Male Porn Star Accused of Cyberbullying August Ames Speaks Out
By TheBlast Staff on December 10, 2017 at 3:11 AM EST
The gay male porn star who was accused of cyberbullying August Ames says he does not believe he played a role in her taking her own life.
"As a matter of public record, my comment was posted after August had chosen to take her life," Jaxton Wheeler told TheSword.com. "I am disappointed my comments have been used to distract from my original issues and devastated they have inappropriately been attributed as the reason August chose to take her life."
He continued, "My heart goes out to her friends and loved ones, and to all affected by this. Hopefully, this allows us to reflect on the choices we make on social media. It may be anonymous, but real harm can be done."
Wheeler has been the target of criticism since Ames' passing and says he is "pleading with people on both sides to put to an end to the verbal abuse and threats made so freely every day, and in particular, those directed at me right now. This serves neither her memory or any of others we have lost this year."
Wheeler has made his Twitter account private since his comments about Ames.
He also tried to explain why he was so angered by Ames' comments in the first place, saying, "My intention was to bring about a conversation about the stigmas and issues talent like myself deal with every day. I acknowledge that I responded with emotions and an unfortunate choice of words. None of my aggression was directed at August nor her ability to consent to who she decides to work with. My issue was with the misinformation that exists within the adult industry on crossover talent. There is a false presumption about the heightened risk & the quality of testing standards for crossover talent. As a professional adult performer, I go through the same rigorous, regular testing all talent does."
As The Blast previously reported, Ames left behind a suicide note but it made no mention cyberbullying. Legendary porn star Jenna Jameson put the blame for Ames' suicide square on several performers in the adult film industry.
