What Is Traci Lords’ Net Worth and Salary?

Traci Lords is an actress, producer, director, writer, and singer with a net worth of $1 million. She began her career in the controversial adult industry but went on to enter mainstream entertainment, appearing in films such as “Cry-Baby,” “Serial Mom,” and “Blade.” She also had recurring roles on “Roseanne,” “Melrose Place,” and “Profiler.”

Lords entered the adult industry at just fifteen years old, using a fake ID. When authorities discovered she had been underage, her case was used to criticize the industry. She has since released music, including the top 10 hits “Control” and “Last Drag,” and directed the short film “Sweet Pea.” She also produced several films, including “Excision” and “Beverly Hills Copulator.” Lords published the autobiography “Traci Lords: Underneath It All,” which debuted at #31 on “The New York Times” Best Seller list. In 2015, she appeared on “Celebrity Wife Swap.”

Traci Lords’ Earnings

Traci Lords claimed to have earned $40,000 over three years in the adult film industry in a 2003 interview, while in her memoir, she stated that the number was $35,000. Adjusted for inflation, this would be equivalent to $90,000 – $100,000 today. However, her manager contradicted these claims, stating that Lords was earning $300,000 annually at her peak, which would be roughly $750,000 today.

Despite these conflicting reports, Lords has also claimed to have spent all of her income on drugs, alcohol, and other expenses, leaving her broke at one point.

Traci Lords’ Early Life

Traci Lords was born in Ohio in 1968 and moved to California with her family at a young age. She dropped out of high school at 15 to work in the porn industry. Lords has spoken publicly about being molested by her mother’s boyfriend and being raped by an older boy when she was 10 years old. These experiences had a significant impact on her life.

Traci Lords’ Career in Pornography and Beyond

Traci Lords began working as a babysitter at 15 and was offered a fake ID to help improve her job opportunities. She began booking jobs as a nude model and appeared in publications such as “Juggs” and “Velvet.” She was chosen to model in the September 1984 issue of “Penthouse” magazine, and she appeared in her first pornographic movie, “What Gets Me Hot!,” in 1984. After turning 16, she starred in the AVN Award-winning porn spoof “Talk Dirty to Me Part III” and was dubbed the “Princess of Porn.”

In the spring of 1986, authorities were informed that Traci hadn’t been of legal age when she was starring in porn movies, and they arrested the owners of X-Citement Video, Inc. and Lords’ movie agency. After spending some time in therapy, Traci studied at the Lee Strasberg Theatre and Film Institute and landed guest-starring roles on various TV shows and movies.

Traci appeared in the Stephen King TV movie “The Tommyknockers” and films such as “Cry-Baby,” “Raw Nerve,” and “Serial Mom.” In the ’90s, she had recurring roles on “Roseanne,” “Melrose Place,” and “Profiler,” and she appeared in Color Me Badd’s music video “I Wanna Sex You Up.” She landed lead roles in “Chump Change” and “Epicenter” in 2000 and appeared in various films and TV shows throughout the 2000s and 2010s, including “Zack and Miri Make a Porno” and “Excision,” for which she won several awards.

Traci has continued to act in recent years, appearing in films such as “Manipulated” and “Nicole, her Ex & the Killer” and TV shows like “EastSiders” and “Swedish Dicks.”

Marriages and Activism

Traci Lords was married to Brook Yeaton from 1990 to 1996, Ryan Granger from 1999 to 2000, and Jeff Gruenewald since 2002. She gave birth to her son, Joseph Gunnar Lee, in 2007. Lords has been an advocate for the LGBTQ community since the 1990s, after witnessing a close friend die of AIDS and seeing his partner denied access to him in the hospital. In a 2012 interview with GayCalgary Magazine, she spoke out against the discrimination and suffering that her gay friends have faced, saying, “It’s wrong.”

Traci Lords’ Awards and Nominations

Traci Lords was inducted into the “Adult Video News” Awards Hall of Fame in 1987, but her spot in the hall of fame was later revoked when it was discovered that she was under-age when her career started. Lords earned several award nominations throughout her career, including Best New Starlet and Best Actress. In 2001, she won a Film Discovery Jury Award for Best Actress, and in 2012/2013, she received several awards for her role in “Excision,” including Best Supporting Actress and Best Actress. Lords also received nominations for Best Guest Star and Best Actress in 2014 and 2019, respectively.

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