About
Asa Akira (born January 3, 1985, in Manhattan, New York) is an adult-film performer, director, podcaster, and two-time best-selling author. Over a career that began in 2006 she has appeared in more than 900 movies, directed several fetish and showcase titles, and broken barriers for Asian-American performers by winning AVN’s coveted Female Performer of the Year award in 2013—becoming only the third Asian star ever honored in that category. She later hosted the first two Pornhub Awards, cementing her place as a visible spokesperson for the industry. In recent years Akira has stepped forward as an advocate for sex-worker rights and for sensible age-verification legislation, telling Wired in 2025 that “censorship won’t protect kids—good sex education will.”
Before Fame
Akira was born Asa Takigami to Japanese immigrant parents Taeko and Kenji. Her father worked in portrait photography, and when she was in elementary school the family relocated to Tokyo for four years, exposing her to both U.S. and Japanese schooling before she returned to New York for high school. Growing up bilingual and bouncing between cultures gave her an early fascination with identity and taboo subjects. After graduation she held a string of everyday jobs—cashier, bookstore clerk, even babysitter—but found traditional work uninspiring. At 19 she entered a Manhattan BDSM studio as a dominatrix, which she has described as her “first taste of sexual performance.” Radio appearances on the shock-jock program Bubba the Love Sponge followed, and in 2006 she took her first on-camera role, quickly earning a reputation for stamina and frank humor that would drive her rapid rise.
Trivia
- Award magnet: Akira’s trophy shelf includes AVN, XBIZ, XRCO, NightMoves, Pornhub, and Urban X honors, as well as induction into four different Halls of Fame.
- Haiku habit: For years she posted cheeky 17-syllable poems on Twitter, culminating in a limited-edition chapbook for fans.
- Page-turner: Her memoir Insatiable: Porn—A Love Story (2014) and follow-up essay collection Dirty Thirty (2016) landed on The Village Voice best-seller list for independent presses.
- Podcast pioneer: Long before many adult stars started podcasting, Akira launched Pornhub Podcast in 2017, chatting with everyone from comedians to sex educators.
- Activist voice: At the 2025 Pornhub Awards she used her host slot to criticize blanket social-media bans on sex workers, arguing that “erasing us online just pushes us into unsafe corners.”
Family Life
Akira is an only child and remains close to her parents, who, she says, “taught me work ethic and a sense of play at the same time.” She married Spanish performer-director Toni Ribas in December 2012; the pair divorced amicably in 2017 but still collaborate professionally on occasion. In 2018 she wed longtime friend Sean Moroney, and in February 2019 the couple welcomed their first child, a son whose name they keep private to shield him from public scrutiny. Interviews suggest parenting changed her pace of filming—she now focuses more on directing and audio projects that allow a stable home life in Los Angeles. Akira has spoken openly about postpartum depression, aiming to destigmatize mental-health struggles among new parents.
Associated With
Throughout her career Akira has collaborated with many of the industry’s top names. She co-hosted the 30th AVN Awards alongside Jesse Jane and comedian April Macie, performed celebrated scenes with Manuel Ferrara and Brooklyn Lee, and often appears on camera with performer-turned-director James Deen. As a director she cites Kayden Kross and Belladonna as creative inspirations, praising their blend of artistry and performer empathy. Beyond adult film, she has guested on Adam Carolla’s network, David Choe’s DVDASA show, and mainstream comedy podcasts, bringing sex-positive conversation to wide audiences. More recently Akira has aligned with fellow advocate Queenie Sateen to lobby against punitive age-verification bills that silence sex-worker voices.
