Adult film star August Ames kills herself after backlash against ‘homophobic’ tweets
Adult film actress August Ames (L) and adult film producer Kevin Moore attend the 2016 Adult Video News Awards (Ethan Miller/Getty Images)
Bisexual adult actress August Ames was found dead just days after sparking an online backlash over allegedly homophobic comments.
The body of the 23-year-old Canadian star was found at her home in California this morning.
Ames, whose birth name was Mercedes Grabowski, died from suicide, Ventura County Medical Examiner’s media spokesperson Shelia Murphy has confirmed.
Ames’ death occurred after she was criticised on Twitter for refusing to work with a male performer who had previously appeared in gay adult films.
She said it was “BS” that she could be paired with someone who had also engaged in same-sex adult films, labelling such actors “crossover” performers.
August Ames (second from right) attending the AVN Adult Entertainment Expo (Ethan Miller/Getty Images)
Having appeared in more than 270 adult films since 2013, Ames earned a nomination for Female Performer of the Year at the upcoming 2018 Adult Video News Awards in January.
Following this honour, she had been scheduled to shoot with a male performer who had worked in gay productions for the straight adult film studio EroticaX.
But upon being realising the performer’s past, she declined the work and tweeted an explanation to her 583,000 followers.
She wrote that “whichever (lady) performer is replacing me tomorrow for @EroticaXNews, you’re shooting with a guy who has shot gay porn, just to let cha know.
“BS is all I can say ♀️,” she added.
“Do agents really not care about who they’re representing? #ladirect I do my homework for my body ✏️ “.
(Twitter/AugustAmesxxx)
“Sorry, it was just my opinion. My body, my rules. Honestly I’m sorry if I offended anyone,” she later added.
After posting her comments, Ames was hit by a barrage of criticism accusing her of homophobia.
Straight porn performer Alexis Monroe spoke out against Ames’ connection between gay men and STI contraction.
(Twitter/AlexisMonroexxx)
“I think it’s hilarious that your discriminating against a man who does/did gay porn when half of this industry has performed with such performers,” she wrote.
“ALLLLLLL performers must subject to the SAME testing in order to work.”
Ames tweeted numerous follow-ups to defend herself.
Responding to someone who accused her of being homophobic, she said: “NOT homophobic.
“Most girls don’t shoot with guys who have shot gay porn, for safety.
(Twitter/AugustAmesxxx)
“That’s just how it is with me.
“I’m not putting my body at risk, i don’t know what they do in their private lives.”
Ames also claimed that being bisexual meant she could not be homophobic.
(Twitter/AugustAmesxxx)
Law enforcement said to AVN.com that Ames’ close friends reported that she “suffered from longterm depression, and believe a recent incident with online harassment may have contributed to her death.”
Her final tweet read simply: “f*** y’all”.
(Twitter/augustamesxxx)
Ames’ husband, Kevin Moore, told AVN that his wife “was the kindest person I ever knew and she meant the world to me.” He also asked for privacy.
Producer and director Jules Jordan said: “Rest In Peace to August Ames, one of the best, nicest people I ever knew in the business.”
August Ames (L) and her husband adult film producer Kevin Moore (Ethan Miller/Getty Images)
While some of Ames’ Twitter fans have begun publically mourning her passing, others have specifically blamed gay people for her death.
One user outright said that “gay activist bullied August Ames into suicide”.
(Twitter/JohnLoveIAm)
Another called on followers to “Bring back homophobia.”
(Twitter/TempletonTJones)
The adult entertainment world is often the centre of Twitter controversies.
One actress went on a transphobic rant following Playboy’s announcement of its recent playmate, transgender actress Ines Rau.
And a gay adult film awards ceremony was accused of racism on Twitter earlier this year after including a ‘Best Ethnic Scene’.
