Porn star Stormy Daniels spoke to CNN’s Nick Valencia and Hadas Gold on Friday night in Pompano Beach, Florida, amid her lawsuit against Donald Trump related to an alleged affair she had with the President in 2006.
In the lawsuit filed Tuesday, Daniels, whose legal name is Stephanie Clifford, claims that when Trump was running for office and multiple women were coming forward to share stories of their own alleged encounters with the then-Republican presidential candidate, his personal attorney Michael Cohen intervened in an attempt to keep her from coming forward as well.
In her interview with CNN, Daniels wouldn’t answer any questions about the lawsuit or comment on Trump or their alleged relationship.
Read the full interview here
CNN: So what has this done for your career?
Daniels: Um, it’s sort of been a double-edged sword, where a lot of people are very interested in booking me for dancing and stuff like that… so it’s… I’m getting more, more dance bookings, I used to only dance once a month and now I’m dancing three or four times a month so that’s been really great. But because of that it’s sort of overshadowing a lot of the adult films I’m supposed to be promoting, and a lot of the main stream projects that I was actively working on have been indefinitely put on hold.
CNN: You’ve gotten a lot of attention, some of it some negative attention, how are you handling everything?
Daniels: I’ve been in the adult business for 17 years, so to make it that long in that business you have to have a really tough skin, and so most of it rolls off my shoulders because it’s an opinion. Like, oh, you think I’m a whore, or you think I’m ugly, or I’m old, or I’m fat or my boobs are too big or too small or whatever… I’ve heard, there’s nothing along those lines that someone can say to me that I haven’t heard. And so when someone says, “hey, you’re a whore…” I’m like, “That is ‘successful whore’ to you!”
CNN: But this is a little different though. Has some of it been hurtful at all? What’s your reaction been to it?
Daniels: What bothers me is the flat out lies. Like people randomly making up stuff.
CNN: Like what?
Daniels: Like that I’m broke. I’m one of the most successful adult movie directors in the business. I have a contract that’s been in place for several years and I actually just renegotiated, and got a new contract… there was already, the terms were already set before this stuff happened, and I got a raise, so I’m doing just fine.
CNN: What do you think about the circus that’s happening? This was out in 2011 but this is now renewed attention…
Daniels: I think it’s pretty clear that with new developments come new interest.
CNN: What do people need to know about you and what’s going on that you think has been overshadowed?
Daniels: Like I just said, I’m doing what I’ve always done, I’m writing, directing, preforming and dancing, like none of that’s changed, and people are under this huge misconception that I just started stripping. And I’ve actually been doing this for 18 years.
CNN: Like they think you take advantage of the situation
Daniels: Right, and that’s not true. Yes, I’m more in demand, and like I said in the “Rolling Stone” interview, if someone came up to you and said, “Hey, you know that job you’ve been doing forever, how bout next week I pay you quadruple, show me one person who is going to say no.
CNN: So, it has helped you financially?
Daniels: It’s helped me in the short immediate time, because obviously more people are coming out, more people in the clubs that’s the more tips, but I have yet to see how it’s going to play out long term.
CNN: When you look back at this stage of your life, this period of your life, what do you think you are going to think about? I mean what are you going to think about what you’re going through right now?
Daniels: Holy s—! (laughter) I mean, is there really anything else to say?
CNN: Anything else to take about? What should we expect this week?
Daniels: I am not sure what’s coming this week, honestly. I mean, you guys work at CNN… You know! (laughter)
CNN: Any comment to the president?
Daniels: (silence)
