After announcing she would be pursuing a career as an adult entertainer last February, Steven Spielberg’s daughter, Mikaela Spielberg, wasarrested just weeks later on a domestic violence misdemeanor against her then-fiancé, Chuck Pankow. The charges were dropped upon Spielberg’s completion of court-ordered counseling sessions, and the 24-year-old has since been engaging in sex work as a means of empowerment and “healing.”
Spielberg specializes in webcamming and pay-per-view videos. In an interview with the Daily Beast last week, she said her desire to assert her independence played a significant role in her decision to join the adult entertainment industry, describing her experience thus far as “life-affirming.” After having her heart broken and hitting rock bottom two years ago, Spielberg began self-medicating with alcohol, and porn has since helped her get out of that dark place.
“I’m really enjoying work, and it’s giving me a whole new life-affirming way to be,” she said. “It opened up a gateway into being able to dance. The best part of it has been that anytime I want to I can just go into work, and go dance.”
Mikaela Spielberg with her mom, Kate Capshaw (middle) and sister, Destry Allyn Spielberg (left) - Joe Scarnici/Getty Images
Since embarking on her current line of work, Spielberg’s life changed drastically, with her no longer feeling the need to resort to self-destructive behaviors in order to cope with hardship. “I felt like had I not done the work I needed to do on myself, and on my relationships, I would have been dead within the year,” she said.
After years of battling with her demons, porn has proved a significant part of Spielberg’s “healing journey.” Although such wasn’t always the case, Spielberg’s parents are indeed supportive of her decision to become an adult entertainer, and Spielberg believes their acceptance will only grow as they see the positive impact it has had on her life.
After almost becoming homeless when she found herself in a financial cinch last summer, Spielberg has begun using her platform to speak out about the United States’ housing crisis, as well as engaging in other forms of activism, beyond her career in porn.
“I feel like the housing crisis needs to be tackled, and am speaking from personal experience because I almost lost housing this summer—not due to anything I did but the financial position I was in. I feel like gentrification needs to be fixed. Something else that I’m really passionate about is how there should be mutual-aid funds for people in marginalized professions,” she said.