James Deen’s ‘Pornstar Problems’ Shows His Funny Bone

The Internet just loves some good ol’ fashioned James Deen. After only six days online, the new Buzzfeed video “Pornstar Problems,” starring Deen, is spreading across the net like a lovable virus. Deen, who’s nothing short of a monolith in the adult industry, is continuing to prove he’s a man of many talents, now adding tongue-in-cheek satire to his pile of accomplishments and accolades.

According to the press release from Deen’s own production house, James Deen Productions, the video, just about two and a half minutes of nebbish comedy, has been seen over 600,000 times, that statistic probably in a whole different stratosphere by the end of this sentence. And there’s no doubt as to why that is.

One of the highest level performers in adult entertainment, Deen, who’s unabashedly said he’s the “luckiest boy alive,” has a weird sort of charm, a beefy magnetism that extends beyond physiognomy and how on-screen pneumatic he must be. In the BuzzFeed video, Deen plays a fictionalized version of his real self, trying to have a regular day. However, every professional he visits, including a bank teller and a doctor, hyper-sexualizes the situation, much to Deen’s chagrin.

Gaby Dunn, from Buzzfeed, plays his girlfriend in the final part of the video, and her surprise ending is a hilarious cherry on top of a pleasantly self-effacing cake. Also, her work is pretty classy, so check that out too.

In a way, this video reminds the viewer that the adult media performer is a human like any other, with a healthy amount of doldrums, but with the caveat that they’re branded as porn stars wherever they’re recognized. Sounds like comedic potential to me, but also a good opportunity to be honestly incisive. It’s unlikely that viewers will think, “that James Deen, he has it so hard!” but they’ll laugh a plenty at a weary Deen just trying to get through the day.

BuzzFeed has featured the adult star prior to this trending video, including “Americans Taste Test Indonesian Snacks,” “Men Draw What Cramps Feel Like,” and the article “15 Things You Might Not Know About Porn Star James Deen.”

In the press release, Deen commented, “I work at BuzzFeed now. They don’t know it, but my plan is to continue to raid the building and participate in as many videos as I am able until they have the authorities escort me off the premises.”

Beyond this, Deen has also been in mainstream film and television. In 2013, he co-starred in the film The Canyons alongside Lindsay Lohan. The film was written by Bret Easton Ellis and directed by Paul Schrader. More recently, Deen was featured as a guest star, playing himself, on Shalom Auslander’s comedy-drama Happyish. His episode will air on June 7, after the show starts its run April 26.

As the youngest man in adult media history to be awarded the AVN Performer of the Year – to name just one of his awards, honors, and achievements since entering the business at the age of 18 – Deen is a force to be reckoned with, and will likely continue to expand his brand to all manner of media outlets. Here’s hoping this video isn’t his last foray into comedy.

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