Last Laugh: Getting 'Near Sex for Work' With Daniel Shar

LOS ANGELES—It’s not many times you can see a tell-all show with a real, live porn star who never has taken off his clothes in any of the scenes he’s ever been in during his stellar career in the industry. Not until Daniel Shar presents his one-man show “Near Sex for Work,” which was recently performed at The Lyric Hyperion Theater in Los Angeles. This interactive show, complete with non-explicit and censored adult industry images and videos, hysterically highlight his personal stories about finding love, losing love, losing his virginity, counting how many times he had sex (there weren’t that many!), all while weaving his honest, comedic observations about his life throughout his journey into porn. Shar, a native of North Carolina who lived in Chicago for many years, traded in the cold weather to make it big as a comedian in Los Angeles, sharing his decidedly unpredictable journey into the porn industry. So how did he do that? While working on developing his comedy chops in Chicago, Daniel answered a Craigslist ad, from a company looking for staff at a store he would have never considered applying to. Trying to amuse himself and his doubting friends, he unknowingly began his adult industry career by working at the sexuality boutique, Tulip, in Chicago, in 2011. Selling himself as the only virgin on the staff, and with his comforting and humorous outlook on life, he was able to apply his comedic talents to make buying sex toys comfortable and fun. He stayed with the company for four years, deciding to move to Los Angeles in 2016. Once here and becoming one of the masses who come to LA to hit it big, he again ventured onto Craigslist and found a job working for one of the major fan sites. He was one of many, anonymous staffers, replying to clients’ personal interactions with their favorite cammers, unbeknownst to the clients that he was not the gal they thought they were chatting with. He was the “personal” contact for intimate conversations to explore their deepest desires and Daniel highlights many of these conversations during his captivating show. One of the most enjoyable parts of the show is when he engages with audience members to speak the projected lines of what clients asked, going into intimate detail without realizing a straight comedian was the one on the other end of the text line. These interactions were one of the funniest parts of the show! Daniel happened to come across what was basically a voiceover acting call for a new, online community, Quinn, that recorded erotic stories for a primarily women’s audience. He sent them a preview recording and suddenly found himself in the role of “James,” the “sweet boyfriend” with a comforting voice, bringing soft support and ultimately, orgasms for women throughout the world. In the show, Daniel references many scenarios about his alter ego, James, and how he managed to keep the realness of Daniel separate from “James” until… As with almost everything in the entertainment industry in LA, Daniel stumbled across a casting call on Craigslist for background actors, which sometimes means “actors for porn movies.” He didn’t feel comfortable as a naked and fucking porn star but realized there was a role for someone who would play “the straight man,” someone who didn’t have sex but played a key part in the plot of the movie. He sent them his website (DanielShar.com) and they offered him a speaking role. Given his comedic and acting talents, he quickly became a regular in the genre, a popular porn star without taking off his clothes! Often playing the role of a frustrated cuckolded husband, watching as his lovely wife gets nailed by a big cock, while many viewers can fantasize about and perhaps relate to his frustrations. Daniel was nominated for two awards at the 2025 AVN Awards: Mainstream Venture of the Year with his one-man show, and Best Non-Sex Performance. Given the stiff competition in both categories, both awards eluded him this year but no doubt, he is going to be sticking around in the adult industry for quite some time.