Who Is Mia Khalifa?
Mia Khalifa is a Lebanese-American media personality, entrepreneur, and sports commentator. Most people first heard her name in 2014, when a brief stint in adult films made her one of the most-searched people on the internet. What happened next is the more interesting story: she walked away after about three months and spent the next decade rebuilding her public life on her own terms — as a broadcaster, a business owner, and one of the loudest voices calling for reform in the industry she left behind.
This page sticks to the public record. No gossip, no explicit detail, just who she is and what she's actually doing now.
Quick Facts
- Born: February 10, 1993, in Beirut, Lebanon (as Sarah Joe Chamoun)
- Moved to the US: as a child, settling in the Washington, D.C. area
- Education: BA in History from the University of Texas at El Paso
- Known for: media personality, sports commentator, entrepreneur, advocate
- Business: co-founder of Sheytan, a jewelry and lifestyle brand (2023)
Early Life
Khalifa was born in Beirut and moved to the United States with her family when she was young. She grew up between two cultures — Lebanese at home, American at school — and has talked in interviews about how that shaped her. She studied history at the University of Texas at El Paso and graduated before ever entering the public eye.
Before any of the fame, she worked ordinary jobs: bartending, modeling gigs, office work. In interviews years later she described that period as aimless — a young graduate with a history degree and no plan, which is part of why a short-lived decision in 2014 ended up defining her name for years.
The Brief 2014 Chapter
In late 2014, Khalifa performed in adult films for roughly three months. One scene in particular — controversial for its use of a hijab — went massively viral and made her, almost overnight, one of the most-searched performers on major adult sites. She was voted the top performer on Pornhub in 2015, and xHamster later reported she was its most-searched actress of 2016.
She has been blunt about this period ever since. In multiple interviews she has said she earned very little from it — about $12,000 by her own account — felt pressured and exploited, and regretted it almost immediately. The backlash was severe: she received death threats, was disowned by her family, and became a target of both anti-Muslim harassment and extremist anger. She left the industry within months and has spent years trying to get old content taken down, with limited success.
That's the whole of it, and it's worth keeping in proportion: three months of work that she has publicly disowned, versus more than a decade of everything that came after.
Rebuilding: Sports and Broadcasting
After leaving adult films, Khalifa rebuilt from scratch. She worked as a paralegal and bookkeeper in Miami while growing a social media following, and leaned into something genuine: she's a serious sports fan.
She co-hosted sports talk shows including Out of Bounds and SportsBall, talking football and hockey with the energy of an actual fan rather than a hired presenter. She's a well-known West Ham United supporter and follows the NHL closely. The sports commentary gave her a second public identity — one built on knowledge and personality instead of notoriety.
She also moved into streaming and video: Twitch streams, YouTube content, and appearances in mainstream projects, including a role in the Hulu series Ramy and a cameo in Bella Poarch's "Build a Bitch" music video.
Business: Sheytan
In June 2023, Khalifa co-founded Sheytan, a jewelry and lifestyle brand, with designer Sara Burn. The name means "devil" in Arabic — a deliberate reclaiming of a word that had been thrown at her for years. The pieces are handmade in Florence, Italy, and the brand has grown into a genuinely recognized name in fashion circles. She's walked in events for Vivienne Westwood and collaborated with houses like Moschino and GCDS.
Sheytan matters because it's the clearest proof of the reinvention: a real business, built with a partner, selling a real product — about as far from her 2014 image as it's possible to get.
Advocacy
Khalifa has used her platform to push for better legal protections for performers in the adult industry — drawing directly on her own experience of feeling exploited and then being unable to control old content. She's spoken about women's rights, mental health, and body positivity, and has supported Middle Eastern humanitarian causes. Whether you agree with her positions or not, the advocacy is consistent and clearly personal: it's rooted in things that actually happened to her.
In October 2023, her social media posts about the Israel-Hamas war drew major backlash, and Playboy cut ties with her as a creator. It was a reminder that her public life still generates controversy — just of a completely different kind than it used to.
Where She Is Now
As of 2026, Khalifa splits her time between Miami and London, with the London base tied partly to Sheytan's European operations. She remains one of the most-followed internet personalities in the world, with tens of millions of followers across Instagram and TikTok, where she posts lifestyle content, sports takes, fashion, and advocacy.
Her story, taken as a whole, is really about narrative control: someone whose name was defined by three months she regrets, who spent ten years building a career, a business, and a public voice that have nothing to do with it.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is Mia Khalifa's real name?
She was born Sarah Joe Chamoun. Mia Khalifa is her professional name, and it's the name she uses publicly.
How old is Mia Khalifa?
Born February 10, 1993, she is 33 as of 2026.
What does Mia Khalifa do now?
She works as a media personality and entrepreneur: sports commentary, social media content, and her jewelry brand Sheytan, which she co-founded in 2023.
Is Mia Khalifa still in the adult industry?
No. She left in early 2015 after about three months and has publicly disowned that work, speaking instead about exploitation in the industry.
What is Sheytan?
A jewelry and lifestyle brand Khalifa co-founded with designer Sara Burn in 2023. Pieces are handmade in Florence, Italy.
Where can I follow Mia Khalifa?
She's active on Instagram and TikTok under her own name, where she posts lifestyle, sports, and fashion content.