Adult film actress Honey Gold poses at the Jules Jordan Video booth during the 2018 AVN Adult Expo at the Hard Rock Hotel & Casino on January 24, 2018 in Las Vegas, Nevada. (FilmMagic)
A porn star who survived a recent suicide attempt is getting help after friends, fans and fellow performers launched a campaign to pay for mental health treatment.
Honey Gold, 25, tweeted on Saturday that she was “struggling with my mental health and trying to deal with the trauma caused by things that have happened in my past.”
“I have come to realize they are affecting my life more than I realized. I recognize that I now need to get extensive help. The program I need to recover is beyond my financial capabilities and I need to get help before it is too late again.
A follow-up tweet written on her behalf further explained Gold’s predicament: “Honey has struggled with mental health as many of us do and recently she attempted to take her own life. She is alive and okay, but needs intensive care and mental health care, which is very expensive.”
Gold’s friend and manager, Xhylea Weatherill, set up a GoFundMe page with the goal of raising $48,500. So far, over $21,000 has been raised and, on Tuesday, Gold was admitted to a 30-day treatment facility after fellow performers Ryan Conner and Donny Sins put up $21,500 of their own money while the campaign runs its course.
Meanwhile, other performers took to Twitter to raise awareness of Gold’s plight.
Multiple award-winning male performer Seth Gamble wrote, “I know what’s it like to need help and one of the hardest things to do is ask for it please help this brave woman.”
Romi Rain added, “I support you @HoneyGoldxx it’s a hard time of year for many but what’s even harder is admitting you need help & seeking it. If you are a fan of hers, please check out her page. A little kindness can go a long way. I hope to see your pretty smile soon!”
And Texas Patti, a veteran German performer, promised a month-long membership to her website for everyone who donated to Gold’s cause.
Gold has only been working in porn for a couple of years but has racked up a number of notable accomplishments in her short career. She’s performed in over 100 scenes and was nominated for the “Best New Starlet” award at the 2018 Adult Video News Awards — the so-called Oscars of porn. She recently picked up five nominations for this year’s awards including “Female Performer of the Year,” which is considered the highest honor in the business.
Gold’s harrowing ordeal comes a year after five porn actress died in one three-month window.
Shyla Stylez, 35, Yurizan Beltran, 31, Olivia Nova, 20, Olivia Lua, 23, and August Ames, 23, all died between November 2017 and January 2018.
Ames’ suicide came in the wake of a very public online bullying campaign that began after the porn superstar tweeted: “Whichever (lady) performer is replacing me tomorrow for @EroticaXNew, you’re shooting with a guy who has shot gay porn, just to let cha know.”
“Do agents really not care about who they’re representing? I do my homework for my body.”
She later added: “NOT homophobic.”
“Most girls don’t shoot with guys who have shot gay porn, for safety.”
“That’s just how it is with me. I’m not putting my body at risk, i don’t know what they do in their private lives.”
Internet trolls bombarded Ames with abuse, claiming that she was homophobic.
Two days later she took her own life.
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