Money Shot: The Pornhub Story

What’s it about?

Money Shot: The Pornhub Story is a documentary that explores the history of the popular adult site Pornhub. It focuses on the fallout from a 2020 New York Times article which revealed exploitation of minors on Pornhub. The film features interviews with performers, activists, past employees of Pornhub and victims/survivors.

The facts

• Directed by Suzanne Hillinger (Totally Under Control)
• English language
• Runtime: 94 minutes

Why did it get this rating?

This film was self-rated by Netflix. You can find out more about self-rating by streaming providers here.

Nudity

Throughout the documentary, breasts are shown while other genitals are blurred out.

Several examples of how pornography has changed over time are shown, from pre-internet stills, to dialup, and what can be seen on the scrolling menu of tube sites like Pornhub now.

Sex scenes

We see adult performers filming content for their sites. A solo performer pretends to have sex with the person watching the video. In the final scene we see performers having a threesome.

Sexual violence themes

The majority of the film follows the lead up to, and fall out from, the 2020 New York Times opinion piece The Children of Pornhub. Child sex trafficking and exploitation, non-consensual and illegal content, and rape are discussed throughout. None of the videos or images of the sexual violence or assaults are shown.

However, several accounts are given and discussed by activists, journalists, and one victim/survivor who is interviewed. Some written accounts are shown, including Twitter screenshots from the TraffickingHub campaign.

This content may be triggering to some viewers and the sheer volume of the accounts may be overwhelming.

Helplines

If you or someone you know needs to talk:

• Free call or text 1737 any time for support from a trained counsellor
• Safe to talk
• Lifeline

Further information

• How to talk with young people about pornography
• The Children of Pornhub (New York Times)
• Why are ratings and content warnings important for me and my whānau?