LOS ANGELES — 2021 will go down in history as the year the XBIZ Awards, adult’s industry’s biggest night, left its usual home — the biggest luxury venue in Los Angeles — and went virtual.
This development, of course, was not by choice. The social distancing requirements mandated by pandemic-era protocols pushed the limits of organizers’ ingenuity, resulting in the first-ever live worldwide broadcast of an elite ceremony that is typically reserved for adult industry insiders and qualified press.
And the 2021 XBIZ Awards was also unprecedented for another reason: it was also the year when an all-inclusive category “Performer of the Year,” highlighting the accomplishments of a performer who transcended the individual niches of the industry, was introduced to cap the event.
Building on the skills increasingly honed by the XBIZ production team during last year’s trial-by-fire success of the virtual XBIZ Cam Awards and XBIZ Europa Awards, the 2021 XBIZ Awards will be remembered as a triumph of an industry determined to soldier on even during a challenge of global proportions.
The show itself was preceded by a “Virtual Red Carpet” experience, hosted by the multitalented Joanna Angel. The pioneering alt-model, wearing a sparkly pink minidress, beamed in from a state-of-the-art production facility that had been outfitted with the traditional XBIZ step-and-repeat background and, yes, a literal red carpet — complete with flashes to mimic paparazzi cameras.
An enthusiastic Angel called on many of the attendees, outfitted in their gala best at their homes, as they watched the broadcast live on XBIZ.tv. The red carpet host enthused about catching up with all her industry friends, many of whom she hadn’t seen in nearly a year.
Top industry names like Angela White, Seth Gamble, Mickey Mod, Casey Calvert and Karla Lane; Mick Blue, Lotus Lain, Dillon Diaz, Natassia Dreams and Romi Rain; Nick Fitt, Jessy Dubai, Alexis Fawx, Texas Patti and Anny Aurora; Samantha Mack, Dante Colle, Charlotte Sartre and Lance Hart; Raven Friday, Alison Rey and Natalie Mars chatted with Angel. Clip artists were also represented on the Virtual Red Carpet by the likes of Ceara Lynch, Annabelle Rogers, Destiny Diaz, Estella Bathory, Meana Wolf and Savannah Solo.
The always affable Angel made a difficult gig look easy by interacting with the homebound guests, and she shared a particularly charming moment with Savannah Solo, where the veteran performer gushed over the social media sensation, revealing her fandom.
At 8 p.m., the red carpet gave way to a futuristic intro to the awards show, a choreographed hi-energy video showcasing the 2021 hosts, Abigail Mac and Ana Foxxx. Adorned in body paint like aliens in a spaceship, Mac and Foxxx performed a dance routine in futuristic outfits. The video prefaced the entrance of the real thing: the hosts coming onto the XBIZ stage wearing sumptuous gold dresses.
Foxxx welcomed everyone “to the first live, worldwide broadcast of the XBIZ Awards,” with Mac adding she was “so thrilled to join XBIZ in honoring the best-of-the-best in adult entertainment.”
The hosts emphasized the unprecedented scope for the show, with Foxxx admitting she was feeling “a little nervous” that the whole world was watching.
“But,” Foxxx quickly added to Mac, “we’ve got each other, you sexy, delicious, insanely hot firestarter!”
Mac returned the compliment by calling Foxxx a “luscious, fiery, knockout slayer.”
“We have each other,” Foxxx added, “and we also have all of you out there, all our friends and colleagues. All of you creative directors and smooth-as-butter camera operators. And let’s not forget the hair and makeup artists — seriously, you make us look good, crazy good!”
“And let’s not forget all those brilliant techies behind the scenes keeping those sites ticking and those OnlyFans DMs rolling,” Mac replied, “and all the genius sex toy creators, helping us get our good vibes on.”
Stressing the progressive themes for which XBIZ and its awards are known, Foxxx gave credit to the large number of adult community members, “with so many skills and talents, who build us up, who keep the adult entertainment world alive and happy and successful, and above all, empowering.”
“This year,” Mac reminded the audience, “we had to come together like never before.”
“Whether you’re bundled up in blankets and jammies, or dressed-to-the-nines — because we all need a reason to get dressed up these days! — Abi and I invite you to join us for a socially distanced round of applause as we honor the many front-line workers out there keeping us safe and healthy,” Foxxx noted, dubbing them “the real-deal heroes.”
With an assist from Trophy Girl Sabina Rouge, the first award was for “Vignette Movie of the Year,” presented onstage by Maitland Ward in a striking, cleavage-revealing pink gown. The award went to “Elsa Jean: Influence” (Tushy), a first win that foretold a night of repeated celebration for Vixen Media Group.
Kayden Kross accepted the award on behalf of the company, lauding director Derek Dozer. “I know everyone’s been over the moon with the results of this movie,” Kross said.
Ward then presented “Gonzo Movie of the Year,” which went to another high-profile showcase, “The Insatiable Emily Willis” (Jules Jordan Video). Willis, broadcasting from the Motley Models house surrounded by her agency colleagues, and Jules Jordan, accepted the award.
“We finally got this movie done before COVID hit,” said Jordan. “It was a little bit of a challenge and Emily completely killed it.”
Next, a gold-gown-clad Aiden Ashley took the stage to present the award for “Girl/Girl Performer of the Year.” After a string of wins by Charlotte Stokely, this year the award went to Scarlett Sage, who also received it at the Motley Models house.
Ashley also presented the award for “MILF Performer of the Year,” which went to Cherie DeVille. The elated winner (who had previously received the accolade in 2017) learnt of her win in the green room of the XBIZ Awards studio, where she was waiting to present another award, surrounded by the other stars with show duties.
“Thanks to everyone in the room clapping for me — I feel like there’s actually an audience here!” she laughed.
“Thank you step-children,” she added jokingly. “You made me.”
Charlotte Stokely, in a metallic blue gown, made her entrance to present the award for “Adult Site of the Year,” which went to Adult Time for the second consecutive year. The award was received by Bree Mills from her home, and she thanked XBIZ “for all their support over the years” and the “amazing creators that we get to work with on all the different projects” and the “hardworking staff who run things behind the scene.”
“I promise we’ll take this as inspiration into the next year to try to live up to this honor,” Mills added.
Stokely also presented the award for “Cam Site of the Year,” which went to MyFreeCams.com. The award was received by spokesmodel Sam. “What an honor to represent MFC right now,” she said. “It’s a really great site, with a great community, and I’m so proud of everyone right now.”
The next presenter was 2020 XBIZ Gay Performer of the Year Pierce Paris, who announced the winner for “Innovative Pleasure Product of the Year,” which went to Satisfyer’s Curvy 3+.
Isabel Corretjer and Melody Cazarin thanked XBIZ on behalf of the whole brand and company president Jerome. “I look forward to see you all again in person,” Cazarin said, “as we pioneer through this journey and further establish our industry to bring sexual health and wellness to all.”
Paris also presented the award for “Couples Sex Toy of the Year” to Together Vibe and Megan Swartz, who was clearly thrilled.
“I put my blood, sweat and tears into this product and I emptied my entire bank account as well!” she exclaimed.
The pleasure product awards were followed by the first of two comedy segments commenting on the new reality caused by social isolation and the pandemic. The first hilarious short starred Casey Calvert, Whitney Wright, Scarlit Scandal and Seth Gamble, playing themselves in a “Black Mirror”-like scenario where everyone is encased in literal plastic bubbles.
“I’ve been having a lot of bubble orgies,” deadpanned Calvert during mock testimonials that preceded some examples of what porn would look like if everyone was practicing this decidedly hamsterish form of isolation.
Abigail Mac returned to survey the feature movies of the year, works of “incredibly creative cinematic minds, bright stars and innovators.”
“We’ve got the pulse-pounding fright and hotness of ‘Terror Camp,’ the psychological chills and sexual thrills of ‘A Killer on the Loose’ and a supernaturally seductive mystery in ‘The Summoning,’” Mac recited. “We’ve got dramas like ‘Exposure,’ ‘The Path to Forgiveness’ and ‘The Producer II,’ with their provocative twists and turns. We’ve got ‘Primary’ and ‘Safe Word,’ ‘Mistress Maitland’ and ‘Muse’ pushing the envelope in the best possible ways and expanding our notions of what it means to fall in love — and fall in lust — with one another.”
“It’s such an awesome display of talent, on every level, and it makes me so, so proud,” Mac added.
Whitney Wright was the next presenter, introducing the winners for “Best Sex Scene — Feature” — Adriana Chechik, Maitland Ward, Isiah Maxwell and Sly Diggler for “Muse” (Deeper).
Maxwell, doing a little victory dance, and Maitland Ward, both in the XBIZ studio, accepted for the group. “We loved it, we enjoyed all of it!” quipped Ward.
The “Best Sex Scene — Vignette” award, also introduced by Wright, went to Brooklyn Gray and Small Hands for Deeper’s “Lewd.” Small Hands, holding his dog, accepted the award and referred to his scene partner as “a deity beyond words — an incredible human being and an incredible, sexual powerhouse.”
Maxwell, fresh from his “Best Sex Scene” win, came up next in a white tux to present the award for “Best Acting.” The winner was Maitland Ward for “Muse” (Deeper), who especially thanked “the most phenomenal director and writer I have ever worked with,” Kayden Kross, whom she called “my dear friend, and my sister.”
Kross was soon rewarded on her own, as Maxwell also presented the award for “Director of the Year.” Receiving her award at home next to Manuel Ferrara, Kross thanked her partners at Vixen. “It’s amazing how far we’ve come and there’s so much more we can do, and I can’t wait to do it.”
An ad for mental health resource Pineapple Support next preceded Kenna James’ entrance. In a floor-length shimmering black gown with a waist-height slit, James introduced the “Sex Toy of the Year” category, awarded to Svakom’s Phoenix Neo.
Svakom’s Alexandro Feynerol spoke about the “big journey” to the award and said he couldn’t be more thankful.
James also introduced the award for “Fetish Pleasure Product Line of the Year,” which went to Doc Johnson’s Kink line. The company’s Scott Watkins thanked their partners at Kink. “This is an exciting year for all of us,” Watkins said. “We look forward to 2021.”
A leather-clad Buck Angel presented the award for “Gay Movie of the Year” to “A Murdered Heart” (NakedSword Originals). Sister Roma, Creative Director for Falcon/NakedSword, received it.
Roma stated that “this movie means a lot to us” and explained that the Mark McNamara-directed project was about the controversial subject of “conversion therapy, which should be outlawed around the world.”
Angel also presented the award for “Gay Performer of the Year,” bestowed on Max Konnor. Wearing a sleeveless gym hoodie that showcased his arms, Konnor expressed his happiness at having gone from winning “Cam Model of the Year” to this latest accolade.
“I love you all,” he said, “my whole porn family — gay, straight, trans, in-between: I love you guys.”
Newly crowned MILF of the Year Cherie DeVille presented the award for “Trans Movie of the Year,” which went to Evil Angel’s “Tranimals.” Director Lena Moon expressed her gratitude for her first XBIZ award as a director.
DeVille then announced Casey Kisses as “Trans Performer of the Year.” Kisses celebrated her win at home with Kyle Le Beau, whom she thanked for supporting her during “the successful part of my career,” and said she was going to start crying because she “wasn’t expecting this at all.”
The traditional “In Memoriam” segment preceded an intermission, after which the second comedy sketch was broadcast, this time lampooning the difference between “how it started” and “how it’s going.”
Starring Catjira (and her dog Bisquik), Savannah Solo, Joanna Angel (and her dog and Small Hands) and Dani Daniels, the short poked fun at the differences between expectation and reality when getting “up close and personal” through premium fan sites.
After a Satisfyer ad led the second half of the show, Ana Foxxx returned to the stage to “recognize one very, very special group of folks who keep our worlds humming and bumping and grinding and rolling: the fans.”
“After this past year,” Foxxx acknowledged, “we needed you more than ever, and you guys came through — in such a big way. I’ve been hearing so much about how adult entertainment has boomed, from movies to chatroom tips to sex toy sales.”
“Heck! Just take a look at my DMs, y’all really bringing it, huh?” she added. “You showed up for your favorite stars, for your favorite brands: you spread the good word about everything we do and create. We could not have made it through this year without you!”
Foxxx then introduced a special presenter: singer, songwriter, star of the “Real Housewives of Atlanta” and Bedroom Kandi owner Kandi Burruss, who announced the nominees for “Sexpert of the Year.” Stunned winner Sunny Megatron thanked XBIZ for recognizing that “pleasure education is important.”
“We all work tireless to break down shame and stigma,” Megatron added, sharing the moment with her colleagues. “Whether you’re a sex educator, therapist, coach, blogger, sexual reviewer: the work you do is valuable — so thank you all.”
Wearing a stylish shoulderless blue jumper and with her hair in a high ponytail, Alina Lopez then introduced the “Cam Model of the Year” award, which went to GoAskAlex.
“It is always strange to accept awards in this sort of setting,” she said from her cam room, “but it’s really incredible that we could all come together like this.” Alex also mentioned how important it was for her to get the award as the first adult entertainer with an ostomy.
“And an extra ‘thank you’ to everyone who has ever jerked off to me,” she added.
“Clip Artist of the Year” went to Reya Sunshine. “There aren’t a lot of awards out there for independent content creators like myself,” said Sunshine, “so ‘thank you,’ XBIZ.” The clip artist added that it came at a “big moment in her career,” with her switching over to B/G content.
Lopez also announced the new “Premium Social Media Star of the Year,” Sophie Dee, who thanked her fans and XBIZ with a sweet, succinct, “I love you all.”
An ad for the Penthouse Lingerie Collection prefaced the final stretch, presenting some of the most anticipated awards. Joanna Angel returned to the spotlight to present “Feature Movie of the Year” to Deeper’s “Muse.”
Director, writer and producer Kayden Kross once again thanked Maitland Ward and her cast and team. “We worked our asses off to get this movie through,” Kross explained. “It was amazing how many people showed up to make this movie happen, in such a crunch time, with all these unique restrictions we had this year. And it created something fantastic — something probably better than we could have made under less stress.”
“I’m so grateful for the people I get to work with,” Kross said, “and this is how we achieve these results.”
A member of the “Muse” cast was next crowned as “Best New Performer of the Year”: Scarlit Scandal. Accepting from home with Jake Adams and a friend, Scandal thanked her agency Motley Models. “I can’t wait to make more for you guys,” she added.
Wicked contract star Jessica Drake presented “Male Performer of the Year” to veteran swordsman Ramon Nomar. “It’s an honor,” he said from home, “especially having so much talent in the nomination list” and thanked his scene partners, whom he called “a huge part of this award.”
The “Female Performer of the Year” was named next: Emily Willis. From the Motley Models house party, Willis thanked her agency, Jules Jordan (for her XBIZ-winning showcase) and her fans for letting her “be the little slut for you guys,” adding that the accolade had put her at a loss for words.
The last award of the evening was presented by the hosts themselves and it was a truly special, unprecedented one.
“Each ‘Performer of the Year’ category of the XBIZ Awards recognizes talent who have reached the pinnacle of stardom,” Foxxx and Mac explained, “from ‘Female and Male Performer of the Year’ to ‘Girl/Girl,’ ‘MILF,’ ‘Gay’ and ‘Trans Performer of the Year’.”
“But the adult entertainment industry is always changing and always moving forward,” Mac added, “as personal success carries greater and greater responsibility to the community we’re all a part of. The higher we rise, the more we impact each other.”
Foxxx added that this year, the XBIZ Awards has introduced “the very first all-inclusive ‘Performer of the Year’ award dedicated to honoring the most influential performer in adult entertainment today, regardless of gender identity, sexual orientation and age.”
As Mac pointed out, “this year’s recipient has boldly redefined the term ‘crossover’ having achieved success performing in straight, gay, bi and trans genres.”
“With passion, determination and community-minded care, they are leading by example and showing us how the quest for authenticity can lead to real, lasting change,” the co-host added.
They then announced Dante Colle as the recipient of the first-ever “XBIZ Performer of the Year” award.
A visibly shocked Colle accepted it from home. “I really don’t know what to say,” he started. “Thank you everyone for giving me the opportunity to work on all sides of this industry and make it possible for me to be present today and win something like this.”
“I’m at a loss for words,” Colle said, with a delighted smile illustrating his state of mind at the groundbreaking accolade.
The hosts then closed the book on this first virtual edition of the annual “adult’s biggest night” thanking the viewers for “being a part of this historic worldwide broadcast” and vowing to continue making 2021 “a year to remember.”
