Ex-Porn Star Mia Khalifa Talks Controversial Hijab Video, Death Threats

Ex-porn star Mia Khalifa has opened up about the controversial hijab video that ultimately made her a chart-topper in several adult sites and had led to her receiving death threats online.

In an interview with YouTube star Anthony Padilla posted Saturday, Khalifa talked about how her infamous hijab scene came about and what transpired during the day of the shoot. The TikTok personality revealed that when she went to the set that day, she had not known what the contents of the video they would be filming were.

Khalifa explained that two producers talked to her as she was having her hair and makeup done and discussed the scene she was going to do. She said that she was asked if she could speak Arabic, which she could, something that delighted producers.

“I was asked to wear a hijab,” Khalifa explained, adding that she did shot the scene with another woman and a man.

When Padilla asked how bad the reactions were after the video came out, Khalifa revealed that she had received death threats over it, explaining that they came from “people who were so mad at me for putting on a hijab and making Muslims look bad.”

Her adult video also didn’t sit well with “ISIS sympathizers,” whom she said hacked her Instagram account, which at the time had over 2 million followers, and had it taken down.

When Padilla asked what made her realize that she was in the adult film industry, Khalifa narrated a particular event after the hijab porn video sparked controversy and went viral.

She said she had already been working with the adult company BangBros for a few weeks when news broke regarding the death threats and the hijab scene. Khalifa then realized she had become part of the industry once the company expressed interest in extending her contract and asked her to make more “controversial” and “Middle Eastern” content.

Khalifa joined the adult industry in 2014 but left after just three months. She then worked as a paralegal and bookkeeper in Miami before transitioning into a career as a sports commentator and social media personality.

During her new interview, Khalifa was also asked whether she would be willing to trade her life at the moment with a more modest one.

“Yes, I would trade it in, like in a heartbeat. And on the flip side, I'm very proud of how far I've come and how hard I've worked to get to where I am and all of the things I've done against the odds to kinda distance myself from me at age 21,” she told Padilla. “I'm just proud of coming so far.”

Since turning her back on the adult film industry, Khalifa has been outspoken about the pitfalls of being a porn star, even admitting that she regrets the videos she made during her brief stint.