In the disturbing first episode of Porn King: The Rise & Fall of Ron Jeremy (Channel 4), viewers were introduced to what artists are now calling the ‘Golden Age’ of pornography. The rise of home video in the 80s brought a game-changing influx of money. “We had big budgets, big scripts, big actors,” gushes one star.
For younger viewers (acclimatised to Love Island’s six buttons), the stars explained the appeal of dumb and chubby Jeremy (known to complete close-up ‘pop shots’ while eating). “He’s the average Joe at home who can’t get a girl like Christy Canyon or Ginger Lynn. But when they saw Ron Jeremy it gave them confidence.” In addition, he had a nine and three quarter inch penis which he swung around as part of his silly “comedian” schtick.
We heard a (female) childhood friend describe him as the funniest kid she knew and also “innocent, very innocent”. In an old interview we heard him explain how he had found that “love is painful, sex is simple.”
Lynn claimed he raped her on her 21st birthday in 1983. Like other alleged victims, she claims Jeremy attacked her, violently and unexpectedly, from behind. The next day she was contractually obligated to have sex with him on camera. No one asked why she punched him in the face in the middle of the stage.
At times, the allegations were painful to hear. Lynn said she didn’t go to the police because she thought no one would believe a woman who was paid to have sex could be raped. But as her colleague Alana Evans states: “You rape a porn star the way you rape anyone else. Violating our consent.”
