The 37th AVN Awards was a

pornography Pornography (colloquially called porn or porno) is Sexual suggestiveness, sexually suggestive material, such as a picture, video, text, or audio, intended for sexual arousal. Made for consumption by adults, pornographic depictions have evolv ...

award show An award, sometimes called a distinction, is given to a recipient as a token of recognition of excellence in a certain field. When the token is a medal, ribbon or other item designed for wearing, it is known as a decoration. An award may be d ...

recognizing the best actresses, actors, directors and films in the adult industry in 2019. Nominations were announced at a ceremony on November 24, 2019, at the

Avalon Hollywood Avalon (or Avalon Hollywood) is a historic nightclub in Hollywood, California, located near the intersection of Hollywood and Vine, at 1735 N. Vine Street. It has previously been known as The Hollywood Playhouse, The WPA Federal Theatre, El Ca ...

. The show was held on January 25, 2020, at the

Hard Rock Hotel and Casino Hard Rock Cafe, Inc. is a chain of theme bar-restaurants, memorabilia shops, casinos, hotels and museums founded in 1971 by Isaac Tigrett and Peter Morton in London. In 1979, the cafe began covering its walls with rock and roll memorabilia, a ...

Las Vegas Las Vegas, colloquially referred to as Vegas, is the most populous city in the U.S. state of Nevada and the county seat of Clark County. The Las Vegas Valley metropolitan area is the largest within the greater Mojave Desert, and second-l ...

. It was broadcast on

Showtime Showtime or Show Time may refer to: Film * ''Showtime'' (film), a 2002 American action/comedy film * ''Showtime'' (video), a 1995 live concert video by Blur Television Networks and channels * Showtime Networks, a division of Paramount Global w ...

. The awards show was hosted by adult star

Nikki Benz Nikki Benz (born 1981 or 1982) is an American pornographic film actress. She was named the 2011 Penthouse Pet of the Year. Early life Born in Ukraine, Benz immigrated to Canada with her parents at age seven. She was raised in Toronto. After ...

MyFreeCams MyFreeCams (MFC) is an American website providing live webcam performances by models, typically featuring nudity and sexual activity often ranging from striptease and erotic talk to masturbation with sex toys. History MFC was launched in 2004,< ...

celebrity Emily Bloom, along with comedian

Aries Spears Nairobi Aries Spears (born April 3, 1975) is an American stand-up comedian, impressionist, and actor from New Jersey. Spears was a regular on Fox's sketch comedy series ''Mad TV'' (1997–2005), appearing in 198 episodes, making him the secon ...

. The 37th

AVN Awards The AVN Awards are List of movie awards, film awards sponsored and presented by the American trade magazine ''AVN (magazine), AVN'' (''Adult Video News'') annually to honor achievements in the global Sex industry, adult entertainment industry. ...

was noteworthy as one of the last events held at the Hard Rock Hotel and Casino in Las Vegas, before the facility's closure on February 3, 2020. Musical guests featured Beyond Glascow,

Doja Cat Amala Ratna Zandile Dlamini (born October 21, 1995), known professionally as Doja Cat (), is an American rapper, singer, songwriter and record producer. Born and raised in Los Angeles, California, she began making and releasing music on SoundCl ...

and DJ

Diplo Thomas Wesley Pentz (born November 10, 1978), known professionally as Diplo, is an American DJ and music producer. He is a co-creator and lead member of the electronic dancehall music project Major Lazer; a member of the supergroup LSD (group), ...

. Doja Cat performed songs off her album '' Hot Pink'', including " Juicy". DJ Diplo featured musician

Lil Pump Gazzy Fabio Garcia (born August 17, 2000), known professionally as Lil Pump, is an American rapper. He rose to prominence as part of the SoundCloud rap scene in the late 2010s, gaining distinction for his minimalist music and rambunctious pu ...

performing his

Kanye West Ye ( ; born Kanye Omari West ; June 8, 1977) is an American rapper, singer and record producer. One of the most prominent figures in hip-hop, he is known for his varying musical style and polarizing cultural and political commentary. After ...

collaboration, " I Love It". Actress

Angela White Angela Gabrielle White is an Australian pornographic film actress and director. She has been inducted into the AVN Hall of Fame and the XRCO Hall of Fame, and in 2020 became AVN's first three-time Female Performer of the Year winner. Earl ...

won Female Performer of the Year; she became the first actress in history to win the award three times in a row.

Maitland Ward Maitland Ward (born Ashley Maitland Welkos; February 3, 1977) is an American actress and model. She made her acting debut as Jessica Forrester on the CBS soap opera ''The Bold and the Beautiful'' (1994–1996). Continuing to appear in film and ...

, a mainstream actress-turned pornographic actress previously known from ''

Boy Meets World ''Boy Meets World'' is an American coming-of-age sitcom created by Michael Jacobs and April Kelly that aired on ABC for seven seasons between September1993 and May2000. The series centers on Cory Matthews ( Ben Savage) and his friends and f ...

'' and ''

The Bold and the Beautiful ''The Bold and the Beautiful'' (often referred to as ''B&B'') is an American television soap opera created by William J. Bell and Lee Phillip Bell for CBS. It premiered on March 23, 1987, as a sister show to the Bells' other soap opera ''Th ...

'', was recognized with multiple awards after debuting in the adult industry in 2019. The 2020 awards was the first time a film from Greece received a nomination for Best Foreign Production.

Show overview

The event was held inside the Hard Rock Hotel and Casino in Las Vegas at the music venue called The Joint. The 37th AVN Awards was presented by MyFreeCams. Referred to in the media as "the Oscars of porn", the event honors excellence in the adult industry. Las Vegas has hosted the event since 1998. The AVN Awards draws 50,000 to the annual show and surrounding events. In the week leading up to the ceremony, it was preceded by the

GayVN Awards The GayVN Awards are film awards presented annually to honor work done in the gay pornographic industry. The awards were sponsored by '' AVN Magazine'', the parent publication of ''GAYVN Magazine'', and continue the recognition for gay pornogra ...

, and a trade show. The Hard Rock Hotel and Casino closed on February 3, 2020, to be replaced by the

Virgin Hotels Las Vegas Virgin Hotels Las Vegas is a hotel and casino resort in Paradise, Nevada, east of the Las Vegas Strip. It previously operated as the Hard Rock Hotel from 1995 to 2020, before closing for renovations to be rebranded as Virgin Hotels. Richard Bra ...

. The AVN Awards signed a contract with Virgin Hotels Las Vegas through the year 2023 to continue the event at the new location. ''

The Daily Beast ''The Daily Beast'' is an American news website focused on politics, media, and pop culture. Founded in 2008, the website is owned by IAC Inc. It has been characterized as a "high-end tabloid" by Noah Shachtman, the site's editor-in-chief ...

'' observed of the fact that the 37th AVN Awards was one of the last events held in the establishment, "There is no more fitting end for the rock and roll-themed hotel than the festival of debauchery that is AVN Awards week, a four-day adult entertainment convention that ends with the racy 'Oscars of Porn.'" Parties coinciding with the 37th AVN Awards included the Lair Fetish Party the day before, and the AVN Awards After Party the night of the event at the Vanity Night Club.

Presenters

Presenting the 37th AVN Awards were Emily Bloom and adult star

. Emily Bloom was known from MyFreeCams, and garnered the award for Favorite Cam Girl. Comedian

, who previously co-hosted the 35th AVN Awards in 2018, returned to co-host. The awards event was managed by executive producers AVN chief executive officer Tony Rios along with Gary Miller. Benz and Bloom reprised their roles for a May 2020 live stream of the event; they were joined for the live stream by adult film stars Small Hands, Penny Pax, Vicki Chase, Violet Doll,

Joanna Angel Joanna Mostov (born 1980), professionally known as Joanna Angel, is an American pornographic film actress, director, and writer of pornographic film, adult films. She founded the website ''BurningAngel.com'' in April 2002 with her roommate Mitch ...

, Gianna Dior, and

. The live stream event was held on AVN Stars — a social media site started in January 2020 at the AVN Adult Entertainment Expo. AVN Awards executive producer Gary Miller posed questions to the celebrities during the 90-minute live stream event.

Performers

Musical performances by rapper

and DJ

occurred throughout the show. Doja Cat commented to ''

AllHipHop ''AllHipHop'' is a hip-hop news website founded by Greg Watkins and Chuck Creekmur in 1998. History The website was founded in 1998 by Greg Watkins and Chuck Creekmur. In 1997, Watkins registered the allhiphop.com domain to promote the artist ...

'', "I’m honored and excited to be the second woman ever to perform at the AVN Awards." Journalist Rosario Harper noted for ''

SOHH SOHH (Support Online Hip Hop) was an American former hip hop news website. Felicia Palmer and Steven Samuel founded the website in 1996. In 2000, ''Rolling Stone'' magazine writer Mark Binelli called it the "best overall hip-hop site". History ...

'' that Doja Cat was following in the footsteps of

and

Cardi B Belcalis Marlenis Cephus (; born October 11, 1992), known professionally as Cardi B, is an American rapper. Noted for her unfiltered public image and lyrics, Cardi B is one of the most successful female rappers. From 2015 to early 2017, she ga ...

following a trend of

hip hop music Hip-hop or hip hop (originally disco rap) is a popular music Music genre, genre that emerged in the early 1970s from the African Americans, African-American community of New York City. The style is characterized by its synthesis of a wide r ...

stars headlining at the AVN Awards. Layla Halabian reviewed Doja Cat's fashion choice favorably for ''

Nylon Nylon is a family of synthetic polymers characterised by amide linkages, typically connecting aliphatic or Polyamide#Classification, semi-aromatic groups. Nylons are generally brownish in color and can possess a soft texture, with some varieti ...

'', "In her latest move, the rapper performed at the 2020 AVN Adult Entertainment Awards in Las Vegas on January 25 in a truly unforgettable nude mesh bodysuit, complete with rhinestone silhouettes highlighting her nipples, butt, and that most maligned of body hair — pubes." Doja Cat performed songs from her 2019 album '' Hot Pink'', including " Juicy", and "Cyber Sex". DJ Diplo featured musician

in his performance. Lil Pump performed from his collaboration with Kanye West, titled, " I Love It". Jed Gregorio of the ''

Inquirer Inquirer or The Inquirer may refer to: *'' The Inquirer'', a British technology news website * ''The Inquirer'' (Liberia), a Liberian newspaper * ''The Inquirer'' (Perth) a newspaper published in Perth, Western Australia, between 1840 and 1855 *'' ...

'' commented favorably of Diplo's outfit at the event, "Thomas Wesley a.k.a Diplo attended 'the only award show that matters this weekend' wearing probably the only outfit that, in fact, mattered this weekend." Gregorio observed, "The event is question is the 2020 Adult Video News Awards in Las Vegas, where the DJ performed wearing a baby pink cowboy hat, a baby pink suit, and brown suede boots. The fit, fabricated by Union Western Clothing, features some delicious iconography, including a guy getting it on with a mermaid, some minotaur action, and anthropomorphic mushrooms." Union Western Clothing worked with Diplo in advance of the AVN Awards specifically to craft an outfit for the event itself.

Winners and nominees

Major awards

Seth Gamble at the Perspective movie premiere

won the night's main award, for Female Performer of the Year, becoming the first person to win this trophy three times in a row. Writing for ''

'' columnist Aurora Snow commented of her achievement, "she became the first woman ever to win three consecutive years; an unusual accolade for any female performer to receive".

, a mainstream actress-turned pornographic actress who previously starred as Rachel McGuire on the sitcom ''

'' and Jessica Forrester on the soap opera ''

'', was recognized with multiple awards at the ceremony. Ward debuted in the adult film industry in 2019 and became the brand ambassador of the adult content creator Deeper. Ward had a starring role in the adult production ''Drive'' directed by

Kayden Kross Kayden Kross (born 1985) is an American pornographic actress and director. She is a member of the AVN and XRCO Halls of Fame. Early life Kross grew up in the foothills between Sacramento and Placerville in a strict, religious household. She h ...

. ''Drive'' was Ward's first feature film role in the adult industry. Ward took honors for Best Supporting Actress, Best Three-Way Sex Scene, and Favorite Camming Cosplayer. She frequently attends

comic book convention A comic book convention or comic con is a fan convention emphasizing comic books and comic book culture, in which comic book Fan (person), fans gather to meet creators, experts, and each other. Commonly, comic conventions are multi-day events h ...

s and participates in

cosplay Cosplay, a blend word of "costume play", is an activity and performance art in which participants called cosplayers wear costumes and Fashion accessory, fashion accessories to represent a specific Character (arts), character. Cosplayers often i ...

. Kayden Cross took Best Director - Dramatic Production for ''Drive'', as well as Director of the Year after a prior win in the same category the year before. The 37th AVN Awards was the first time a film from Greece was recognized with a nomination for Best Foreign Production. Adult film industry director Dimitris Sirinakis, commonly known within the industry as the Greek King of Porn, and his production company Sirina Productions received the nomination. Sirinakis was nominated for his film, ''Filthy Rich Games''. Natalie Mars received the award for Transgender Performer of the Year. Additionally, the film starring Mars, ''Transfixed: Natalie Mars Showcase'', won the award for Best Transgender Production. Mars was also voted Favorite Trans Cam Star and Favorite Trans Porn Star. Mars joined the adult industry four and a half years prior, and had previously received nominations for Performer of the Year in the three previous AVN Awards.

Axel Braun Axel Braun (born September 22, 1966) is an Italian Americans, Italian-American adult film producer and director known for his productions of Pornographic parody film, pornographic parodies. He is the most awarded director in the history of adult ...

, a prior inductee to the AVN Hall of Fame, garnered the award for Best Parody for his film in the Wicked Comix series, ''Captain Marvel XXX: An Axel Braun Parody''. This was his tenth win in the category in a row. The same film also won awards for Best Special Effects and Best Makeup for Dusty Lynn, Best Soundtrack, and Best Transgender One-on-One Sex Scene for Kenzie Taylor and Aubrey Kate. Bold indicates winner. General References:*

Additional award winners

AVN Award inner

Hall of Fame inductees

''AVN'' on January 14, 2020, announced the 2019 inductees into its hall of fame, who were later honored with a January 22 cocktail party and then a video as the awards show opened. * Video Branch: Bill Bailey, Angel Dark, Kianna Dior,

Nicki Hunter Nicki Hunter is an American pornographic film director, producer, make-up artist, radio personality, and former pornographic actress. Career Hunter made her directorial debut with the film ''Psychotic'' for Python Pictures, which was release ...

Jelena Jensen Jelena Jensen is an American pornographic film actor and webmaster. Early life and education According to ''OC Weekly'', Jensen's parents were "groupies" who met at the Rainbow Bar and Grill in West Hollywood, California. She was raised partly ...

, Karla Lane,

Sunny Lane Sunny Lane is an American pornographic actress and erotic model. She is a member of the NightMoves, AVN, and XRCO Halls of Fame. Biography Lane's parents worked in air-freight. In her youth she was a competitive roller skater and ice skate ...

, Marcus London,

Brandi Love Tracey Lynn Potoski (born March 29, 1973), known professionally as Brandi Love, is an American pornographic actress. She is a member of the AVN and XRCO Halls of Fame. Legal proceedings In 2021, Tracey L. Potoski (professionally known ...

, L.T., Gianna Michaels, Tony Montana, Laurent Sky, Rob Spallone, Charlotte Stokely * Executive Branch: Farrell Hirsch, Glenn King, Dave Peskin, Andy Wullmer * Founders Branch: Rubin "Ruby" Gottesman

2020 AVN Adult Entertainment Expo

The 2020 AVN Adult Entertainment Expo was held prior to the award show from January 22 to January 25, 2020. The AVN Awards and Expo featured over 1,000 stars from the adult entertainment sector. The Expo itself contained more than 400 exhibitors at the convention. The convention featured a musical performance by rapper and songwriter

T-Pain Faheem Rashad Najm (born September 30, 1984), known professionally as T-Pain, is an American singer and rapper. He is known for popularizing creative use of Auto-Tune pitch correction, often used with extreme parameter settings to create electro ...

. ''

L.A. Weekly ''LA Weekly'' is a free weekly alternative newspaper in Los Angeles, California. The paper covers music, arts, film, theater, culture, and other local news in the Los Angeles area. ''LA Weekly'' was founded in 1978 by Jay Levin (among others), ...

'' noted it was the "largest porn industry gathering of its kind in the United States, featuring four days of events, panels and meetups, merch and memorabilia". The convention also featured lectures on topics related to the adult film industry. Lawyer D. Gill Sperlein presented in an AVN seminar on the litigation implications related to producing pornographic content. Sperlein commented, "I think it's unlikely that there would be a conviction for obscenity." Sperlein observed regardless of legal merit, prosecutions were frequently sought against producers of adult film content, and were "done for political gain". Sperlein asserted of prosecutors of such litigation, "they don't care if they get a conviction or not." Decriminalize Sex Work organization staff member Kaytlin Bailey had a booth at the event to raise awareness to her cause; she stated the reaction to her issues was positive at the event, and discussed the stigma facing

sex worker A sex worker is a person who provides sex work, either on a regular or occasional basis. The term is used in reference to those who work in all areas of the sex industry.Oxford English Dictionary, "sex worker" According to one view, sex work is ...

s. The

Free Speech Coalition The Free Speech Coalition (FSC) is a non-profit industry trade group, trade association of the sex industry in the United States. Founded in 1991, it opposes the passage and enforcement of obscenity laws and many censorship laws (with the excep ...

and the Adult Performer Advocacy Committee handed out literature at the event supporting sex workers' rights. Sex educator and author Carol Queen attended the Expo, and presented a seminar on sex and technology impacting the industry. She commented regarding changing stigmas in society related to sex education and

feminism Feminism is a range of socio-political movements and ideology, ideologies that aim to define and establish the political, economic, personal, and social gender equality, equality of the sexes. Feminism holds the position that modern soci ...

References

External links

* * {{Portal bar, Arts, Erotica and pornography, Film, Human sexuality, Literature, Nudity, Sex work, Television AVN Awards Hard Rock Hotel and Casino (Las Vegas) 2019 film awards 2020 awards in the United States 2020 in Nevada January 2020 in the United States