Mia Khalifa has always been forthright and honest about the controversies and problems that plague her short-lived career in the adult film industry, saying that the few films she did haunt her up to this day. Khalifa has put the industry behind her; nevertheless, she frequently recalls the experiences and circumstances that led to her being there. Khalifa has been interviewed in various forums, appealing for the need to shed light on the sordark side of the industry and the manipulation she underwent.
On Stephen Bartlett’s podcast Diary of a CEO, Mia Khalifa stated that she was treated as an object during that time. She expressed that she was toyed with rather than being a person with thoughts and feelings. Khalifa, who preferred to use her original name Sarah Joe Chamoun, described toxic or coercive relationships that she was undergoing at the time and which played some big part in her entry into the film industry.
A Manipulative and Controlling Relationship
Manipulation and control were hallmarks of a toxic relationship. Mia Khalifa indicated that her ex-husband, a former U.S. soldier, was the one who drove her to the adult film industry at the age of 20. She described this relationship as deeply toxic and manipulative, with Khalifa’s experience being but only one in countless stories of young girls in the predatory arms of adults.
Khalifa indicates that shortly after their elopement in Las Vegas, when she was just 18, her marriage was hardly a fairytale. “I lacked a sense of self-orientation during that period, which was my vulnerability from manipulation.” Her ex-husband saw her vulnerability and manipulated her to achieve his own ends.
“I didn’t have a sense of self, so I attached myself to someone who was more than happy to take advantage of that,” Khalifa said. “He saw someone who was easily manipulative, someone who was eager to please, and it was just the perfect storm for abuse and control.”
Being Pushed into the Adult Film Industry
Khalifa’s foray into the adult film industry. As the relationship progressed, it worsened for Khalifa. The power dynamics in their marriage were never equal, and she felt increasingly entrapped.
“I even feel weird calling it a relationship” she admitted. “The dynamic wasn’t that of a real partnership—it was more about control. I was never seen as a partner, but instead, I was just a toy to be played with.”
Under this coercive environment, Khalifa’s entry into the adult film industry was mainly forced. She further elucidated that she never really consented to the work she did; in fact, due to pressure, she ended up doing a few films, and the outcome kept clinging to her for many years.
Breaking Free and Rebuilding Her Life
Happily, Khalifa was later able to break free from this toxic marriage and the adult film industry. She has articulated how hard it was to get back her identity and turn over a new leaf. After abandoning the adult film industry, deemed toxic, Khalifa started working her way back into a new life and career.
It was most a shift to sports presentation, for her, to find joy and comfort in a professional milieu. She sought out that personal new life as an avenue to release herself from memories of her side’s painful past.
There was a time when she found bliss in the company of her husband Robert Sandberg, whom she married in 2020. However, that union was short-lived and lasted about a year, thus opening yet another chapter of growth and self-discovery for her.
Today, Khalifa is using her voice in support of women’s rights and drawing attention to what happens behind the scenes in the adult film industry, as well as educating young women to identify manipulative relationships. It is all a testament to resilience, having reclaimed the self and the power to speak out when abuse has taken place.
