The Stars Assemble for Return of the AVN Nominations Party

HOLLYWOOD, Calif.—Adult industry superstars lit up the chilly autumn evening at Avalon Hollywood for the 2025 AVN Awards Nomination Party—the much-anticipated official kick-off to the adult industry’s awards season, held Thursday night. The first in-person nominations party hosted by AVN since 2019 marked a return to the historic Hollywood venue, located across the street from the world-famous Capitol Records building near the corner of Hollywood and Vine. Industry newcomers hobnobbed with Hall of Famers on the glittering red carpet, which saw a parade of performers and personalities led by the 42nd annual AVN Awards Show hosts Blake Blossom and Alex Knight, with AVN trophy girls Molly Little and Stella Luxx. The ladies sparkled in silky, sequined outfits, with Blossom and Knight also hosting pre-party video interviews at a sports desk-style set in the middle of the show floor. It wasn’t long until the place was packed with attendees, who shouldered their way through the happy throng. 2024 AVN Best Leading Actress Kira Noir was excited after the event’s five-year hiatus and said she was especially looking forward to the small bites offered to guests, which included French fries, sliders and mini grilled cheese sandwiches. “The AVN Awards Nomination has snacks,” she said, laughing. “I’ve got a couple of Best Supporting Actress trophies and then, last year, Best Leading Actress, which was a huge career win for me,” Noir recounted. “I did a lot of work that I’m happy about this year, so, I’m hoping that my showcase gets some nods. I’m really hoping that Casey Calvert gets some nods. I’m just really happy to be here, especially after not having this party for so long.” 2024 AVN Fan Favorite Porn Star Creator Angela White was excited about the evening, observing, “Being here, being able to celebrate the industry with all of my friends. It’s an incredible night. You can feel the energy in the room. It’s really cool to finally be back and seeing people in person. I’m so glad AVN put this night on because we don’t get many of these nights, to celebrate each other.” A perennial fan favorite, White said she was also looking forward to the AVN Expo in January in Las Vegas. “I’ll be signing for Brazzers so they can come see me at the Brazzers booth. My fans are the greatest. So many of my fans have followed my journey for so many years, so for them to see me grow into the performer that I am today is very exciting,” she said. Fresh off the red carpet, current AVN Male Performer of the Year Isiah Maxwell said he was hoping for a two-fer. “I had a strong year,” he said. “I’m looking forward to the nominations. I feel like I gave a Male Performer of the Year, so maybe another go-round. I was good in Dirty Cops and did a lot for Adult Time and Brazzers and Vixen, so...” 2024 AVN Best Directing Portfolio recipient and multi-award-winning director Ricky Greenwood said due to the event’s long absence he had only ever attended the nominations party once. “I moved to L.A. in 2018, so the last nominations party was my first business party, so I’m happy to be here. I think I had one nomination the first time. We’ll see tonight if I have more than one or two,” Greenwood said. Greenwood chatted with longtime performer Sinn Sage, who said, “I’m at the party because I’ve been in the industry since 2003 and this is the first time I’ve ever been to an AVN nomination party. The timing just worked out for me to be here tonight, so I’m excited.” Industry veteran Tee Reel offered, “I’m just excited to be here. I’ve been in the game for a long time and people still love me, like me, and respect me, so it’s wonderful to be here. I see a lot of my models here tonight. It’s weird because there’s not a lot of events where we can all get together and see each other and reconnect, so I’m seeing old friends but I’m making some new friends, too.” “Funny enough, the last time we had this party, me and Ricky Johnson hosted it,” said Seth Gamble, as the nominations announcements were only minutes away. “AVN always has a good energy to it. “I’m looking forward to seeing my peers get nominated for all their hard work,” he added. “Obviously, I’d be excited to see if some of my work gets recognized. If I’m going to be selfish, hopefully, my new imprint LucidFlix will get some nominations—fingers crossed. I’ve been busting ass, so...” The nominations presentation was emceed by Little and Luxx, who started the stage show off with a comedic tribute to iconic femme fatales Mae West and Lauren Bacall with classic Hollywood movie scenes. 2024 MILF Performer of the Year Penny Barber was tapped to present some noms alongside AVN CEO Tony Rios. “I don’t often get to stand on a real stage, so it’ll be great. Make some memories,” Barber said before taking the podium. “It’s exciting to see who’s going to get nominated. There’s so much work that goes into it over the year, and a lot of people deserve it—but it’s fun to see who makes the cut. At the end of the day, someone’s gotta win, so it’s a lot of adrenaline.” Before announcing a short list of nominees in major categories, AVN’s Rios greeted the audience and said, “It has been five long years since we’ve done this nominations party—five years—I can’t believe it. It’s so great to be back, and it’s fantastic to have all of you here with us tonight. I’m happy to tell you that, each and every year, we’re going to bring this [event] back.” A rapt audience of industry insiders watched and responded with applause and cheers, as nominees’ names and categories flashed across the big screen. “I’m going to win, hopefully,” insatiable Euro star Cherry Kiss said after the presentation. She had just been nominated for Female Performer of the Year. “These nominations are like entertainment at another level for me. I love this industry, and I want to succeed more. Awards are something making your ego grow, but I can do better. More, more, more—and then, the more you get, it’s never enough.” 2024 Best Trans Newcomer Leilani Li, who was accompanied by Ariel Demure, wished “congratulations” to all the nominees with a special shout-out to Nicole Kitt, freshly nommed for Best Leading Actress. GayVN Performer of the Year nominee Rhyheim Shabazz was thrilled and humbled, and said, “You know what? It’s unbelievable. I’m like, how is this happening?” For a full list of AVN nominees, click here; for the full list of GayVN nominees, click here.  The 42nd annual AVN Awards, presented by MyFreeCams, is scheduled for Saturday, January 25, 2025. It is the signature event of the AVN Expo, to be held January 22-25 at the Virgin Hotels in Las Vegas. For more information, click here. For photo galleries from the party, click here. Additional galleries are coming soon. Photography by Jeff Koga & Rony Alwin