Bangin' Katie: Up Close With Katie Kush

A version of this feature appears in the January issue of AVN magazine. Click here for the digital edition. LOS ANGELES—She’s developed a fondness for whips, ropes and ball gags, but there was a time—not too long ago—when Katie Kush described her sex life as “vanilla.” Kush’s preferred position was missionary, she refused to do anal and viewed blowjobs as “exhausting.” At the end of one of her first porn scenes in 2019, after a taking a money shot to the mouth, Kush rose from her knees and scurried off set to spit out the cum, joking that she “hated that taste.” Her male co-star, Brother Love, wasn’t amused. “Honey,” he told Kush, “if you can’t handle something that simple, then you’re in the wrong profession.” These days no one is questioning Kush’s place in the adult industry. Nearly four years since her debut, Kush’s former insecurities are now her biggest strengths—or should we say, kinks. A former ballerina, Kush rides dick while in the splits. She loves being roughed up and dotes on her oral skills, hardly hesitating to swallow every last drop.  Perhaps most impressively, the girl that was once scared to let anyone in her back door was nominated for Best Anal Sex Scene at the 40th annual AVN Awards, which took place Jan. 7 in Las Vegas. “When that nomination came out,” Kush says, “I got so many text messages. ‘OMG, bitch … you used to hate it and now you’re nominated for it! LOL’ “Porn has definitely opened my eyes to a whole new world. I love pushing my boundaries. I love finding new limits.” With just more than 300 scenes to her credit, Kush is quickly becoming one of the more prolific performers in porn. The 5-foot-3 Arizona native has shot multiple times for A-list studios such as Brazzers, Vixen, Evil Angel and Kink. And her popularity is ascending right along with her bookings. The highlight of Kush’s career to date came in December, when surging studio Bang! selected her as its first-ever Bang! Babe of the Year. Kush could hardly contain her excitement when she heard the news, tearing up and shaking as she unwrapped an extravagant, custom-made neon sign the company sent her to commemorate the accomplishment. “Her reaction made us feel really good,” Steve Legos, Bang!’s chief marketing officer, tells AVN. “There are so many times we’ve done something special for girls, and they’re like, ‘OK cool, thanks.’ Those things take a lot of effort and it was clear she was very appreciative. “Katie is a great ambassador for our company—and, really, for the entire industry. Everyone can have sex, but not everyone opens themselves up and really showcases their emotion during the actual scene like Katie does. You can tell that she’s into it. You can sense what she’d be like if you were there. She’s a very positive person.” Dave Rock agrees. The Motley Models president said Kush’s personality was the main characteristic that stood out when Kush contacted him seeking representation. “I’m an energy guy,” Rock says, “and that’s the one thing that drew me to Katie. She has an uplifting vibe about her that’s very infectious. People like her; they gravitate toward her because she’s so upbeat. She’s also a stud on social media. She knows how to market herself and how to keep herself relevant.” The 25-year-old Kush—who boasts more than 153,700 followers on Twitter—doesn’t plan to slow down anytime soon. “I love this job” Kush says. “I want to do it as long as I can. That’s my mindset. That’s my goal. I want to work until I can make the decision that I don’t need it anymore.” Photography by Bang.com