Mia Khalifa

Background

Mia Khalifa is a Lebanese-American model, social media personality, and sports commentator. She became known for her involvement in the porn industry in October 2014 and gained fame as a pornographic film actress. Mia Khalifa gained immense popularity, becoming the top-viewed performer on Pornhub within just two months. However, her career path sparked significant controversy in the Middle East, particularly due to a video in which she engaged in explicit acts while wearing a hijab.

Early Life

Mia Khalifa or Mia Callista, with a real name of Sarah Joe Chamoun, was born on February 10, 1993, in Lebanon. She was brought up in a highly conservative environment. During her formative years, she attended a private French school in Beirut, where she gained proficiency in the English language. In 2001, Mia Khalifa and her family decided to leave their homeland and relocate to the United States, driven by the conflicts occurring in South Lebanon at the time.

Upon settling in Montgomery County, Maryland, Mia Khalifa pursued her high school education in this new setting. She was one of the few students with a darker skin tone, which unfortunately subjected her to bullying. In an interview, she shared that she struggled with being significantly overweight and feeling like she didn't fit in anywhere, making her childhood quite challenging.

After the 9/11 attacks took place in New York, the bullying continued, and Mia Khalifa felt more under attack and victimized than ever. Whilst she was at school, Mia Khalifa felt like she was the darkest and weirdest girl out of her peers. This pushed her to seek validation from others, particularly men. At the tender age of 16, she entered into a relationship with a 23-year-old man.

Higher Education

Mia Khalifa enrolled at Massanutten Military Academy located in Woodstock, Virginia. She achieved a Bachelor of Arts degree in history from the University of Texas at El Paso. While she was in College, she supported herself by having various occupations. She has been working as a bartender, engaging in modeling, and as the "briefcase girl" on a regional Spanish rendition of the game show "Deal or No Deal."

Body Image and Weight Loss Journey

Despite facing body image struggles and an eating disorder, Mia Khalifa openly discussed her challenges. She shed 60 pounds in a weight loss journey, yet her self-perception remains complex due to her eating disorder. In 2016, she sought therapy, leading to transformative personal growth.

Embarking on this therapeutic journey in 2016, Mia Khalifa has embraced the concept of trying various therapists, finding it instrumental in her battle against body image concerns and other emotional struggles.

Breast Lift and Implants

Due to her significant weight loss, she opted for a breast lift procedure accompanied by implants, resulting in her achieving a size of 34DDD. Despite shedding 60 pounds, remnants of her past, such as excess skin and stretch marks from her former 32A size, have remained.

Nose Job

In July 2020, she posted a picture of her recovery after undergoing rhinoplasty, revealing that the procedure had 'changed her whole life'.

Career

Adult Performer

In October 2014, Mia Khalifa entered the professional adult film industry, adopting her stage name by combining her dog's name, Mia, with the moniker of American rapper Wiz Khalifa.

Mia Khalifa gained widespread attention through a scene with Bang Bros in which she wore a hijab during a threesome. This particular scene not only propelled Mia Khalifa to instant fame but also attracted criticism from writers and religious figures. This scene, which was viewed over 1.5 million times, catapulted the 22-year-old Khalifa to become the most sought-after performer on the adult video sharing platform Pornhub. By December 28, 2018, Pornhub revealed that she held the top position among performers on their website. She was ranked fifth among the world’s ten most famous porn stars.

In January 2015, Mia Khalifa signed a long-term contract with WGCZ Holding, the parent company of Bang Bros. Beyond Bang Bros, they also own XVideos, the largest free porn site. The contract stipulated her participation in multiple films per month. However, within two weeks, Mia Khalifa had a change of heart and chose to step down.

In January 2017, xHamster announced that Mia Khalifa had garnered the highest search volume as an adult actress for the year 2016. Even in 2018, three years after her departure from the industry, she maintained her position as the second-highest-ranking individual on Pornhub. By August 2019, Mia Khalifa revealed that she had earned $12,000 during her time working in the adult film realm, with an estimated compensation of $1,000 per scene—an industry-standard contractor payment according to Alec Helmy, the president and publisher of adult entertainment news site XBIZ.

Conflict with Bang Bros

Mia Khalifa clarified that she did not receive residuals from Bang Bros or other free platforms where her videos were uploaded. While PornHub did not disclose the exact revenue generated by Mia Khalifa's videos on their site, an approximation by Social Blade CEO Jason Urgo in 2019, based on advertising revenue per view akin to YouTube, suggested she could have potentially earned over $500,000 had she been a PornHub partner.

In July 2020, a Change.org petition calling for the removal of Mia Khalifa's videos from platforms like Pornhub and BangBros, as well as the return of her internet domains, amassed more than 1.5 million signatures. In response, BangBros issued a cease and desist letter to Khalifa and established a website to counter her statements regarding the company. According to BangBros, Khalifa had earned over $178,000 from their endeavors and affiliated ventures, having been involved in the adult industry for more than two years.

Corporate Work

Originally, Mia Khalifa worked as a bartender and pursued some modeling opportunities while studying in college. After a three-month stint as an adult film actor, she had a 'normal job', transitioning to working in Miami as a paralegal and bookkeeper.

Social Media Star

She made a transition into various career paths, including becoming a social media personality, webcam model, and sports commentator. She started her own YouTube channel titled Mia K which has 898 thousand subscribers and a total view count of over 45 million views as of today. Unfortunately, she stopped uploading content and the latest video she uploaded was four years ago.

She also ventured into live streaming on Twitch, amassing a substantial following of 431 thousand followers. She extended her involvement by engaging in webcam modeling and offering exclusive content for sale on platforms such as Patreon. On this platform, she provides access to photoshoots, merchandise, and exclusive videos.

In 2016, Dan Steinberg of The Washington Post observed that, even though Khalifa had shifted her career focus, her social media content remained "somewhat more daring compared to someone like Ben Bernanke."

Support for Palestine

Similar to Bella Hadid, Mia Khalifa has utilized her substantial presence on social media to express her solidarity with Palestine. On May 17, 2021, she posted a tweet stating, "Greetings. The primary challenge to democracy in the Middle East is Israel."

Furthermore, Khalifa addressed the issue of the Indian farmers' protests in February 2021, sharing a tweet that questioned, "What instances of human rights violations are unfolding?! Cutting off internet access around New Delhi?! #FarmersProtest."

Today, the former performer has been active on her Instagram account having 27.6 million followers and a TikTok account with a whooping 37.9 million followers. On TikTok she shares lip syncing videos and shares her daily life to her followers. Utilizing her substantial social media influence, Mia Khalifa rallied support for professional sports teams located in the Washington, D.C., area.

Sports Commentator

Following her exit from the adult industry, Mia Khalifa has been diligently shaping her career in sports presenting, a path she has embraced due to her openly acknowledged passion for sports. Notably, she co-hosted "Out of Bounds” alongside Gilbert Arenas, a sports program featured on Complex News's YouTube channel, spanning from October 2017 to February 2018. Additionally, Mia Khalifa co-hosted "Sportsball '' alongside Tyler Coe on Rooster Teeth, with the final episode airing on October 30, 2018.

Entrepreneur

In June 2023, Khalifa launched a jewelry line called "Sheytan" alongside Sara Burn, a former Virgil Abloh collaborator. Sheytan translates to devil or evil spirits in Arabic.

Personal Life

Relationship

In February 2011, Mia Khalifa married her high school boyfriend, but their relationship ended in separation in 2014, culminating in a divorce in 2016. Subsequently, she entered a marriage with Robert Sandberg, a professional chef, in 2019. Their engagement transpired in March 2019, and despite the initial postponement of their wedding due to the Covid pandemic, they eventually exchanged vows. Their official marriage took place in their Los Angeles residence, an intimate ceremony shared with close family. However, the couple experienced fundamental differences leading to their divorce in 2020.

By November 2021, Mia Khalifa revealed her romantic relationship with singer Jhay Cortez.

Family

Mia Khalifa embraced Christianity, whereas her family adheres to the Muslim faith. Following her entry into the adult entertainment industry, communication with her family became strained, resulting in limited public knowledge about their interactions and current status.

Popular Culture

In November 2016, her fans online wanted Mia Khalifa to become the United States Ambassador to Saudi Arabia when Donald Trump was going to be President.

In 2018, a music duo named iLoveFriday made a song called "Mia Khalifa" because of a fake tweet pretending to be her. The song became famous on the internet where a part of it turned into a meme called "hit or miss." A lot of people used this meme in their TikTok videos, and it was really popular with over four million TikTok videos using it.

In May 2020, she made a guest appearance as her own character on the Hulu series "Ramy."

Mia Khalifa OnlyFans

Mia Khalifa jumped on the trend and set up her own OnlyFans account. Since 2020, Mia Khalifa has maintained an OnlyFans profile, although her content remains non-explicit. Upon her initial foray into the platform, numerous subscribers voiced grievances concerning their expenditures and the absence of explicit content available to them.

There, she shared spicy but safe-for-work (SFW) content exclusively. She made a pledge to her fans, assuring them of fresh, exclusive content every day. She charges a regular price of $12 a month. On her account, she has a total of 666 photos and 80 exclusive videos that may have OnlyFans nudes. 

When discussing her reasons for joining the website, she expressed: "I am finally growing into my self-confidence in who I am and the decisions I make for me, and this is my way of being myself outside the perimeters of conventional social media.

"Even though I will not be creating nude content, I am going to be treating this page like my Instagram without terms of service lol.”

"I want to take my power back and just post what I want and what makes me feel good, and I'm just so thankful that y'all are along for this wild ride.”

But unfortunately, Mia Khalifa OnlyFans leaked to the public.

Mia Khalifa OnlyFans leak

Just like any celebrity who is on OnlyFans, Mia Khalifa OnlyFans leaks are spread in public. Some of her OnlyFans content, which may have included explicit material like an upskirt striptease video, has been shared without her consent by one of her subscribers.

The trend of leaked OnlyFans nude content has become widespread, affecting both celebrities and non-celebrities alike.

Net Worth

Mia Khalifa's estimated net worth of $5 million is quite remarkable. Her ranking as the leading adult performer in 2014 garnered her significant attention, contributing to her impressive financial standing.

Issues and Controversies

Controversial Porn Scene

• Raised in a very conservative setting, her family publicly disowned her after knowing that she had been doing adult content. Her family currently is no longer speaking with her.

• The strong reaction to her controversial scene where she wears a hijab triggered in the Arabs turned into a sort of 'Streisand effect.' Unexpectedly, her name became a trending search. The attempt to suppress her actually made her even more widely recognized. This is according to Alex Hawkins, the Vice President of Marketing for xHamster.

• Among the voices openly supporting her decision to enter the adult entertainment industry was British-Lebanese author Nasri Atallah. He asserted, "The moral outrage... is misdirected for two key reasons. First and foremost, as a woman, she possesses the freedom to make her own choices about her body. She holds control over her own life and is not indebted to the nation of her birth; she is a conscious individual with the power to make decisions, living far away from her place of origin."

Death Threats

• She gained widespread attention with a highly controversial video that surfaced in early 2015, propelling her to the position of the most searched-for pornstar on Pornhub. The video sparked considerable backlash, particularly in Lebanon and other predominantly Muslim nations in the Middle East, where she began receiving threats on her life. Following her ascent to the status of Pornhub's leading star, Mia Khalifa encountered online death threats, which included a doctored image depicting her alongside an Islamic State executioner, accompanied by a warning that she would be the "first person in Hellfire."

Trivia

• She has a tattoo that holds cultural significance with the first words of the Lebanese national anthem in Arabic, symbolizing her deep connection to her heritage and pride in her roots.

• During her teenage years, she relocated to Montgomery County, Maryland, and enrolled at Northwest High School.

• She stopped doing camming and anything sexual on June 17, 2017.

• After completing her studies, she found herself employed at a fast food establishment when she was approached for a position in the adult entertainment industry.

• She had a conflict with BangBros company claiming she did not receive residuals from them. From BangBros, Pornhub and other free sites where BangBros uploaded her videos.

• Because of her controversial adult scene, the outrage in the Arab world ended in a 'Streisand effect'.

• Almaza, a Lebanese brewery, featured an advertisement that showcased a bottle of their beer positioned alongside Khalifa's distinctive glasses, accompanied by the tagline: "We are both rated 18+."

FAQs

Who is Mia Khalifa?

• She is a former adult film actress, model, and social media personality.

Where did she get her stage name?

• Mia Khalifa's stage name is a combination of her pet dog's name, "Mia," and the last name of the American rapper Wiz Khalifa. This creative fusion of names was chosen as her pseudonym when she entered the adult entertainment industry.

Why did Mia Khalifa leave her husband?

• She decided to end the relationship after trying all possible attempts to save their marriage. The cited cause for their separation was described as 'fundamental differences'.

Does Mia Khalifa have TikTok?

• Yes, she has a TikTok account with 37.9 million followers.

Did she graduate College?

• Yes, she graduated from the University of Texas at El Paso with a Bachelor of Arts degree in History.Yes, she graduated from the University of Texas at El Paso with a Bachelor of Arts degree in History.