In honor of Black History Month, HotMovies teamed up with veteran performer Lotus Lain to interview Black performers and adult content producers to highlight their perspectives on the industry and their unique achievements. In the first of 12 Instagram Live interviews, Lotus sat down with the prolific and talented Ricky Johnson to discuss his new project, Ricky’s Room, and how important it is for Black performers to work together to uplift and promote each other. Ricky also touches on industry issues like mental health, career longevity, and having a life outside of porn. Check out Lotus and Ricky’s discussion below or watch the video on HotMovies YouTube or Instagram!
LL: Welcome, welcome. We are about to start the very first IG Live in the series that I created with HotMovies, and it’s going to be all about Black performers for Black History Month. And I’m Lotus Lain, you know me. I’m all about that promotion of melanins. Let me get Ricky to join. And we’ll be getting started. Everybody get comfortable. There’s Ricky in the house. Yes. Okay, cool. And we’re finally live with everybody. Thank you for joining me on my very first one. I was actually so happy that you were eager to be one of the first people signing up.
RJ: Of course. I support all Black things forever.
I know you do. Look at you. Wait, you need to step back and show us what you wearing, ’cause I see some Black colors. I see some blackness coming through. Uh-oh, Uh-oh. Look at that hoodie.
Black by popular demand.
Black by popular demand. Yes, you are as a matter of fact. I really like that sweater. Where’d you get that from?
Damn, I forgot. But I just liked it. So… What’s up boo? How are you doing though? How have you been?
I’m good, I’m good. I’m also with my Black representing melanated apparel. Just trying to make the most out of us and our accomplishments this Black History Month. It’s one of those things where year after year, we kinda sit and wait and see who’s gonna do what as far as companies for us. And I was like, “We don’t have to wait for companies. We can do this shit ourselves. We got this shit.”
We run them companies.
Yeah, we run this shit. You know?
Because I have something that’s dropping… It should be dropping this month. But not, for sure in March. But I’m gonna try to get it out this month. It’s called…
Okay, okay, okay. Wait, wait, wait. We need to hear all about this. What is this company? What is the drop? Details.
It’s called Ricky’s Room. I’ve already shot 31 scenes with some of the biggest names, including Ana Foxxx is one of them. But I’ll let you guys see all the rest of it. I should be dropping a trailer soon. But you know, I remember there was a time where everybody was talking about, “What can we do to get more representation and more companies to shoot us?” It’d be like, you have to become the owner of the company. So…
So Ricky’s Room is its own independent being? It’s not on a platform?
Yeah, yeah. I’m my own boss. All the homies, all Black folks, and also non-Black people. But I’m just gonna bring more sites in and just have my own network.
I love that, I love that. That is really exciting actually, as a matter of fact, ’cause I remember one of the first things we were talking about was this kind of conversation of, “How do we get in there? How do we make more of us be in there?” And you’re moving from producer-director to just being owner, and that’s the difference.
Do what you gotta do baby. Gotta be a gatekeeper and bring on the people. And we got a lot of female talent.
We do. Please shout out some of the new Black talents because I know you see a lot of the new people coming through and we need to hear straight from you. Who are they?
Right. We got the ones that are kinda new that have already been killing it. We got Little D who’s fucking always killing it, that’s the homie. We got Troy Francisco, he’s killing it.
Oh, love him.
We got super-new dudes, Eric Thuger, James Angel, Mais Togo, Dwayne Foxxx, Lawson Jones. And you got your already-legends like Jax Slayher, Isiah…
Yes. We’re interviewing him later this next week too, Isiah.
Hey, help me out, I don’t know if I’m forgetting people. I just named a bunch of dudes.
You did name a bunch of dudes. And I feel like… I was just like, “Just cover me in cum.” You just like naming them. And I’m like, “Yes, yes.” Drizzle, drizzle.
And I’m missing three people. But there’s hella…
I really love the variety of the new guys. ‘Cause, we have some very fine light skins and we have some very fine dark skins and a lot of chocolatey brothers. Guys with hair, guys with no hair. I like all that.
I fuck with that. I fuck with that. Yeah. This is nice, I like it.
It’s cool that you are a kind of performer too, that is in your veteran status and you are not threatened by the new people coming through. You’re giving them their opportunities. I see that you’re putting people on. And that’s exactly what we need.
Yeah. That’s the thing, sometimes… A lot of times new talent get in that little weird, to start strong and shit, where it’s like a competition. But it’s like everybody eats. Seven billion people in the world, everyone’s not gonna like you. So everyone likes different people. We all have our own fans. So just like take your people… And people can have more than one fan. You can like me and like someone else. They’re not gonna just stop fucking with you ’cause some other dude…
Right, exactly, right. I don’t have ownership over this fan, just like the next girl doesn’t have ownership over that fan. We could share fans.
Yeah. Then if you can all come together, and once we all come together and figure out like we are stronger together, then it’s a wrap. But it just takes time.
I have to agree. Would you say that you feel the stronger-together vibes coming more together? Or spreading more apart?
Fuck no, that shit’s spreading more apart.
Yeah.
Everyone’s making their own money now. I fuck with that heavy because everyone’s their own individual, but we still gotta do more shit together. Which is why I’m also planning on with my Ricky’s Room brand, I’m gonna throw four parties a year. I wanna throw a fucking major rager.
Oh shit.
Like all sex workers, all porn stars, and get together and just… You know? And I’m gonna throw big bucks in that bitch just so that everyone keeps coming together and mingling and just knowing that we’re a family.
I really fuck with that. We have four new Ricky’s Room parties to look forward to apparently this year is what I’m hearing from you.
100%.
That is so good, because one of the things I noticed too is the in-person stuff that we do as an industry is what keeps us solid, really keeps the connections and the energy up.
Yeah.
You could see someone sexy or cute online, and then when you really in-person with them, you like, “Damn, I’m ready to fuck right now. Where’s the bathroom?”
I like it.
Thinking of in-person things, I know we didn’t have an in-person AVN this year, but did you go to any of the XBIZ or X3 things that we just had?
I stopped by X3 for one of the days, and it was pretty cool.
Oh yeah?
I hadn’t seen my colleagues in a while, so it was fun. I was just seeing some people. And it was just nice. We need more of that, I like that type of shit.
We do need more of that, we do need more of that, you’re right. I’m glad you stopped by, ’cause you know, it’s one of those things where some people are like, “I’m not really gonna go. Corona is still a thing.” And then…
Yeah.
Vaccines, all that. It’s controversial, so it’s a good thing that despite the controversy, we could still make time to be in-person, one-on-one in front of people. So one thing I do wanna get into is since we’re talking about Black history… the people that you enjoy looking at in your history, your own porn history, before you were even in porn, who were the ones that you got inspired by?
Inspired?
Yeah, whether it means your dick hard or I wanna do what that motherfucker is doing. [chuckles]
Okay well, let’s see, chick-wise, who was like… I was always watching, I saw Cherokee…
Oh yeah.
It was like Lacey Duvalle.
Yes, I loved her.
Pinky, of course. Yeah, and there were a couple more, but all those like the mainstays. And when I got in, I thought I’d be working with them, but they were like all retired, so it was tough.
Isn’t that funny, ’cause I kind of had the same feeling when I first got in too, you think like, “Oh, everybody’s still here, so I get a taste of everybody.” And I think Mandingo had just stopped or something, and I was like, “Damn, I don’t even get a taste?”
Well, you was tryna get that? Oh, you a freak, freak. Yeah, no, it’s like porn rolls over like a year or two so you think that…
Oh yeah, yeah. Like the roster.
Yeah, so you’re coming in and it’s like, “Oh, you’re like two years behind. It’s like a whole bunch of new people and shit.”
Exactly. That’s one of the things that I noticed even when I talk to my cousins out in the regular world. I’ll ask him like, “Oh, who are the porn stars you’re looking at or that you know about?” And they name people and I’m like, “What?” I was like, “She came out like one time, five years ago, how you’ve been thinking about that person?” And they’re like, “Oh, that’s who I see.” And it’s almost the internet is actually like two years behind who’s really booking and working right now.
Yeah, and also like the fanbase, they don’t know the insides of porn like we know the insides of everybody and what’s been going on. But the fanbase doesn’t know all the tea and the drama and all that.
And you know I live for tea. [chuckles] One of the funny things I was gonna say, ’cause we always have those people in the questions asking how do they get into porn… We’re not gonna answer that fucking question, we’re not answering that question, you can research it yourself and figure it out. But one of the things that I will wanna ask you, ’cause it is different for everybody. Once you were in porn, what was it that changed your mindset to be like, “Okay. This is what’s gonna take me to the next level.”
What do you mean? Like, how…
Like whether it was like behavior, something you started doing different, like working out different or just thinking about the business different. When did it go from like, “Okay, I just started,” to now, it’s like, “Oh, I really feel like I’m a heavy-hitter.”
Oh yeah, so when I first got into porn, I was… I planned to be like a producer from the get-go.
Okay.
And then I started getting nice traction as a performer. So my career is more of word-of-mouth because like as a light-skinned performer in porn, it’s better now. But when I first got in, it was all black and white. Either you’re dark-skinned or…
What year did you start anyways? What year did you start?
Early, early 2016. I got in 2015 but I didn’t get a fucking job until 2016, that’s when it really counted as like working and shit. But either you’re like a big, buff, dark-skinned, heavy-melanin kinda guy, or you’re not working.
True. [laughter]
It was word-of-mouth like other girls would be like, “Oh, you should try Ricky out.” Like, “Oh yeah, I do Ricky.” So I just had to put in work. Just every time you guys sex me, I’d make sure it’s the best you’ve ever had, so you can tell someone and then they can hear it and they can try and find out. That type of thing. But now…
I love that. I mean, that’s really how it works. Good word-of-mouth. That’s true.
Yeah, but you fuck up once, you have one bad time, it’s a wrap. That’s how it was like, you have no chance for mistakes.
Well, when you say fuck up, explain to people what you mean by fuck up.
I mean, for all new dudes and even dudes that are in the industry now, your social media presence is a lot more important than it used to be. It’s all about kinda having a personality.
True.
Not everybody has a big dick, but a lot of people in the industry have a big dick, and what’s gonna separate you is like if you’re online and calling girls bitches, or just getting into arguments, or just like fighting with people, or just doing some drama, or just like… You can express yourself.
We bitches see that. [chuckles]
Yeah, like yeah, like everyone just looking at you with popcorn and all the other producers and companies, they’re like, “Oh, I’m not gonna work with this guy because he’s doing too much.” It’s just like a regular job. You gotta have some semblance of professionalism. That doesn’t mean let people walk all over you. Because I’m petty, so if someone says some shit, I’m for sure tagging you back, but…
I need an explanation of that. Why do you tag yourself, Ricky Petty Johnson? Why specifically do you know you’re petty?
Well, it’s either petty or toxic, and I feel like toxic is…
No. [chuckles] Not toxic.
Yeah see, I don’t wanna put toxic ’cause people might wanna run away and get scared of that, but petty is just…
Right. That’s part of that online presence you’re talking about, if you market yourself as toxic you’re gonna cancel yourself before you get going.
One-hundred percent. But petty is, alright, you know everyone’s a little petty.
Right.
And it’s just all in good fun.
Right. Petty can be funny. [chuckles]
Yeah, yeah, yeah. I’m not gonna like do some fucked-up shit, but I will tag you back.
I feel that, I feel that, I feel that. One of the things that I really wanna let people know about you, too. It’s funny, ’cause Ana and I always joke about this. When you were doing your scenes together for her, the OnlyFans collaboration that you guys did, and we were talking about things we were gonna do and we were like, “Yeah, we’re gonna include a couple of people,” and you were like, “You guys gotta make that Black, you better make that Black.” And we were like, “Whoa!” It was funny ’cause at the moment, you kinda put us on our heels and we were like, “Yeah, we should be as Black as possible when we’re approaching this shit,” and I just wanna commend you on that because we always go back to that moment like, “Remember when Ricky called us out, we were trying to water things down too much and he was like, ‘Hell no, be Blacker.’ So you’re a little inspiration for us too.
Hey, that means a lot you know. I’m just trying to bring us all together, create a good legacy. That’s what it’s all about.
I love that. One of the things I wanted to touch back on, is how you were talking about your plans with Ricky’s Room, and then how you wanna do industry events and stuff—which I love. How do you long-term see your legacy in the industry, the way you looked at Cherokee, the way you looked at Lacey Duvalle and stuff, what do you see your… Ricky’s legacy?
I just want something… ’cause sex work is a huge thing in the world, you can tell with the OnlyFans blowing up and how many people are just checking out other people’s stuff, just normalized it. We got porn stars that are in Euphoria now, so it’s slowly becoming integrated where it’s not that crazy of a thing. And also working on mental-health awareness type shit, ’cause there’s a lot of people in our industry that go through a lot of shit, drugs, and just situations and shit like that, so it’s important.
You’re so right.
We help each other, ’cause I hear stories and you see people, like your colleagues and you’re like, “Damn, they’re not doing too well.” And you just gotta help them type of shit, ’cause we’re family, in a sense. We’re not gonna hang out all the time, but we fucked. We may have fucked the first time, you made me cum, I made you cum, type of shit. So it’s just like, “I don’t wanna see you down bad like that.” You know?
Exactly. I really know what you’re talking about, ’cause that really hurts in a different way when you see other people going through it and you’re like, “Damn, I don’t even know what I can do.” Just be there for them if they ever reach out. But one thing I wanted to ask, speaking… I’m so glad you started talking about this, ’cause Black History Month is like, “Oh, what do Black people do, your accomplishments,” all this shit. So with that said, what do you do to rest? Because I know you work hard; you are now a business-owner running things, mogul… How do you relax?
No, I mean honestly, I’m trying to ride this wave of just getting as much work done as possible, ’cause at some point, the wave falls down and you’re gonna have to chill. But at the moment, I am sleeping like four hours a day doing as much as I can, but I like to just hang… I’m from California, so a lot of people in the industry aren’t from here, but I have a lot of friends outside the industry. So I have a nice time decompressing and just hanging out with the homies and just separating myself from porn and shit like that, playing video games, working out, shit like that.
Do you think that it’s important for porn stars to have that separate life of other friends that are just regular, doing regular stuff, that’s not just planning the next content shoot?
Yes, 100%. Even if it’s your own porn colleagues, be yourself. I mean we’re all ourselves, but like if I’m Ricky, but I’m not Ricky 24/7. At the end of the day, it’s like an alter-ego, I guess. It’s still me, Ricky is me, I’m not a faker.
Do you feel like it’s the amplifying of your personality?
Yeah, yeah, yeah. I’m super extra-horny when I’m Ricky, I’m about to fuck the shit out of you type of shit. I still would but it’s like…
As it should be, as it should be.
Can’t be all the time. You gotta sometimes rest, you can’t be in too much porn or I was like, “I might start going real places.” I don’t know, so. I’ve seen people in the industry for like 13 years and their mindset is a little different, but it’s all good.
Is that how long it’s been? Don’t say you’ve been in the industry…
No, I’ve seen other people in the industry.
Oh, I was like, wait, you just said 2016, is my math crazy… Yeah, I know what you mean, yeah. Right, I know what you mean, because one of the things when I first started was kinda seeing how other people were when they were past their six-year mark. And some people when they had it together, they had it together, but some people veer off to the side of the road and they get themselves confused with their persona, and then they’re blurring the lines and can’t even tell who their real self is anymore.
Yeah, but the mental health shit, that’s why we need to help people in all aspects you know.
Yeah, definitely, that’s good that you have that kind of heart, Ricky. People need that in the industry, especially the people that you interact with. And you know a lot of new people, so especially the new people need that help, they don’t realize how much pressure you have on you until you’re in the pressure zone and then you’re like, “Damn.”
Yeah. And we should also have—not classes, but little, like little systems of… Not how to be a male performer ’cause I know niggas have an ego. So they’re gonna be like, “Oh you’re telling me how to have sex,” but how to go about it yourself. There are things that… Like how the NBA has those little programs if you’re getting a bunch of money, don’t use your money… like that type of shit.
I really like that idea. I would really be interested in talking with you more about that later, ’cause you know now with FSC, we have Alison Boden as our new CEO, who used to be the CEO of Kink.com. You used to work with Kink a little bit, didn’t you?
I did once, I did like a gangbang for them and shit like that, yeah. It was fun.
Right. I think I remember seeing you in that, but yeah, I feel like Alison was one of those people that led the industry as far as consent, forward stuff, mental-health forward stuff. So the fact that she’s now with the FSC, I feel like we could do something with that idea of helping train the young male performers or give them some guidance of some sort, ’cause we need that. We need that.
Oh yeah. But a quick question for you…
Yeah, go ahead.
Your mainstays back in the day, you were asking me about who I grew up seeing, what about you?
Okay, definitely Lacey Duvalle was one of them. I used to always be so fascinated by how pretty she was. And then as far as dudes, I liked Mandingo, I liked Shane Diesel. I liked them ’cause they were really extremely big, and I was always kind of scared of that like, “Oh my God, they are so big. Can I take it?” [laughter] I liked that. There was this Latina actress named Sandra something. I can’t remember her last name, but that’s not Black History. So that doesn’t really count. She was cool. Honestly, does it get any better than Pinky? I know you said her too, but I remember this video of her and Lacey Duvalle that I used to watch over and over and over, and Pinky was just relentlessly slamming into her with the strap-on and I was just like, I didn’t even know that was possible.
Yeah, I think Pinky like owned… She was like the GOAT for a cool, cool minute.
Yeah. I always bow down to Ms. Pinky and I’m just lucky, honestly, that I got to work with Cherokee. I feel like any time that I’m on a set of hers, that’s a dream come true. I’m living my dream, I’m doing it.
I fuck with that, the OGs.
Yeah, that was one of mine. I feel like there’s one more that I’m envisioning, and I can’t remember her name. Oh, Heather Hunter. She was so pretty that I remember looking at her and just being like, “I will never be that perfect. She’s just like a goddess.” But I don’t think that way anymore. No more comparison.
Yeah, you’re beautiful, girl, yeah.
Thank you. No more comparison. But I just remember those feelings back in the day, but yeah. Heather still has it going on. I follow her on Twitter and she’s still beautiful as ever doing photos and stuff. So yeah, that was one of those things. It looks like we have a bunch of people in here. Does anyone have any regular questions that don’t have anything to do with how do you get into porn, because if not, I don’t wanna take up…
I have no problem answering that. I answer it all the time, and if you wanna…
You do? I wanna hear your take on it. I just get tired of answering it ’cause I know it gets overdone, but yeah, I wanna hear your take on it. Let’s go.
I feel like it’s easy to get into porn. It’s hard to stay in porn, more so.
Okay.
And if you were serious about getting in porn, there are two routes. I would say the route that nowadays people are going on is start your own OnlyFans or PornHub channel, or your own content with someone that’s your partner, or someone that consensually you guys are both down to do that type of shit. And then if it’s good, people will find you. And other than that, another way to do it is also to reach out to different agencies. You can look up porn agencies, and then go to their website, and then on their websites, it’ll have like, “Do you wanna be a model?” type of shit, and then you send in your information and there’s like about nine. So if you send it to nine, I’m sure one of them will get back to you.
Nice. I didn’t even realize people can ask official questions typing in this little box. So Lady Lazarus just asked, “Where does Ricky reside in the world?” She would love to attend a content party, and she says HotMovies knows her. I do follow her on Twitter. So she’s a real performer person.
Where do I live, my address?
No, right, she’s trying to come stop. No, no I think maybe she just wants to know she’s in the vicinity to be able to accept an invite to a Ricky’s Room future party.
Yeah, no, for sure. I’m in NoHo. I’m in California, but yeah.
In the California area?
Yeah.
Okay, I’ll definitely be there. I was going to say, are these something that you gonna broadcast or is it gonna be super, super private?
I’d low-key want the first one to be like super, super private and just there’s literally all sex workers and porn people. And then you guys’ like plus-one, your people, ’cause I trust the people I trust, I trust who they trust type of shit. Just like we’ll all get together, we’ll have fun, open bar, try to just let loose, enjoy life, and celebrate your existence type of shit.
I love that. I really do. Okay, cool. I hope to see Lady Lazarus there if she can make it, and then our other question we have from Sweet Miss Candace says, “Does working in porn affect your actual personal sex life and if it does, how so?”
No, but lately I have not had sex off-camera in a minute ’cause I’ve been doing a lot of content lately. So I’ve been trying to dip and dive in all the types of industries that are in porn and shit. So lately, I have not had a bunch of off-camera sex, but I’ve been doing a lot of content, but no, ’cause it’s different. When the cameras are on, I feel like it’s a little bit of a performance. Not that I’m doing extra, but I’m not always gonna pick a chick up when I’m having sex off-camera. But I’m gonna make sure I get that moment if the cameras are on. Just say I’m trying to score a 50 instead of scoring 30 if the camera is on type of shit.
I love that. No, you’re right, you’re right. We have to make it a show after all.
Yeah, yeah.
So next question from Katie Stevens. She wants to know if you’re ever gonna go to London.
London? For sure. I’ll go on a tour, go to different countries you know. Find people.
Yeah, is that in the future plans to do one of those European porn tours, or would it just be for traveling pleasure?
Well, actually, now that I have a brand and a company, I need to let, you know, Ricky’s Room in London or Ricky’s Room in…
You have to. I feel like you have to. I would love to see the Ricky’s Room, Czech. Girls from the Czech Republic, or the Russian girls…
100%. But yeah, I’ll be in London. Maybe not this year, but for sure next year.
Okay, alright, look forward to that Katie Stevens. Another question that I have from Nica is, “Are you guys paid flat rates for the videos, or do you continue to make a disclosed amount off of each view, like commission?”
Yeah, no, we’re paid a flat rate for the views, and shit like that. The only different thing is the platforms, ’cause you do it differently, but mainstream porn, you don’t…
Yeah, that’s the benefit of those kinds of fan sites. That’s why we’re all on them.
Yeah.
It’s because we could get our residuals that way, whereas the other is the flat rate. I have one last question. It’s about Exxxotica. Do you go to Exxxoticas and would you go to Exxxoticas? And if so, which city?
Yeah, no, I’m gonna go to the Exxxoticas for Ricky’s Room to open the brand. I’m doing everything I can this year. I’m gonna go to the one in Miami in July, and then the one in New Jersey in November.
I feel like the New Jersey one is the most popping.
Yeah, most lit, but Miami too. Miami is a vibe.
Well yeah, it’s Miami, right? And it’s the summer. It’s Miami, bitch. Okay, I already see it’s gonna get real nasty in Ricky’s Room coming up. You’ve got the Miami content moments. I see that. That’s cool. All right, I think that is perfect timing, ’cause as I said, I have to use the bathroom. We had a wonderful time talking with Ricky about all his future endeavors and the things he loved about porn’s past. I will see you guys on Friday when I’m talking to Cali Caliente. So see you then!
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