The first trailer for Netflix’s upcoming Pornhub documentary film, Money Shot: The Pornhub Story has burst onto screens, giving audiences a peek at the dark and treacherous side of one of the most popular adult websites in the world. While Pornhub is often credited for transforming the adult entertainment industry and providing a platform for numerous sex performers, the smut site saw its reputation dwindle after being accused of multiple ethical and legal violations. It’s a lot to unpack, but that’s precisely what this new documentary aims to do.
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‘Money Shot: The Pornhub Story’ (2023) | Image: Netflix
The Netflix press site says that the documentary will walk us through the rise of Pornhub and how it later became a multi-billion dollar enterprise, revolutionising the consumption and distribution of pornography forever. Things turned haywire, however, when the company “became embroiled in allegations including non-consensual material and trafficking on the site”. Netflix has confirmed that the documentary, which was teased last week, will endeavour to show audiences both sides of the coin, saying, “As anti-trafficking organisations seek justice for victims, can the online giant protect those from whom they profit, or is this a new wave of censorship for adult performers making consensual porn?”
Money Shot is set to feature interviews with ex-employees of the porn giant, journalists, and big-name sex workers such as Wolf Hudson, Siri Dahl, Natassia Dreams, Cherie DeVille and Asa Akira. The first Money Shot trailer opens up on a fun note, showing us tidbits of interviews with notable sex workers, talking about the first porn video they ever saw. The trailer briefly touches on the explosive rise of Pornhub and how it quickly became a household name. We then get to hear one of the interviewees say, “This is a company that does exactly what Facebook does… It’s a data-harvesting operation.” Pornhub came under the radar following the accusations of sex trafficking and nonconsensual sex videos, leading to various controversies and outcry. “Knowingly profiting from sex trafficking is what we believe they are liable for,” says one interview subject in the trailer.
‘Money Shot: The Pornhub Story’ (2023) | Image: Netflix
Things get wild when another person reveals that his findings led to some very devastating and disturbing discoveries. He says, “The more I explored, the more aghast I became. I found too many cases of kids whose worst moments were preserved in amber.” However, Pornhub seems completely adamant about its stance, denying any and all allegations. While activist organisations took to the streets to fight against Pornhub and protect sufferers of sex trafficking, “some of Pornhub’s most prominent sex workers and porn performers” had to deal with livelihood issues as “a censorious congressional act made companies more liable for their content.”
“If it wasn’t for porn, I probably wouldn’t be alive.”
Money Shot: The Pornhub Story comes via Alex Gibney’s Jigsaw Productions and is directed by Suzanne Hillinger. According to the documentary’s producer, the whole purpose behind this film is to give audiences a peek inside how billion-dollar internet platforms work. “This documentary requires us to grapple with what sexuality and consent means when billion-dollar internet platforms thrive on user-generated content,” said Hillinger in a statement provided by Netflix.
“Who has, and who should have, the power in these environments? Our hope is that this film generates important conversations about sex and consent, both on the internet and out in the world.” With Netflix’s Money Shot: The Pornhub Story dropping on March 15, it will be interesting to see whether adult entertainers will continue to “get left in the dust” or rise up and take matters into their own hands.
‘Money Shot: The Pornhub Story’ (2023) | Image: Netflix
‘Money Shot: The Pornhub Story’ (2023) | Image: Netflix
