He's been regarded as the poster boy of porn, earning the adulation of his fans for his pro-feminist image. However, James Deen recently had to battle emerging accusations from former female co-workers in the porn industry that he had sexually assaulted them.
"Deen is now fighting to restore his name after he was publicly accused by an ex-girlfriend this weekend of raping her - a claim that was soon followed by similar accusations from two other adult film stars, effectively upending one of the most carefully crafted images in a formerly underground industry whose biggest stars are now reaching for mainstream fame," The Washington Post reported.
"His reputation as a feminist porn industry sweetheart began to crumble Saturday afternoon when adult film star Stoya - Deen's ex-girlfriend and former on-screen partner - declared on Twitter Saturday that Deen had raped her," the publication went on to say.
"James Deen held me down and [expletive] me while I said no, stop, used my safeword. I just can't nod and smile when people bring him up anymore," Stoya's tweet read.
Another ex-girlfriend and porn actress, Joanna Angel, tweeted her support for Stoya after the revealing post went up.
Hours after Stoya's revelation, the hashtag #SolidartywithStoya flooded Twitter and paved the way to the confession of two other porn actresses.
On Sunday, Tori Lux sent in an essay to the The Daily Beast detailing how Deen had assaulted her, calling him the "Bill Cosby of porn."
Then, on Monday, Ashley Fires, also told The Daily Beast that "The Canyons" actor had almost raped her on the set. She also revealed he told her to keep telling others what happened, as she had made it a point to spread the story in the wake of the incident.
The 29-year-old responded to the accusations on Twitter Monday, calling them "egregious," as well as "false and defamatory."
"I respect women and I know and respect limits both professionally and privately," his final tweet on the issue read.
His comparison to comedian Cosby is understandable considering Deen's career in porn spanned 11 years. He had also managed to maintain a "boy-next-door vibe" in all those years, seemingly giving porn a more appealing image.
"Both men were faced with accusations that might never be 'proven' in a legal sense - as with so many rape and assault cases, the words of the victim are often the only evidence," The Washington Post noted. "But in the wake of Cosby's spectacular fall, perhaps those words carry greater weight: It took little time for some of Deen's former supporters to distance themselves and condemn his behavior."
For one, The Frisky's editor-in-chief had decided to retire Deen's sex advice column on the online publication within 24 hours after Stoya's Twitter revelation.
Further, in the wake of the mounting backlash, Deen resigned from the Adult Performer Advocacy Committee board of directors, as noted by Mashable.
Is this the beginning of the end of James Deen as fans know him? What do you think?
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