The inner workings of the porn industry are largely misunderstood or unknown to outsiders, despite the ubiquity of porn itself. Jon Ronson's (The Psychopath Test, So You’ve Been Publicly Shamed, The Butterfly Effect) latest project — the second of his about the porn industry — is a podcast that uncovers tough truths about the porn world as he investigates the circumstances surrounding the tragic death of 23-year-old porn star August Ames. My final #PodSquad post of the year is about one of my favorite podcasts of 2019. The Last Days of August is an outstanding podcast that tackles difficult issues in a unique industry and humanizes the people who work in it.
The Story
In December 2017, porn star August Ames (real name: Mercedes Grabowski) backed out of a shoot because she didn't want to perform with a "crossover performer," a man who has also shot homosexual pornographic scenes. Ames tweeted about her decision, and other porn performers and Twitter users quickly turned on her, calling her tweet homophobic. A pile-on ensued, despite August's attempts to explain her words. Later that night, August Ames took her own life by hanging herself from a tree in a public park. Her husband, Kevin Moore, a porn producer, stated publicly that the Twitter bullying had caused her to take her own life, and he placed individual blame on certain tweet authors. This is where Ronson enters the story, but it's only the tip of the iceberg.
Jon Ronson
Photograph: Ronson’s Twitter profile
The Issues
As much as this podcast is about August's death, it's also about so much more: her husband, Kevin; how women in porn are treated; cyberbullying; mental illness; suicide; and social stigmas, to name a few themes. The first episode introduces August’s suicide and some of its rather unusual circumstances, and for a moment, you might think this is another true crime podcast, but Ronson tells listeners right up front that this is “not a murder mystery.” Instead, the podcast seeks to give listeners a more complete picture of August’s life, her experiences working in porn, and the private battles in her life that few knew about.
Ronson also interviews August’s husband, Kevin, taking on allegations that he was controlling and possessive and rumors in the porn world that he had something to do with August’s death. Ronson, as usual, isn’t afraid to ask the difficult questions, and the answers bring to light some troubling details about Kevin’s past relationships with female porn actors that open up a bigger picture of the industry itself.
Ronson’s investigation reveals some darker parts of the porn industry, where women are often only able to get steady work for a number of months before struggling to get booked at all. August’s death by suicide is far from being the only one of its kind inside porn. Audio from an “In Memoriam” segment the first AVN Awards after August’s death demonstrated how rampant mental health issues are inside the industry. The list was almost entirely populated with young women, dead by suicide, drug overdoses, and other related issues.
While Kevin placed the blame for August’s death on cyberbullying, Ronson and his producer Lina Misitzis, find other possible triggers by investigating August’s text messages to discover her discomfort with one of the final scenes she shot and her treatment by a male co-star.
August Ames in 2016
Photograph: Zuma Press
The Approach
Ronson is known for being incredibly thorough, and, in my experience, even-handed. The Last Days of August is no exception. Ronson doesn’t set out to find the exact cause of August’s suicide; to do so would be nearly impossible. Instead, he reveals a much more complicated web of circumstances that August and other porn performers have to face. This isn’t a salacious crime story, but rather an open-minded and caring look at a life cut short that makes us ask how these things could be prevented in the future. Ronson and Misitzis treat all of their subjects with compassion and search for understanding rather than blame.
At just seven 30-minute episodes, The Last Days of August is rather concise, but it’s incredibly thorough for its length. Ronson and Misitzis introduce and explore lots of evidence, including the tweets from the day in question, interviews with current porn performers, audio of an interview with the late August, interviews with her brother, August’s text messages, and even footage of the scene August cited as being too violent. To cover that much ground in seven episodes is impressive, but you won’t feel like the podcast is too short.
Overall, I highly recommend The Last Days of August for a distinctive take on the porn industry through the lens of a promising young star’s untimely death. You will learn about the industry itself — which is fascinating in its own right — and see the people working in it as what they are: humans just like you, facing their own struggles and just trying to make the best of their lives.
Listen to The Last Days of August on Audible or on your podcatcher of choice. Have you listened to The Last Days of August or checked out any of Ronson’s other work? Let us know what you thought!
“The reality is we all did it. We’re all complicit. We all are.”
