It was a loss that rocked our industry. To so many of you, August Ames was a beautiful and popular porn star.

To many others, she was a wife, a daughter, a sister, and a friend.

And for those close to her, her death is something that they will never get over.

And this is why I wanted initially to interview August for my podcast, and why I took it down for some time after she passed and why I'm putting it back up now.

Because August, or for those who knew her intimately, Mercedes,

was a real person with real feelings and real problems.

She was so much more than just a porn star.

Before I say anything further,

I want to disclose to you all that I did not know August all that well.

Yes, we worked together many times.

Yes, she was one of my favorite girls and yes, she trusted me enough to open up about her battles with depression on my show.

But we didn't hang out outside of work, we didn't really ever speak to each other except to trade funny

quips on Twitter or to text about work stuff. So many media outlets reached out to me after

August death wanting an interview and I refused them all. I never felt comfortable

putting myself in some kind of position of authority on August life. I wasn't comfortable speaking to the press about what kind of person August was,

what her hopes, her dreams, and ultimately her demons really were.

And now, all I can tell you about is my brief experiences with her on set

and in this interview that I have finally re-released.

I do want to comment on why I initially took this podcast down and why I've

decided to put it back up. When I learned of August suicide, I was shocked and

incredibly confused. Yes, I knew she struggled with depression. Yes, I knew she had

trauma in her past life, but I wasn't party to the Twitter feud on the days

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