were heavily intoxicated. After Grace shared her story with PornCrush in February, other former 101 roster members shared tales of Moran acting in a disorderly and unprofessional fashion, usually when he was drunk. And Thompson’s decision to go public two weeks ago has caused some 101’s top current talent to seek representation elsewhere. Moran continues to run 101, but on the final day of 2025, questions about his future—and about overall abuse in the industry—were the hottest topic in porn.