(JTA) — Jewish porn star Joanna Angel said she feared for her safety during her six-year relationship with fellow porn actor James Deen.
Angel called Deen a “scary person” in an interview Wednesday on the Jason Ellis radio show on Sirius XM, the Daily Beast reported.
Angel’s allegations came less than a week after another of Deen’s ex-girlfriends, the porn actress Stoya, accused him of raping her. Two other adult film actresses have also alleged Deen sexually assaulted them.
Deen has denounced the claims against him on Twitter.
Angel, who grew up religiously observant and attended Jewish day schools and summer camps, runs the alternative porn website BurningAngel.com.
She told Ellis that Deen once kept her head underwater so long that she thought she would die, and that she woke up on several occasions to find him choking her in his sleep.
Angel tweeted to Stoya after her accusations: “You have my support @stoya. I’m here for you.”
On the Ellis show, Angel said Deen’s behavior does not represent the porn industry.
“I do not want people to blame porn. I think he is a bad egg. Please don’t blame the industry,” she said.
Deen, 29, born Bryan Sevilla, had been called a “feminist hero” and the “boy next door” of the porn industry for his average stature and boyish looks. An often-cited magazine profile describes him as “polite,” “self-deprecating” and someone who “speaks well of everyone,” in contrast to other male porn stars who sport “neck chains,” “unreasonable biceps” and “tribal tattoos.”
In the same article, Deen calls himself someone who cracks Jewish jokes and has an “overanalytical Jewish brain.” He has also elsewhere called himself a feminist.
Deen also has a history of joking about rape on Twitter.
Help ensure Jewish news remains accessible to all. Your donation to the Jewish Telegraphic Agency powers the trusted journalism that has connected Jewish communities worldwide for more than 100 years. With your help, JTA can continue to deliver vital news and insights. Donate today.
