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For just about all of 2018, an adult film actress has dominated headlines in part of because of an alleged affair she engaged in with President Trump back in 2006. (He denies this.) But while anyone who pays attention to the news is undoubtedly familiar with her name, little is known about her personal life. But in an interview published in Penthouse this week, Stormy Daniels revealed some surprising facts about her life and her mindset.
The interview was conducted by Mitchell Sunderland, a former senior editor at Broadly, who was let go after BuzzFeed News reported that he had repeatedly attempted to suggest stories to hyper-right provocateur Milo Yiannopoulos. The Daniels profile marks his return to the limelight.
In the interview, Daniels addressed why, exactly, she doesn't consider herself to be a very political person, despite the fact that she has been at the center of U.S. political discourse for months. She also offers some of her backstory — that she was raised by a poor mother in the American south — and that she, in part, began stripping to save a prized childhood pet.
She also shared that, while she has benefitted from the increased publicity, she ultimately wants it to stop. Here are nine of the most interesting moments from the interview.
She Doesn't Consider Herself Political At All
“I’m fine with women coming up to me and saying ‘You’ve inspired me.’ That’s great," Daniels told Sunderland. "But I’m quick to point out that’s not my story... Do I have political opinions? Yes. But I’m not interested in sharing them because I am fully aware that it’s my job and my service to society to be an entertainer."
She's Sick Of Talking About It
Daniels also said that she was tired of being grilled about what allegedly happened between she and Trump. "I’ve done nothing but talk," she said.
She Made An Instagram Account For A Laundry Basket
After TMZ posted a photo of her carrying a laundry basket and reported that Daniels was bringing her dirty laundry to a strip club, Daniels made an Instagram account for said basket (@stormysbasket). In the photo in question, she said she was carrying a laundry basket she had just bought to help cart her merchandise to events.
"I wouldn’t talk to them unless they interviewed the basket," Stormy said of the press. "And they did it!”
She Hid When The Report About The $130,000 Payment Came Out
According to the interview, Daniels said she hid in a New Jersey hotel room for two days after The Wall Street Journal reported that she had received $130,000 from Michael Cohen.
She Intended To Keep Quiet
Daniels said she did not intend to speak out about the alleged affair, but changed her mind when Cohen publicly admit to paying her the money. "Just because something isn’t true doesn’t mean that it can’t cause you harm or damage," Cohen said in February. According to Penthouse, Daniels took Cohen's remark as saying that she was lying.
She Started Stripping To Keep Her Horse
Daniels said that as a teenager, she had a horse. When she moved out of her mother's house, she said she started stripping partly because she didn't want to have to sell it.
She Wants To Write A Book
Not necessarily about Trump, though. Daniels said she used to keep a notebook, where she'd write down stripper stories and quotes.
She Stays Out Of Politics For Veterans
Daniels said that one major reason she doesn't comment on political matters is that many of her fans are veterans. “They’re stuck in these horrible situations, and for an hour and a half, I’m their fantasy,” Daniels said.
Though she suggested she would rather it be different, Daniels is likely going to stay in the news cycle for a while longer. But while she has been painted by critics as opportunistically capitalizing on scandal, the Penthouse interview underscored that, above all else, she's trying to navigate her newfound mainstream fame as best as she can.
