Pineapple Talk -- Shelly Karban & Leya Tanit

Published: Dec. 28, 2020, 5:05 a.m.

Pineapple Support is a nonprofit organization that provides free and low-cost mental health therapy to pornographic film actors, producers and others who work in the adult film industry. It launched in April 2018 by adult performer Leya Tanit[1] in response to a series of deaths in the adult industry in late 2017 and early 2018 resulting from mental illness or addiction, including that of August Ames.[2] In its first two years, Pineapple Support provided over a thousand members of the adult film industry with mental health support and resources, including free and low-cost therapy, counseling and emotional support.[3] Pineapple Support brings therapists to the AVN Awards to provide free, walk-in sessions for adult performers.[4] In October 2019, Pineapple Support hosted the first online mental health summit specifically for the adult film industry, featuring sessions with over a dozen therapists.[5] Pineapple Support works with over one hundred therapists worldwide