Former Navy Veteran Addyson James is now a Homeless Porn Star

There is a misconception that girls who work in porn make millions of dollars. That is rarely the case, and that's exactly the story I have for you today.

A former U.S. Navy sailor who later entered the adult film industry is warning that platforms such as OnlyFans rarely provide the financial security many outsiders assume.

46-year-old Addyson James, a Vermont native and Afghanistan veteran, said she has been homeless for several months after work in pornography and online content creation declined sharply. James, who began performing professionally in 2023, told The Sun that only a small fraction of adult performers earn substantial income.

“There are one percent of people who are on OnlyFans who shoot porn that actually make a lot of money,” James said. “Most people don’t even make $10,000 a year shooting porn.”

Addyson James joined the U.S. Navy in 1998 and served for five years, including three as an aircraft logistics specialist. Much of her service was spent stationed at Diego Garcia, the joint U.S.-UK military base in the Indian Ocean. During operations following the September 11 attacks, she supported missions involving stealth bombers deployed to Afghanistan.

“We were putting bombs on them and launching those planes out,” she recalled. “It was incredibly important with the missions that we were completing.”

After leaving the Navy in 2003, James trained as an esthetician and later became involved in the swinging lifestyle. She said that background made her more open to adult work when a production company approached her about filming porn nearly two decades later.

Initially, the transition appeared viable. Addyson James said she earned up to $1,200 per scene and, at her peak, filmed five to seven scenes per month. That work, however, proved inconsistent. By last summer, bookings had stopped entirely for more than two months.

“When summer hits, I went from five to seven scenes a month to zero scenes,” she said. During that period, she relied on friends for temporary housing.

Compounding the problem, James said expenses such as weekly STI testing, which can cost around $300, and agent commissions of roughly 15 percent significantly reduce take-home pay. Online subscriptions through OnlyFans, she added, have not provided a reliable safety net.

As a result, Addyson James said she is currently living and working at Sheri’s Ranch, a legal brothel outside Las Vegas, as a means of supplemental income and housing while she stabilizes financially.

“I did some research and decided this was the best thing I could do for income, and it would give me a place to stay,” she said, adding that the arrangement has been “a huge blessing.”

Despite appearing at industry events and receiving award nominations, James emphasized that the public image of wealth in adult entertainment is misleading.

“You might see us on a red carpet and think we’re rich,” she said. “That’s not what it is.”

Addyson James, who has appeared in just over 50 scenes since entering the industry, said she hopes to regain financial footing in the coming months. She has also said she plans to attend the 2026 AVN Awards following recent cosmetic surgery, which she views as part of remaining competitive in an industry she now describes as unstable and unforgiving.

Her experience, she said, is intended as a cautionary account.

“I just want people to understand that this is a lot of work,” James said. “And for most of us, it doesn’t pay the way people think it does.”

Addyson’s story underscores how misleading online appearances can be. While adult performers may project images of wealth and glamour, many are simply working to get by, no differently than those in more conventional jobs. We are all just trying to get by.

You can follow Addyson James on X at @addyson_james.