Ex-Porn Star Crissy Moran on Leaving the Industry for Christ: Adult Films Were 'Unnatural'
Pornography tops the list of controversial topics among Christian men. Some churchgoing fathers, pastors and young adults frequent websites filled with explicit sexual content and beautiful women involved in these acts. One of these women, Crissy Moran, made a more than comfortable living as an adult actress- her website earned her over $15,000 a month. However, Moran left the industry in 2006 and never looked back, deciding to rededicate her life to Jesus Christ.
Moran, now 37, was raised by Christian parents who divorced when she was 14, just 3 years after she accepted Jesus as her Lord and Savior. Her father suffered from alcoholism after splitting up with her mother and his condition led Crissy to believe that God had abandoned her. Despite his constant drinking, Moran's father still preached abstinence until marriage to her, while her mother's outlook had become less and less influenced by Christian values.
The confusion lead her down the wrong path, and Moran started pursuing a career in pornography in 1999. After posting revealing pictures of herself on the internet, Moran was offered jobs modeling in Miami and Los Angeles for Playboy and Hustler. She eventually moved on to creating her own pornography website and performed in over 40 mainstream adult films after moving to California.
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Moran found financial success, but admitted to The Christian Post that she never enjoyed the job, deeming it "unnatural." Her career in adult films lasted until 2006, when she finally decided that the sex industry wasn't for her anymore. She now works with Treasures, a non-profit organization that helps women leaving the sex industry. Moran recently spoke with CP and revealed much about her life and experiences.
The Christian Post: While you were still working in adult films, who was the person or situation that led you back to Christ?
Moran: When I was in the industry, I had a lot of conflict with what I was doing. There was no mention of God by anyone in my life. I was a serial dater and I always had to be [involved] with a man and they didn't speak about Jesus to me. So, I was searching for something the whole time I was in the industry.
My last year there I was in a serious relationship with a guy. I lived with him and he was the first man [I dated who wasn't abusive]. I thought he would be the person I would marry. Even though our relationship wasn't perfect, I thought it was good enough. He didn't really care [about me working in pornography].
When we were dating I expected him to be loyal to me and [not look upon other women] with lust. Part of that expectation came from what my father taught me growing up. Even though I was in pornography, I didn't work with men so I expected him to be loyal. I got him work in the industry since he was a photographer. [While he was on a business trip,] he went to strip clubs and lied to me about it. I was so upset and broken over it. Eventually he convinced me to come out to where he was filming and meet him and when I got there he tried to win me back.
During my [visit, I went to one of his shoots]. While there, one of his friends got a text message … guys there started passing it around laughing. I asked what they were looking at and they told me it was one of their wives posing topless. Out of nowhere I got really angry and I said I would hope that when I'm married that my husband would not be passing around pictures of me topless or nude. Everybody started laughing, but the guy to my left said when I get married I wouldn't show pictures like that to anyone. I was in shock!
Later on that day, he and I started talking. He asked me what I did for a living. I said modeling. He asked me what kind and kept prying. Eventually I told him I did pornography. He said he knew already and that my boyfriend had told the guys and then he asked me if I believed in God. I told him yes and he proceeded to preach the Gospel to me. I started crying and he asked me if I wanted to rededicate my life. I said yes. [After that], I didn't do any more shoots and stopped accepting any income from pornogrpahy.
CP: While you working in pornography, what was your lifestyle like?
Moran: When I was in the industry, I wasn't very social. I spent a lot of time by myself or I stayed with whoever I was dating. I only hung out with people in the industry when I was at work. My main income was my website. I received around $15,000 per month. I also did movies and magazines. I really didn't want to work a lot and my recurring income [allowed me to live comfortably]. I would go months without shooting anything.
CP: So you never really enjoyed working as an adult actress?
Moran: I was very selective about the shoots that I did, because even though its porn, there's different kinds. So, you have the gonzo style that features two people on somebody's couch. You also have Playboy style along with more glamorous type of films shot in big mansions where your hair [and makeup are done for you]. The glamorous shoots are the types I always preferred, because the glamorous part of it was fun to me, but the actual sex part I never liked. It was always unnatural to me.
CP: How did your peers in the business react when you decided to leave pornography and rededicate your life to the Lord?
Moran: When I left the industry, I only maintained contact with 10 girls. When I was in porn, I worked with women or I worked solo. I only worked with one man that was my boyfriend for three and a half years who was abusive to me. The women that I kept in contact with knew [I had changed] and I think it gave them a little bit of hope.
The only people who really had anything negative to say … were those who were running my website- it was their top money maker. When I asked them to take the website down, they said they could not do that since I was under contract. My webmaster had been hurt by a Christian cult that his mother was a part of when he was younger, and he hated God. He told me that if I was leaving the industry because I wanted to have a baby that would be acceptable. To leave and expect him to take down my website [for God angered him, and he refused to do it].
I maintained contact with many of the people that promoted my website. There was a forum they'd use to promote the site where they would post comments and I would [tell them to] take my website down. Eventually they just blocked me. They became really mean. It got so bad that the people promoting my website started making pictures of me with Jesus covering my breasts to promote it. It was so hard for me. I was so angry, hurt and ashamed. Those people were my friends. They all gave me a really hard time. They still hate me.
Stay Tuned for Part 2 of CP's interview with Crissy Moran, where she discusses what led her to the industry, music and more.
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