Entertainment

The Dirty Dozen: Porn's biggest stars

The Dirty Dozen 2015

Adult film actresses Riley Reid, left, and Bonnie Rotten arrive for the 2013 XBIZ Awards in Century City, Calif., Jan. 11, 2013.
Albert L. Ortega | WireImage | Getty Images

Every year, there's a flood of new actresses who enter the porn world.

Most wash out quickly, but those who quickly amass a fan base can find some longevity. Those fans are the key to success, as studios look for sure bets and tend to invest more in films starring those actresses.

With the industry's annual expo in Las Vegas running Jan. 21-24, we've once again assembled a list of the most popular porn stars. This year, however, we've switched up our methodology to incorporate not just the industry's opinion of them but the fans', as well.

We began, as we always do, by determining who has earned the most nominations in the annual AVN and Xbiz awards (the industry's two highest-profile awards shows). From that list, we looked at a three-month average of the stars' Google Trends ranking, taking our "dirty dozen" from the top scoring personalities. Here's who came out on top, and when you're done with this list you can check out the Dozen from 2014, 2013, 2012 and 2011, too.

—By Chris Morris

Jada Stevens

emmreport.com

An Atlanta native, Stevens almost became just another performer in the early stage of her career, but then switched her blonde hair for brunette and began to turn heads. She recently signed as an exclusive performer for Arch Angel, a new studio in the adult space, which has also signed Remy LaCroix, a member of last year's list.

Dani Daniels

Gary Chow

Appearing on the list for the second consecutive year, Daniels is a three-year veteran of the adult industry. She was named a Penthouse Pet in just one year and has also expanded beyond performing to direct several films. This year, she's up for 16 awards.

Lisa Ann

Chris Brody

This may be year the last year Lisa Ann makes the "Dirty Dozen." In December, she announced her retirement as a performer. This is her second retirement, in fact. She started performing over 20 years ago, but stopped for a while to focus on the business side, running a talent agency.

So what's she giving up porn for? It's probably not what you think. In a handwritten note to fans, she said, "In my new life I dream of having an undefeated season in fantasy football while pursuing my career in fantasy sports." (She currently hosts a fantasy football show on Sirius.) She also plans to launch a new consulting company geared towards mentoring future performers.

Dana Vespoli

Rising Star PR

Though she performs occasionally, Vespoli racked up most of her AVN and Xbiz nominations this year for her directorial work, which she started in 2006, three years after entering the industry. Popular with performers, she's also one of the go-to auteurs for adult film studio Evil Angel.

Chanel Preston

emmreport.com

Preston, despite a busy year, didn't garner as many award nominations as she has in the past, but her fan base has remained strong. She also launched a Web series ("Naked with Chanel") that focuses on issues surrounding sexuality in America, and hosts Adult Insider, a behind-the-scenes show about the adult indutry. This year, she'll also add director to her resume, with her first film releasing in February.

Jessa Rhodes

emmreport.com

A former Webcam model, Rhodes' first days in the industry (doing photo shoots in Miami) were so bad that she almost quit porn for good. A friend encouraged her to move to Los Angeles, though, where she quickly found an audience. Her future is less certain, though, as the 21-year-old has said she's considering returning to college to get her business associate's degree, with hopes to run a business.

Anikka Albrite

emmreport.com

Albrite, now in her fourth year in the industry, really started her meteoric rise last year and has seen it continue this year, widening her fan base. The former mainstream model, who LA Weekly listed as one of 10 porn stars who could be the next Jenna Jameson in 2013, captured multiple nominations this year.

Skin Diamond

Chris Morris

Diamond's modeling career started in the mainstream world, where she did ads for Louis Vuitton and American Apparel. In the porn world, though, she has become one of the most popular performers around (earning 16 nominations this year). She has also served as the model for a character in the Daredevil comic books from Marvel and appeared in a music video for recording artist B.o.B.

Riley Reid

Michael Dorausch

A performer since the age of 19, Reid (now 23) dominated last year's industry awards, winning every one of her nominations with Xbiz, including female performer of the year. Like many performers, especially the younger crop, she has cultivated a large following of fans on Twitter.

Asa Akira

Chris Morris

Akira's a four-year veteran of the Dirty Dozen list, though this year is notably different than the others. Now an exclusive contract performer with Wicked Pictures, she has been performing less, giving her time to publish a memoir, "Insatiable: Porn — A Love Story," which received favorable reviews. Her fans also appreciate her sarcastic, often hilarious, Twitter feed.

Bonnie Rotten

Bonnie Rotten
Chris Morris | CNBC

Rotten is the "it" girl in porn these days, having skyrocketed to the top with the interest in alt porn. She's got a distinctive look, with over 30 tattoos, including spiderwebs inked across both breasts and the words "Dead Girls Don't Cry" on her stomach, and a do-anything reputation, which attracts more fans.

This year, she launched her own production company, signing a distribution deal with Girlfriend Films and expanded her directing resume. The winner of last year's AVN Performer of the Year award, she's also a popular feature dancer across the country.

Aaliyah Love

Jim

Love started her porn career as a Camgirl, stripping and performing solo acts for people watching live online to supplement her income as a pre-school teacher. Since then she has successfully transitioned to traditional porn, one of the few to make that jump so successfully.