Mia Khalifa Stands Her Ground Amid Backlash For Marriage Advice

Mia Khalifa is not backing down from helping women leave unhappy marriages.

In a recent video that she posted online, the former adult film star addressed the criticism surrounding a previous clip where she discussed her three marriages and encouraged women not to hesitate to leave unhappy marriages. Even though her initial statement garnered praise from some followers, the 30-year-old faced backlash from others who questioned her credibility to offer marriage advice given her own relationship history.

Following the backlash she received for rendering unsolicited advice, Khalifa uploaded another TikTok footage, claiming that she failed to understand the problem with the opinion and advice she shared concerning marriage. In her words:

"I'm failing to see what's wrong in telling young women, who get married young, that if they are in relationships that are unhealthy and toxic, and make them unhappy, that just because they made a 'commitment,' they are not stuck in these relationships."

She then alleged that the people who have been "mad" about her stance are the "men who are the toxic ones in these relationships, who are afraid of their women having self-realizations, and exercising free will, and leaving them." Khalifa further stressed:

"Because the only thing holding their relationships together is probably the fact that they made 'a commitment,' and their religion and families."

The former adult film star wrapped up her rant by pointing out that she wanted to abolish the idea that people "have to stay in a relationship" they are "committed to," adding, "You don't. If you're not happy, get the f**k out of there."

A look at the comment section unveiled that the Massanutten Military Academy alum had people in her corner, with this one writing, "@Nataly Martinez: Preach!!! It's sad that I had see many women go through difficult situations because they were always told to stay in unhealthy relationships ?."

A second viewer noted, "People are scared to start all over or think bcuz they devoted so much time, they don't want it to go to waste! But no! If it doesn't work, go!" A third netizen claimed, "This take didn't miss. Not even once," and a fourth recounted, "@Garden Barbie ?: I left a marriage at 21 with two toddlers. My mom had the priest come talk 2 me in the "defense of marriage" i was alone. It was still worth LEAVING!!"

In the initial video uploaded to TikTok on July 31, Khalifa recounted her marital journey, starting with her first marriage at 18, which ended in divorce at age 21. Although her next attempt at "happily ever after" came at 25, it soon collapsed, resulting in divorce by age 28. 

The Lebanese-American beauty additionally disclosed that her third engagement happened at 29, but she ultimately ended the relationship by the time she turned 30. After reflecting on the rocky romantic past, she passionately told viewers, "we should not be afraid to leave these men," because "we're not stuck with these people." She further explained:

"Marriage is not a sanctimonious thing, it is paperwork. It's a commitment you make to someone, but if you feel like you're not getting anything from that commitment and you're trying, you gotta go. You gotta go."

Another time Khalifa had spoken passionately about a subject was when she focused on her past life as an adult film star. The Blast reported that the 30-year-old opened up about leaving that life behind her to follow another path as a sports broadcaster.

Despite the change, many people have refused to accept that she no longer works in the porn industry, prompting her to tell them during an interview in 2019, "Everybody deserves a second chance and everybody has a past they're not proud of."

Declaring that she did not want to hide behind her past, the one-time most searched pornstar on Pornhub, she shared, "I'm ready to shed light on every questionable moment from my past, because if I own it, it can't be used against me."

The candid comments endeared her even more to social media users and one effused about it, typing, "Don't be ashamed of your past, you have released many women … for many you're a reference of pride (even among Arabs), often those who criticize you, have themselves a problem (or are frustrated), but for many you're a pride.