Shay Michaels Bares All: Porn, Alcohol, Drug Addiction

Shay Michaels was a breakout porn star of 2011. I covered his very first scene with Logan Scott and I still remember how excited I was when I saw him fucking hottie Kyle King. He worked with so many porn studios during 2011 – 2012. He disappeared from the industry in early 2013 and now he wants to share his story in this exclusive interview with Queer Me Now Blog.

Could you walk us through the first 3 years you’ve been in porn industry?

Shay: Wow, I can’t believe I have been in the adult industry for 3 years now. I first entered the industry 3 years ago doing a scene for Hard Friction with Steve Cruz directing and Bruno Bond doing set up and mic. The scene was shot in the room of a hotel off of Embarcadero Street in San Francisco with just a hand held Sony camera sold at like Best Buy. I was so fucking nervous and just remembering fucking Logan Reed as hard as I could til I was overheating. I remember thinking that no one was going to see the movie, and that I could walk away from porn after that movie if I wanted to and that no one would ever know I had done it. Boy, was I totally wrong.

I made the box cover and was the break out star from that movie. Within hours of it release I was getting texts and messages from friends asking if I was in porn, lol. Within a few weeks Titan Media contacted me wanting to use me and my porn career was off and running. After filming with Titan I was presented an offer to be an exclusive model for the studio. I was so stressed about whether or not I should accept the offer.

In the end I decided to move forward as an independent model and book my own work. Over the next two years I would film for Raging Stallion, Hot House, Colt, and others.

What’s the highlights of your work with gay porn?

Shay: Working for Colt was such an amazing opportunity for me. Growing up in the 90s I idolized Colt men as being truly stunning with amazing bodies. To be included in such company has been something I have always been so proud of. I have appeared in 2 Colt calendars and even in a Titan Calendar. A highlight for me was also working the Titan Media booth several years ago at Folsom where I had the great opportunity to meet so many of my fans and stand along side other iconic Titan Models, Francois Sagat, Spenser Reed, Jessie Jackman, and others. Titan no longer has a booth at Folsom, so I feel very lucky to have had that chance.

You were very active in the industry, you worked with so many studios. Then you seemed to disappear from the industry last year, Why?

Shay: Last year I sorta disappeared as I was dealing with a meth addiction which I am now 7 months clean and sober from alcohol and drugs. I have re-emerged from hiding in the best shape of my life and a much more grounded and professional approach to the porn industry. My second run so to speak has found me now in babreback porn, which I love as it more authentic and relaxed. A few years ago I saw that more and more studios were moving into bareback and decided I wanted a part of that action. Last week I crossed back over to condom porn doing a scene for Chi Chi La Rue with her new exclusive Jason Phoenix. At this point in my career I am pleased that I can move back and fourth and stay current.

I had been drinking for about a decade before I found my way into meth and other party drugs. My life was somewhat manageable when I was drinking even though I had been arrested for two DUIs, lost my job, and even my home. I was in total denial that I was an alcoholic and then I fell into meth. I had been using on and off for a 5 year period. Last year I really grew into my addiction and became a daily user and my life completely collapsed so filming was out of the question. 7 months ago when I decided to get sober I was basically homeless, broke, going blind, had lost about 36 pounds, and so on. My behavior had eroded away all of my friendships, and the only person I was still in contact with was my dealer. I can so very gratefully say I am a member of AA and CMA and have completely turned my life around. The weight is back, I regained my eyesight, have a warm bed to come home to, and have made amazing relationships with other guys. Today my life is full, and so I returned to the industry a New Shay Michaels with a much better focus.

Could you please share with us more detail about your addiction?

Shay: God my addiction was so so dark. I had a partner who I adored years ago in Phoenix. He was from central Poland and was such a sweet and beautiful man. During the course of our relationship he started using meth and being that I was home schooled from 3rd grade through high school I had no idea why his behavior had changed so dramatically. In the end I was not able to save him from his addiction and we broke up. After my breakup I went into full single mode and started to heavily drink and of course cocaine, blow, white girl entered the picture. At one point I was spending a minimum of $100 a day on blow and slowly my life began to skrink.

When I was arrested for my second DUI I decided I needed to stop drinking and slowly started to pull away from the drug scene. I lost my job and decided to enter into porn to prevent myself from having to declare bankruptcy. For a while I thought I had really diminished my drinking and drugging days til I moved to Portland, OR. Once I arrived I really had no friends and no social life there. I spent so much of my time cruising online hook up sites and before I knew it I was either drinking or drugging daily. I used meth heavily for 6 month and then under pressure from my partner and others got sober on my own. Sadly I moved to Los Angeles on April 29th, 2013 and relapsed the first night in town. The months to come were horrible, the constant fucking, day after day being totally consumed with looking for sex and drugs, the isolation, and the physical and mental degradation became unbearable and so I got sober for the last time.

How did you get past all that?

Shay: Alcoholic’s Anonymous truly saved my life. years ago I had gone to AA and was not ready to give up alcohol or drugs which had become my way of dealing with life. Now, 5 years later I was ready and willing to do anything to get and stay sober. I remember going to my first meeting an absolute mess. I was crying almost constantly and was so so ashamed and tried to hide my face and even more so my eyes from the men and women in that meeting. For the first time I listened with an open ear without judgment or skepticism. By the end of that first meeting I wanted so desperately what the others had; laughter, smiling, joy, and gratitude. Since that day I have never picked up again. The journey has been hard but so so worth it. I found my identity in sobriety, I learned how to love in sobriety, I learned how to live life on its terms in sobriety.

If you can give any advice to the porn actor who is in the same problem you had been through, what would it be?

Shay: God, I would have so much advice to give a new model so I will boil it down to what I wish I had been told when I first started. First, porn is a business and nothing more. Do not base your self worth on your porn identity as you can be in one minute and out the next. Know who your true friends are and nurture those friendships as they will keep you grounded and be there for you when the industry is not. Make sure you have a plan for after porn. Porn can only support you for so long and you need to have a what’s next plan. This is something even I am struggling a bit as I lost sight of that because of my addiction. Always always be professional and courteous to studios and scene partners as it will serve you well while in the industry. Most importantly in my opinion never forget who you are. Its so easy to assume a porn identity and forget who you really are including your dreams.

What do you want to archive in 2014?

Shay: 2014 for me is about recovery and transformation. I will be one year sober this summer and with that my life continues to expand. I entered porn as I mentioned earlier to pay off debt to avoid bankruptcy and that is something I am working to achieve this year. I am doing what I can to be an example to others models who are struggling with addiction that you can be in the adult industry sober and thrive. I am pursuing getting my personal training license once again so I can work on that’s “What’s Next Plan” I talked about a few minutes ago. I am looking into having my own website with information on my films, future filming projects, escorting and massage services, and maybe a blog.

Are you shooting more porn scenes for your fans? What can you tell us about your upcoming projects?

Shay: I am currently in Vegas filing 3 scenes for BarebackThatHole.com. I will be working with Tyler Reed next month to film 5 scenes I believe. I am waiting for confirmation from a few other studios for filming.

Do you have any funny or remarkable stories that happened on the porn set?

Shay: Lol, yes I do. I am going to get into trouble for some of this I am sure. Two years ago I was filming a scene with Adam Killian and Jessy Ares for Titan Media, We were outside of the owners home in Palm springs filming and took a little break. I was on my back with my head under Adam’s ass as the director was giving us instruction for the next position, and Adam farted right in my face. I tried to keep a straight face while listening to the director’s instructions, and finally I totally lost it and burst into laughter.

Another time much more recent I was filming with Derek Parker for Cocksure Men. I was going down on his cock and accidentally threw up my protein bar onto his stomach and cock. fortunately I was able to catch most of it in my hand. I was so so embarrassed and Derek was like. “Gurlll Really’.

If you can direct your own porn movie, what will be the title, who will you cast in it and what’s it about?

Shay: Ummmmm… fuck this is a hard question. The title would be something along the lines of Prison Break starring Valentio Medici, Nick Cross, Seven Dixon. A new prisoner would be gang fucked in the shower. The prisoner fearing for his life would have to trade sex for protection and eventual escape. Yeah, I like that premise and cast a lot.

What kind of porn you like? Who’s your favorite porn stars?

Shay: I mostly watch bareback porn as I love the amateur style and genuine intimacy of the models. I am also a huge fan of Menatplay. I think European men are so so hot and the whole business theme drives me crazy. I will always love Francois Sagat, which I got to work with a few years back. I love Lucio Saints and Kevin Lee.

Do you have anything else you want to tell your fans?

Shay: Sincerely thank you for supporting me from the beginning, through my addiction, and now with my re-emergence sober. The supportive comments on twitter have been so amazing and cherished. I feel through speaking with my fans that I am not alone in my struggles nor alone in finding a solution. Again, thank you for being there all this time.

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