Steven Spielberg's Daughter Mikaela Opens Up About Sex Work: 'It Was About Independence'

Porn star Mikaela Spielberg, the adopted daughter of Steven Spielberg and Kate Capshaw, has opened up about working in the sex industry, revealing that she’s enjoying what she’s doing.

In an interview with The Daily Beast, the 24-year-old, who appears on Bella French's adult content platform ManyVids, talked about her mental health struggles. Spielberg also revealed how working in the porn industry has helped her following her brushes with the law earlier this year.

“I’m really enjoying work, and it’s giving me a whole new life-affirming way to be. It opened up a gateway into being able to dance. The best part of it has been that anytime I want to I can just go into work, and go dance,” she said.

Spielberg added that her desire for independence pushed her to pursue a career in adult entertainment. The porn star clarified that it wasn’t about putting herself above women.

“It was about independence in finances and independence in freedom of speech. You know the acronym NLOG [Not Like Other Girls]? That wasn’t the goal for me of going into sex work. I wanted community, and I wanted to be 100% in charge of my own life in a way that was creative and not destructive,” she said.

Aside from wanting to be independent, Spielberg also told the outlet that she decided to make some changes in her life after she tried to cover up her heartbreak and vulnerability with alcohol. She shared that she is now “in the middle of a healing journey.”

Spielberg said in February that her parents were both intrigued by her decision to dip her toes into the sex industry. She also hoped that they would be proud to see “how far I've come from the bottom I was at a year and a half ago, they're going to look at this and go, 'Wow, we actually raised a really self-assured, young lady.’”

Earlier this year, Spielberg made headlines after she was arrested and charged with domestic assault causing bodily injury following a huge fight with her then-boyfriend, Chuck Pankow, who was 27 years older than her. Prior to that, she was in the spotlight for her announcement that she was pursuing a career in porn.

“I almost feel I can’t speak on the actual events because that would put my safety in jeopardy, but I can say that I feel I was made into this spooky media caricature of what we don’t want in society,” Spielberg said of the media coverage on her arrest.