Once ranked No 1 in Adult Video News (AVN) list of the 100 top porn stars of all time, Ron Jeremy has starred in over 2,000 porn film, holding a Guinness world record for the most appearances in adult films, and has been a staple in the US porn industry since the 1970s. He now faces over 20 charges of rape and sexual assault, including one of a 15-year-old girl.
On Monday, 20 new counts of rape and sexual assault were added to the charges against him, taking the total number of his alleged victims to 17. He had already been facing charges of rape and sexual assault filed by four women. After making a court appearance in June, 25 more women stepped forward to file allegations of misconduct against him—including one charge of sexual assault alleged to have taken place as recently as January.
Jeremy has pleaded not guilty to the charges in court in Los Angeles on Monday. However, allegations against him date as far back as 2003, when he was first questioned on suspicion that he had raped a woman at a strip club. No charges were filed in that case.
But the next accusation came in 2007 when he was accused of pulling out a woman’s breast from her bra at a porn expo and signing it without her permission.
According to a 2017 article published by Rolling Stones magazine, over a dozen women in the porn industry had accused Jeremy of sexual misconduct and for years many did not speak out due to his iconic status in the business.
An article in The Daily Beast also described how Jeremy had a reputation for assaulting women, even having a ‘handler’ accompany him to prevent him from doing so. Descriptions of Jeremy’s ‘predatory’ behaviour usually end with the disclaimer that those around him tolerated it—women at his sets were often warned to stay away from him.
Charges against him, in light of the larger #MeToo movement, grew louder after an adult entertainer named Ginger Bank compiled the allegations against him in a YouTube video.
“I am innocent of all charges. I can’t wait to prove my innocence in court! Thank you to everyone for all the support” Jeremy tweeted in June.
His life story—from high school teacher to ‘everyman’ adult actor—was documented in the in book Ron Jeremy: The Hardest (Working) Man in Showbiz as well as in the 2001 documentary Porn Star: The Legend of Ron Jeremy. Due to his hairy body, he was nicknamed "the hedgehog" after one appearance on set.
If convicted of all charges, Jeremy faces over 250 years in prison. Moreover, it leaves room for more victims of sexual assault in the porn industry to come forward.
