Mia Khalifa is a name that many of us recognize... probably for different reasons.
Khalifa, 31, is a Lebanese-American social media star who is perhaps best known to some for her stint in the adult entertainment business.
The star joined the industry back in 2014, and despite only being in the business for a few months, she certainly made an impact, to say the least.
Ten years later, and the name 'Mia Khalifa' is still one of the most search terms on adult video sites.
The actress rose to stardom after participating in a highly controversial film in which she was wore a hijab while performing sexual acts alongside Sean Lawless and Julianna Vega. As a result of sexualizing the religious head garment, Khalifa was subjected to intense backlash, which included death threats from ISIS.
With that, Mia Khalifa became one of the most recognizable names in the world... however, some people are only just learning that it isn't even her real name.
That's right, Mia Khalifa is her stage name, and the star has recently updated her Instagram profile to state her real name: Sarah Joe Chamoun.
The revelation - for want of a better word - has left some of her fans stunned. Social media users swiftly took to X to share their surprise after learning the star's real name.
"How stupid do you feel believing her real name was Mia Khalifa," one person asked.
Another simply wrote: "Mia Khalifa's real name is Sarah Joe Chamoun," followed by several skull emojis.
So, why the name "Mia Khalifa"? Well, breaking down the two names, "Mia" apparently comes from Egyptian origin meaning "beloved" and "Khalifa" is Arabic for "successor" or "leader".
But Mia - or Sarah Joe - has actually revealed in an interview with Bustle that she chose her stage name because "Mia" was the name of her dog and one of her favorite rappers was Wiz Khalifa. However, she admitted to choosing the rapper's name because it "felt Arabic" - a decision she has been repeatedly criticized for as many believe the star has profited from "fetishizing" Muslim women.
Nevertheless, Chamoun has previously shared that her past "abusive" relationship was one of the reasons she got into the adult industry.
Speaking on Steven Bartlett's Diary Of A CEO podcast, the 31-year-old revealed that she had been in an "extremely abusive" relationship with someone who was "grooming" her, adding that it reflected one "a lot of girls get into when they're in their late teens."
"I got talked into eloping to Las Vegas four days after my 18th birthday," she told the host. "I didn't have a sense of self so I attached myself to someone who was more than happy to abuse that and someone who could see that and see someone easily manipulatable... but at the same time eager to please. It was just the perfect storm."
However, things seem to take an even darker turn when her husband, who was in the US Army at the time, presented the adult entertainment industry to her.
"[He] put that whole [adult entertainment] world in front of me and encouraged it," she said before also adding that she prefers not to refer to it as a "relationship."
"I even feel weird calling it a relationship, because the dynamic was not one of a relationship – it was more one of someone who saw a toy to play with," she said. Sarah Joe then found herself handed a card from a talent scout.
She later revealed in an interview with BBC's HARDTalk that her family "disowned" her when they found out.
She continued: "I felt completely alienated by not just the world, but my family and the people around me. Especially after I quit, when I was still alone, even though I left. And I just realized some mistakes aren't forgivable.
"But time heals all wounds, and things are getting better now," she added.
Khalifa has since gone on to become a social media star and sports pundit.
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