Two Months After a Controversy, Rod Jackson Aims to Move Forward

LOS ANGELES—Two months after earning the ire of many industry members and pet lovers on social media for a video posting where he dumped a jug of water on a deaf and blind chihuahua, adult performer Rod Jackson, a 2020 AVN Best Male Newcomer nominee, says he continues to be criticized, but is committed to becoming a better person. “I had seen a tweet asking people to post funny videos, so I had this video and decided to post it,” Jackson recalled. “It was my roommate’s dog and so I am standing over the dog and I’m pouring water from a jug on the dog’s head and there’s no real reason for it, I was just messing with the dog. Not trying to hurt him ... I told the dog owner about it and we shared a laugh, but she said don’t do that to my dog anymore.” But just 20 minutes after posting the video on Feb. 18, Jackson’s phone began ringing from friends concerned about the posting and at about the same time, the video went viral and Jackson was soon earning the wrath of the Twitter universe. Although he would take down the video, the damage was done and despite repeated apologies, the flood of angry tweets would not die down for days. Among those appalled by the video was Cadence Lux who tweeted: “This is fucking disgusting, how is this supposed to be funny??????” while Alexa Grey tweeted “Hard BLOCK!! This is despicable. He is seriously messed up & twisted!” Abigail Mac, however, struck a more compassionate tone with her tweet: “Why is no one offering help. Why is no one showing compassion. Let [sic] take him to an animal shelter. Teach him why this is not ok. Get him a qualified therapist. What he did is WRONG but this cancel culture is too. Hate is never the answer.” But after he expressed his remorse in a Twitter video, Jackson’s roommate and the dog's owner, adult performer Bella Rolland, accepted the apology, tweeting “I so so so appreciate this [heart] Thank you. Keep on growing friend.”   Although he was dropped by his agency and saw his bookings dry up, Jackson said he is not angry, but remains remorseful and contrite, saying he has learned a valuable lesson about the importance of respecting everyone, including animals. “When a friend died last week, a fellow performer, it showed me that time goes fast. None of us know when we’re going to go, so we have to be kind,” Jackson said. “I am owning up to what I did. It was wrong. Time is short and nobody knows when it’s time to go so I just want to clear the air on that. It was just a poor choice.” Although he agreed to volunteer at a city animal shelter, the COVID-19 pandemic canceled his orientation meeting there; however, Jackson remains committed to volunteering once the crisis is over. “When I posted the video, I was still hurting from my dog dying and this issue brought it back,” Jackson said. “I reached out to Pineapple Support. They helped out a lot. I began looking at why people are so upset. I realized how people react to dogs. When I lost my dog it was like losing a family member so I understood why they reacted that way. But I wasn’t trying to hurt anyone. I know in my heart that I’m not a malicious person.” As for the future, Jackson hopes to return to performing once the coronavirus crisis ends, while continuing to perform standup at local comedy clubs. While many colleagues have yet to forgive him, Jackson said he understands how they feel and thanks his close friends for their support during the controversy. “At the end of the day, I know I’m not a malicious person. But I can’t blame people for how they’re reacting,” he said. “I’m just trying to be a better person.” Photo by Rick Garcia/@IndustryByRick