Where Are They Now: Shay Michaels

The 2010s were kind of the last hoorah of the traditional studio system in gay porn and in turn the last hoorah of the traditional "porn star." One performer who enjoyed those last glory days was Shay Michaels. With his giant hairy muscles, big round tush, and long down-curved cock (just made for oral!), it's no wonder that the versatile Shay was a hit at several of the major studios and in a wide variety of scenes.

In a candid interview, Shay Michaels shares how much he enjoyed his time in the business, how some of the working conditions with some studios varied from others, and how he overcame his own personal struggles to achieve a happy and meaningful life today.

Photo courtesy of Colt Studios.

Please tell us about your journey to joining the porn industry and becoming famous?

I got my break into the porn industry through BigMuscle.com. Back in the day, before Grindr and Sruff, this was the website where gay bodybuilders posted profiles and videos of themselves. On their homepage, they had their 10 most viewed profiles of the day. The top 10 profiles were always super hot muscle guys, which I would check daily. I was obsessed with this website and messaging hot guys all over the world. Frequently, I would post new photos and get myself into the top 10 profiles for that day. Through the website, I met Bruno Bond, who I thought was so incredibly sexy. We chatted for months and during that time he would ask me to film for him and his boyfriend Steve Cruz for Raging Stallion Studio. Initially, I said no because I had a real estate career and was not willing to risk that to do porn. When the great recession hit in 2007, I lost everything and found myself without a job. Almost a year went by and I still hadn’t landed a job. Bruno asked me again and I said yes. In my first scene, I filmed with Logan Scott, who was super cute and sexy. After finishing my scene, I remember thinking to myself no one is going to see this, and boy was I wrong. Within a few days of my film being released, I was contacted by my friends (including my doctor!) asking if I was doing porn. I was shocked by how fast it got out. I was doing porn! I was quickly picked up my Titan Media and Colt and almost overnight, I was this big porn star!

What were some of your favorite and least favorite parts of being a "big porn star"?

One of my favorite parts was getting to fuck with beautiful men. Living in Phoenix, Arizona there wasn’t a big gay scene and only what seemed like a handful of hot guys to hook up with. Porn allowed me to travel and meet incredibly sexy men I never would have at home. I quickly learned if I wanted to make enough money to live on, I needed to escort. Some of my scene partners told me to think of porn as free advertising for my escorting career and it worked. Within six months of escorting, I was making enough money to support myself and felt pretty good about my accomplishment. One of the things I disliked the most was always having to look perfect and be in optimal physical shape. Back when I started filming, there was a handful of studios including Titan, Falcon, Colt, and HotHouse which produced movies and that was it. The studios only used men in perfect shape. This was before bareback porn and online streaming were a thing, and the studios controlled everything. Back then the studios groomed their models and demanded amazing scenes. During that time, if you were a porn star it meant you were the best of the best and were idolized by viewers.

You worked at several different studios and in a wide variety of scenes. How did some compare with others?

I loved filming for Titan and Colt. Both studios treated their stars with respect and paid the most. Both would fly you in the day before and let you room with your costar to build chemistry. The hotel accommodations were always decent and not some skanky motel. The smaller internet studios and bareback studios paid less and typically put you up in low-end motels. Filming a scene for a large studio usually consisted of two 12-hour days of filming for 20 minutes of final content. It was exhausting, both physically and mentally, being on set and performing for that long. The internet sites and especially the bareback studios filmed their scenes in a single day and everything was more relaxed.  The large studios choreographed their scenes and usually shot three different positions so say oral, doggie, cowgirl, and then missionary. Each position required being shot multiple times from different angles including up close and panoramic. The large studios really choreographed the transitions from one position to the next. The smaller more amateur studios wanted things to flow naturally and there was very little choreographing. I enjoyed filming for the smaller studios, especially the bareback studios, because it felt more real, including the sex.

Who were some of your favorite fellow performers? Still in touch with any? 

One of my favorite fellow performers was Hunter Marx. He was my first scene partner for Titan and was so hot. When I arrived in San Francisco to film for Titan, I was picked up from the airport and taken to my hotel. When I arrived at the hotel, I was told I was sharing a room with my scene partner and was also told I could fuck but do not cum. I remembered thinking, huh that is a weird thing to say. I walked into my room and saw Hunter and I immediately understood why I was told that. Needless to say, we fucked the entire night and never came. The next day our scene was awesome and we both got to cum, happy ending! I enjoyed filming with Kyle King, who was so cute and had a puppy dog personality. Another one of my favorite co-stars was Nate Karlton, who was stunningly beautiful and had a great personality. I have not maintained contact with anyone. I never really got into the whole gay life, where I had a lot of fellow porn stars as friends. Basically, when I got off set I disconnected from the industry and went back to my personal life.

Shay Michaels & Nate Karlton for Colt.

Is there anybody you wish you had worked with?

Tom Chase, Tom Chase, and yes, Tom Chase! I thought he was so fucking beautiful and a sexy motherfucker. I always wanted to film with him, but sadly I never got to meet him. I also wish I had worked with Micah Brandt, who I thought was stunningly beautiful and had an amazing ass. I am a total ass man, grin.

What was your favorite scene and why?

My scene with Hunter Marx because I was new to porn, I was so excited to be filming, and I was so attracted to him. Everything for me about that scene and experience was magic. I still think about it today and have fond memories.

Shay Michaels & Hunter Marx for Titan Men.

What brought on your exit from the business?

Towards the end of my filming career, I was pursuing fewer scenes as the industry was paying a fraction of what it used to and I was relying exclusively on escorting for my living. During most of my porn career, I was married to the man of my dreams and sex work was destroying my marriage. I was also getting older and wanted to exit the industry while in my prime instead of waiting till I was pushed out because of age and the industry always wanting the next new hot thing to come along.

Please tell us about your life today.

My life today is ordinary and amazing. I now work for a non-profit organization that provides permanent housing to the homeless population. In 2013, I found myself homeless because of my meth addiction. During my addiction, I never filmed high or escorted high. I am so grateful my life has done a complete 180-degree turn, and I now get to give back to the community and be of service to others. I had a meth addiction that nearly killed me, but I am so incredibly grateful to be in recovery and sober. A large part of my life involves AA and CMA, which help me stay sober one day at a time. Today, I am focused on living in gratitude and helping others. I start each morning with prayer and meditation, with the intent to be a better man than I was the previous day. I am married to a wonderful man, but sadly we are going through a hard time and are in counseling trying to save our marriage. My life today is stable, calm, and perfectly ordinary, and I love it!

Do you follow the industry and the performers of today? Does anybody impress you?

No, I do not follow the industry. Though I do like watching Viktor Rom and stroking off to his scenes. He is a definite performer and has great energy in his scenes.

Would you ever consider a comeback? 

Ummmm... I have thought about it to get out of credit card debt but have not acted on it.

What should people know about the real man who made "Shay Michaels?"

This is an interesting question. I am a very sexual and passionate guy, which I feel shows in my scenes. I always took being a porn star seriously and was always professional and respectful of my scene partners and the studios I filmed for. I enjoyed knowing I turned guys on and made them cum hard. I wanted to do for my fans what my porn crushes did for me when I watched porn for pleasure. I gave my all in my scenes and for the most part, had a good experience in the industry.

Photo courtesy of Shay Michaels.

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