2023 GayVN Awards Show Offers Message of Unity, Love & Hope

LAS VEGAS—When CockyBoys co-owners Jake Jaxson and RJ Sebastian accepted the award for Best Feature Director last night at the 2023 GayVN Awards presented by Chaturbate, they invited three of the performers from Love Happens to join them: the equally joyous Max Adonis, Brock Banks and Roman Todd. The co-directors wanted to share the stage with the trio, but had unknowingly set the wheels in motion for the night’s most memorable moment. Backstage, the quintet was reveling in interviews and photoshoots when—unbeknownst to them all—the Performer of the Year category was being presented. When the name “Roman Todd” was announced, he didn’t even hear it. A backstage wrangler pointed at him and yelled “You won!” Banks heard Todd’s name and shouted it in excitement, the realization setting in for him as he shoved the performer into the general direction of the stage. Todd bolted, still unsure of what was happening—and having to be directed by multiple people through the dark corridors. “What is that?” he asked confusingly about the category when he realized his name was called. “I won? Where do I go? I just won Performer of the Year? Are you serious? What?! No way.” When he finally found the lights and the applause of the audience, Todd was still in disbelief even as he held the trophy and faced his joyous peers. “I was not expecting this at all. I didn’t prepare a speech or nothing. I just figured it would be a normal GayVNs where I didn’t win an award, so this is fucking great,” he laughed as the cheers intensified, soon thanking his wife, supporters and directors. “For 13 years I’ve been in this industry. I love you guys, thank you so much!” Backstage yet again for his own round of press, Todd was still in disbelief as he got hugs from Jaxson and Sebastian. “I literally want to cry,” said the industry veteran, who got his start at Randy Blue in 2010. “I was so emotional. That’s fucking crazy. I’ve been in the industry for so long and hadn’t won an award in eight, nine years, and the last three years have just been really amazing. I’ve won different awards, but never the GayVNs. And to get one this year—the first year back in person…and Performer of the Year? You couldn’t ask for anything else.” (But he did get something else: the Favorite Versatile win in the fan categories.) As Todd reflected on how he has grown since 2010, he seemed to surprise even himself. “I was so fucking different. Back then, I wasn’t fully committed to my sexual orientation. In the last 13 years, it’s definitely switched from being kind of in the closet a little bit—but not really, because people knew. My family, my friends knew. But when I actually started getting involved in the industry, it started getting out. It took me years and years to be comfortable with myself. I’ve blossomed in the industry and started becoming more comfortable having sex and being open and just exploring my sexuality, so that’s definitely been a big plus—and being able to actually open up on camera. “When I first started, I wasn’t comfortable at all. There was a point where I wouldn’t open-mouth kiss. If I was eating ass, I wouldn’t stick my tongue in the person’s ass, you know? People wouldn’t really realize that because they’re weren’t in the shoot, but I knew. So I’m definitely to the point where I’m totally open and love just getting into it. It’s a completely different feeling. And being recognized for it is a fucking blessing. It hasn’t sunk in, but I get to think about it all year,” Todd laughed. “I was up against some really amazing performers like Beau Butler, and great guys that have won the award before, so it's fucking awesome.” Todd’s emotional release summed up the collective spirit of the crowd, which had waited three long years to return to an in-person celebration after the pandemic relegated the 2021 and 2022 GayVN Awards to mostly online ventures. Along with longtime host Alec Mapa and RuPaul’s Drag Race royalty Kylie Sonique Love (who served as co-host and performer)—and trophy presenters Trevor Brooks, Tony Genius, Sam Ledger and Kai Taylor—the crowd created an energy that filled the Resorts World Theatre with positivity. And Todd wasn’t the only one who had a tear-filled night. After winning the award for Best Actor for his role in Raging Stallion’s Ride or Die, Cole Connor frequently had to stop himself to collect his emotions. “It was weird. Just in case, I was writing my little ‘thank you’ notes on the back of a receipt—that’s all the paper that was in my hotel room. When I was reading it, I was really holding tears back. I was telling Adam Ramzi—who’s staying with me here—I was like, ‘It shouldn’t mean this much.’ But for some reason, it does,” Connor said, his voice cracking as he paused, wiping his face. “There were a lot of times this year where I thought maybe this career is over for me,” he continued, referring to the violent January 2022 attack near his home in Southern California that sidelined the performer for months. “It feels like a good place to be in, being recognized for the work I have done. This is my first live GayVN show. Last year I accepted (Best Newcomer) on my couch two days after the attack. I was kind of pilled out, and I somehow managed to piece together some acceptance speech. I had black eyes, a fractured orbital floor, and ruptured hamstring tendons, which I had to fix over the course of the year. And I’m so appreciative of everyone in the industry that helped me. They all worked with me, scheduling around surgery, to help me stay relevant and keep working, so I’m very grateful for that.” Connor’s Falcon | NakedSword colleague Drew Valentino made it two in a row for Best Newcomers from the studio, and the performer (who also won the fan-voted trophy for Favorite Newcomer) had an emotional moment on stage thanking his family for their support. “I’ve connected with so many people in the industry through Falcon, and people got to know me as a person and who I’m about. I’ve developed so many great relationships with everybody. People appreciate my sense of humor, my (stand-up) comedy, and I just had a gut feeling that it would come together for this moment,” said Valentino, adding it was extra meaningful for him to accept the award on stage from fellow Falcon | NakedSword exclusive Beau Butler. “I love Beau to pieces, we’re great friends—and him and Cole are what got me connected to Falcon. I recently became sober, and (Beau’s) sober. We’ve connected on so many levels, and to just be up there really means a lot to me—and to my family. As I mentioned in the speech, I have an amazing coming-out story with my dad, who I was afraid to come out to. He accepted me, and it was a repeat of that when I told them this year about me doing porn. My entire family is excited and proud for me to be here.” The studio had a big night, also winning Best Feature for its two-part epic Ride or Die. Falcon | NakedSword President and CEO Tim Valenti brought his staff and cast on stage to celebrate the win, later reflecting on the importance of blockbuster features backstage. “It validates exactly where I wanted us to go,” he said. “If you’re doing a narrative and you want to win Best Feature, you better have a fucking good story, and you better have a good script—and we would never have had what we got without (writer) Ben Rush. We’re known for big features and we do it really well—and others do, too—but I feel like we’re at the top and we will continue to do that. We obviously are reinventing ourselves a bit, so we’re perusing different things for 2023. But we’re still going to be doing really great features.” For Rush, the path was an unexpected one after his first-ever writing gig for Masqulin’s What’s Gotten Into Him? three years ago. “I thought it was a one-off. It was fun. I think people have this idea that writing and directing for adult entertainment is an easier process because it’s all sex. I don’t think people have any idea what actually goes into pulling something like this movie off—and one of this quality. And when I saw what actually goes into it and the work the performers put it—and how much they want to stretch and have something to work with that’s beyond just a straight-up sex scene—I was sort of charmed by it and it sucked me in. And then came movie number two and number three at Masqulin—and then came the pandemic.” Ride or Die was the first project Rush did since—and the one with the biggest scope. “We wrote it to be a serial drama, and to air the same way that a streaming series would air—so in some degree it followed the old soap opera model, where there’s the cliffhanger at the end of every episode, and you want to see what happens. It’s about finding the perfect balance between narrative and sex. Tony (DiMarco) is honestly a true filmmaker; I don’t think it could have been done better.” The pandemic also took a toll on Jake Jaxson, who said that working on Love Happens at CockyBoys proved to be a cathartic experience. “That was the first feature that I shot really after Covid, and I was really in a dark place—I think a lot of people were. The isolation really did a number on me, and it was really hard getting back into movies. But we were choosing performers that I just had watched thrive, had figured it out, so we had this idea about a retreat for sexual healing. “Max Adonis and I kind of came up with this idea at an opening night party at GayVNs years ago, and that’s why at the end when I saw him there (on stage), I was so moved that I really wanted him to have the award. The reason I’m able to do what I do is that I work off the personalities of these guys, and we create something from scratch. So without them, there’s no director. When it works, it works. And they work so hard.” The studio also picked up the Best Featurette win for “Under the Neon Sky” starring Sean Ford and Leo Louis. Ford took the stage with director Raphael Massicotte, who didn’t initially realize the importance of the win. “Really? Wow, amazing,” he smiled when told it was the first time that category was ever presented at the GayVN Awards. “I’m a short film director, I have a master’s degree in film production, so it’s really great because that’s a category that really fits what I do outside of porn as well, in mainstream—telling a story in 20 minutes, and creating emotions and feelings with the spectator. That’s really what I’d like to keep doing.” Massicotte said the project was a love letter to Montreal, and he gave the actors space to improvise and play characters that were close to themselves—but also be more exploratory. “For me it was so fun and a very inspiring, creative process—and very natural,” shared Ford. “We immediately bonded on our creative vison, and Leo and I vibed so well. It all came together.” It was also a big night for BelAmi and Sean Cody. BelAmi won Best Fetish Scene for its seven-man bukkake effort, while the BelAmi X Sean Cody collaboration picked up wins for Best All-Sex Movie and Best Group Scene. BelAmi performers Tom Houston, Yannis Paluan and Jerome Exupery were on hand to accept the Best Fetish trophy—but similar to Todd, found themselves backstage when the Best Group Scene honor was announced, leaving Johnny Donovan (aka Deacon) as the sole man on stage to accept that award. He soon joined his co-stars from across the Atlantic backstage for a smile-filled reunion. “I’m honesty so happy to see these guys here because I didn’t know that they were going to be here, and when I saw them I was just taken back to that really fun time we had,” Donovan said with a smile. “It’s just like a blast from the past. They were so much fun to work with. They were always super bubbly and like to have fun even when the cameras aren’t rolling. “So much of what helped make this a success was the combination of sex and humor. The humor came across; we laughed at a lot of things even though the language barrier was there. And they also cooked for us—these guys are the best cooks. And can I just say, all of their English has gotten so much better even since just that scene. They all speak so much better English, it’s crazy. It’s because they’re so smart.” (Donovan was even more elated later in the evening when he realized that every member of the scene got to take home a trophy—including his boyfriend Asher, who wasn’t in attendance: “Oh my God, he’s going to be so happy!”) Added Paluan: “Everything went so well. There were some times maybe you can’t express yourself like you want to with each other, but we always found a way. It was my second experience with Americans, and I loved it both times, because they are so friendly, they are so communicative…Americans are so open and we definitely love it. We got to have a good experience.” They weren’t the only foursome to find themselves backstage: The Best Director (Non-Feature) prize went to Men’s Briefs, giving the Falcon quintet of Steve Cruz, Boomer Banks, Leo Forte, Devin Franco and Max Konnor a trophy for their collection of featurettes, each directed by one of them (Forte was not in attendance). Cruz was emotional on stage, expressing how meaningful it was to pass along his directorial advice to those new to the craft—just like someone did for him when he first transition from performer to director. “Thank you to my Falcon family for allowing me to dream up these projects, to discover or work with new talent, and mentor them the way people mentored me,” said Cruz on stage. “I’ve been in the business a really long time, and man this feels better, honestly. And I learned so much from each one of them.” The love fest continued backstage, where the four talked about what they learned from each other. It was an especially satisfying moment for Banks, who reminded the audience that it was Cruz who directed him in his very first scene back in 2013. “I’ve been learning from him from Day 1, and the one big thing that I’ve learned is to ask,” said Banks. “If I don’t know something, I ask—because I don’t know all the time. And to remain teachable—especially in a moment like when I first started doing porn, and I asked questions. Steve was blown away; he was like, ‘Wow, people don’t ask me that.’ And then now being a director, I had to ask. I didn’t know how to direct, and he was the perfect person to ask that question to every single time.” As with Banks, this was the first directing experience for Franco. “Steve was really great in helping me develop my idea and bring it to life. I love that he encouraged me and give me confidence in my big idea—because it was kind of grandiose, but we totally made it work. He helped me adapt it for the screen and it came out exactly how I pictured it.” Konnor had a few scene director credits under his belt, but also valued Cruz’s advice—helping lead his entry “Give the Dog a Bone” to a Best Featurette nomination. “When I came up with the concept, I immediately messaged Steve and I was like, ‘I think this might be a little too much.’ But it turned out great. I’ve heard a lot of great feedback, and it was amazing to be able to work with Steve and learn from him. I think there’s so much I can still learn from him. I’m excited for where this can go, and I’m glad we got this award because it shows that this kind of project needs to continue.” Konnor was a double winner on the night, also opening the show with the Best Supporting Actor trophy for Ride or Die. That adds to his growing collection of statues, which also includes the 2022 Performer of the Year win. “Every time, I’m more overwhelmed and honored than the last time. It’s crazy…and each time I don’t expect to win,” Konnor said. “It was a really in-depth project. Each one of us had characters we could really dive into; it wasn’t just about the sex, it was about developing these characters and making the story come to life. And seeing everybody here has been wonderful, especially since after Covid. To be able to come back and actually win an award—and be able to celebrate that with everyone right here live—is such an amazing thing.” Dante Colle also added to his growing collection, which includes two recent wins for Best Supporting Actor. Last night, his WhyNotBi scene “CineCum” with Malik Delgaty and Haley Reed won Best Bi Sex Scene. “This is great, I love being here—this is one of the best award shows. It’s just so good to have everybody around in one place. And obviously it’s always amazing to win, especially for a category that I try to push for,” said Colle. “I understand that Bi is always kind of a taboo topic within each award show, because it doesn’t belong in straight, it doesn’t belong in gay. Someone had to accept it, so I’m glad the gay side did. I’m always stoked about that, so it’s cool to get the recognition.” Best Duo went to Austin Wilde and Leo Grand at GuysinSweatpants, which was Wilde’s first studio scene in three-and-a-half years. “Honestly, I just wasn’t enjoying it at the time, so I stopped. I’m a firm believer in that you shouldn’t do anything you don’t believe in or don’t enjoy just for money. Or at all,” Wilde said. “So now I did it kind of for the same reason I got into porn in the first place: I was curious. When I first got into porn, I was curious about the industry, and I had been watching it for years. And now I had just been curious about how it has transformed in the last three to five years.” Added Grand with a permanent smile on his face: “I was really excited that it was me he decided to shoot with for his comeback into porn, and it has been this buildup over the years. We finally got it done, and it was so much fun. And this is my first GayVN Award! Honestly, I was just so nervous, I had no idea how to even speak up there. I’m sure it was a mess.” The Helix trio of Garrett Kinsley, Kai Taylor and Reese Jackson won Best Three-way Sex Scene, the second time Kinsley has won following a Best Group Scene trophy two years ago. “This moment is so crazy to win one of these. To be able to get up on stage and talk about it, seeing all these beautiful faces, it just means a lot. I’ve grown so much as a performer at Heix, it’s crazy! I came in like, ‘Oh, I’m a little bottom,’ and I’m definitely not a little bottom. I am 100% a versatile whore. I can do it all. I think being a versatile performer helps in a lot of ways. We did a DP in the scene, so doing that takes a lot of work, but also being able to throw it back at the same time.” Manuel Skye picked up the trophy for Best Actor – Featurette in MenAtPlay’s “Boy Lust 3,” while in the Fan Favorite Awards, both Austin Wolf and Cade Maddox were double winners: Wolf for Favorite Body and Favorite Creator Site Star (the first time that category was added); while Maddox won Favorite Cock and Favorite Porn Star Creator (another first). The inaugural Favorite All-Male Creator Video went to the duo of Christian Styles and Chris Damned, the latter also doubling up with his Favorite Dom win. Johnny Rapid took the stage for his Favorite Cam Guy trophy, while Favorite Camming Couple went to Colby Chambers and Mickey Knox. Beau Butler was named Favorite Bottom, Adam Russo won Favorite Bear, and Favorite Butt went to Michael Boston. LeGrand Wolf repeated as Favorite Daddy, Favorite Top went to Malik Delgaty, Favorite FTM Star was Austin Spears, and Joey Mills won Favorite Twink. And in another emotional moment, Tony Rios—the Chief Executive Officer of The AVN Media Network—took the stage to introduce this year’s Hall of Fame inductee, the legendary Sister Roma. Rios chronicled Roma’s start behind the scenes at Hot House Entertainment to her move in front of the camera, where she commanded the spotlight at NakedSword. Among Roma’s three decades in the industry, she has worked as an art director, a talk show host, an emcee, an activist and a prodigious fundraiser. A Sister of Perpetual Indulgence along with being the co-Creative Director of Falcon | NakedSword, Roma used the opportunity to champion mental health. “Today, I stand before you celebrating 10 years of sobriety,” she said. “If you are struggling with addiction or depression, please reach out. Talk to someone to get the help you need—and deserve. And you can talk to me—I’m fucking here,” said Roma as the applause and cheers intensified. “Thank you so much. I am humbled by all of the opportunities I’ve been given, and I’m eternally grateful for all of the friendships I’ve made. I share this award with all of you—Michael Youens, Chi Chi LaRue, Steven Scarborough, Brent Smith, Tim Valenti and all of the industry professionals who have always supported me. But most of all, I share this award with the models, because honey, without you, this fucking industry does not exist. Thank you for fearlessly baring your souls—and more—to tell our stores that always have a happy ending.” For the complete 2023 winners list, click here. For a photo gallery of the winners circle, click here.