Joshua Broome: From Porn to Redemption

Hey everyone, this is Dr. James Spencer, and you're listening to Thinking Christian. On today's episode, we have a guest host, Maggie Hubbard. Maggie works with me at Useful to God Ministries and was my co-host on our previous podcast, Faithful and Flawed. Some time ago, Maggie had the opportunity to interview Joshua Broom, an ex-pornography star turned pastor. In this episode, they talk about his experiences in the porn industry and what it's like to be a pastor today. I hope you enjoy the conversation, and I look forward to being back with you on the next episode of Thinking Christian. Hi listeners, Today I have an amazing guest on with me. I actually came across this gentleman on TikTok one day, and his story just really intrigued me and inspired me to follow him and learn more about him. Fast forward to like six months later, I decided to reach out to him and ask him if he wanted to do an interview with me, and he actually got back to me. And I am so excited because his story is truly one about redemption and the love of Christ meeting you where you're at, no matter your past and your circumstances. Joshua's story and testimony is truly amazing, and I'm so excited for him to share that with you guys today. Joshua was one of the most successful adult film stars in the world. In fact, he had actually won male entertainer of the year. He obtained fame, wealth, and traveled the world all to find out that none of those could fill the emptiness in his heart. Today, he is a passionate communicator of the message of restoration and he is healed through the life-giving power that's only found in Jesus. And today he has been married for five years and has three beautiful sons and has totally devoted his life to Christ. I am so excited to hand it off to Josh for him to tell his story about redemption and how you're never too far gone, that God can meet you in the midst of your mistakes and your struggles, and he can completely turn it around. So Josh, I'm gonna hand it off to you. Yeah, so my story, I think it would be appropriate to start with my childhood. So I grew up in a really small town in South Carolina. My mom had me when she was 16, and we lived with my grandma, my aunt, and my two uncles and my grandparents. And everything was great, but I didn't have a relationship with my dad. He lived in the very small town that I also lived in. So I saw this guy who was my dad, but he was never my father. And for someone who has a very aggressive, like achiever personality, it was just tough like knowing he was there, but he wasn't like in a relationship with me. So that was difficult. So that caused me to want to earn my acceptance. So I had to be the best in school. I had to be the best in sports. I had to get the most girls. I had to achieve, achieve, achieve that momentary, you know, acceptance or affirmation or conquest, and it dulled the pain and tried to momentarily fill the gap that I had in my heart. But that carried on. I started modeling when I was 14 or 15. I had a decent amount of success. Had an agent, all that jazz. Went to college. Well, I made it through about two and a half years of college. I was there a little bit longer. I get it. I was in a fraternity and I wasn't there for academics. But I leave there and decide to put myself in closer proximity to the jobs that I wanted to get in Hollywood. So I sold everything and I moved there and I landed an agent. I mean, things were looking good and I was working a decent amount, but I was living far beyond my means. So just like if you would go to any coffee shop or restaurant, it's like, I'm an actor, but I'm also just waiting tables right now, just, you know, between it being expensive and work being inconsistent. But I find myself at this restaurant. Four girls are sitting at this table. They're cute. So I'm going to go over and put on my Southern charm. They tell me like, hey, would you be interested in acting? And I told them that I was an actor and I thought that that was going to be my segue to an opportunity through a casting agent. But they quickly tell me that they're porn stars and they're inviting me into their world. I'd seen porn, but I didn't really think that those people on a screen were actual people who did that for a living. And yet here is a living, breathing, what I thought to be a fictitious part of my imagination that was just something to lust after, but they were real people inviting me into their world. And I was curious. I was confused and I was like, I don't know. I don't know what to say. And they said, well, just, uh, will you meet with our agent? And I hear that and it was familiar language. So I was like, okay, sure. And I thought it was going to be really weird, but it wasn't in the sense where it was a very nice building. There were very nice cars there. In this private garage, I go up this elevator, walk down this hallway, and then there's this desk, a guy in a three piece suit, big double Windsor tie, English guy, head shaved, really thick English accent. And he just asked me like, what are you doing out here? And I tell him, you know, I grew up with my mom and I wanted to be an actor. I wanted to be a model. I wanted to be famous. Long story short, he presented to me a fictitious or a counterfe t version of my dream after hearing that. So he hears everything I want to do. And he's like, okay, there's not a lot of good looking guys in porn. You have acting experience. The porn industry is shifting to where parodying these big movies. I think you'll make as much money as you want and you'll be famous. I didn't really know what to say, and kind of the way it works is if you want to do, you know, those films, the first thing you have to do is there's this standardized testing facility that everyone gets a full panel STDs test and AIDS test, and they do that every like two and a half, three weeks, something like that. How? There's a window that you have to be within. It's almost like your driver's license can't expire and your test can't expire. I mean, that's kind of like how it works. That's your work visa. So I took that test and then the next day I show up to set to do this movie. And I honestly don't really remember what the thought process was. I remember like being very hesitant, and even when I told him yes, I I didn't really plan on following through with it. Right. But I showed up and I thought, okay, what's the worst that's gonna happen? They're gonna like hand me this camcorder or whatever and I'm gonna go in this room with this girl. And I walk in and there's a receptionist. There's catering. There's multiple assistants there. There's camera A, B, and C. There's a production assistant going around. It's bigger than some of the sets that I shot. Like, you know, some people have been in B movies. I'd been in a few C movies where I was like holding my own boom and stuff. Right. But it was strangely familiar and you felt more comfortable maybe a little bit. Yeah. I mean, it just wasn't anything like I thought it was gonna be. It actually like, once I got there, I kind of felt like I can't leave. Like I've gone too far. Someone comes up to me and is like, Hey, here's this pill. Take it if you want. It's in your hand. It's yours. Throw it away. Take it. I don't care what you do if you've never taken one before. Bite it in half because it's pretty strong. So it was Viagra. And I was like, okay, I've never taken this before. I don't know what to do. And I'm freaking out. And I'm in the bathroom, like giving myself this, like, not even a pep talk, just like, what are you doing? Like, I should leave. And I just kind of felt like I had gotten myself into something I couldn't get myself out of. The director says, okay, we're ready for you. And I walk over to this like stadium of lights without never speaking to this girl once. I'll walk into these lights. And next thing I know, it's over. And I'm on my way home. And I feel like literally feel dirty, confused, guilty. And I feel like that happened. And then within two or three weeks, that movie is out and my agents all fire me. Okay. And, you know, that obviously breaches things in contracts. And then I was kind of seeing a girl and I tell her what I did and she, you know, tells me to hit the road. And she was kind of the nucleus of a lot of my friends. And she worked at that restaurant. She was a pretty successful dancer. She had been in a few like Britney like videos. She worked at a dance studio really on her way to like making something of herself. So I ruined that and all of our friends who had been her friends much longer was like that guy is, you know, the bad guy. So I felt guilty and ashamed. So I quit that job. And then my mom finds out and then I'm having this humiliated. My mom's like angry and disappointed. So I just like, man, my whole life that I've been working for, for the last 22 years kind of just blew up in my face. And then I'm in the middle of just like sulking and just like not knowing what, like, I have

It's like this is the pinnacle of success in that industry, and I had achieved it. What I realized in that moment, I had everything that I told myself, if I had this, I would be happy. If I had this money, I would be happy. If I traveled the world, I would be happy. If I had enough girls, I would be happy. If I had this and this and this and this, and that award was kind of like the pinnacle of all of that, and I realized that it didn't make me happy. And that had a drastic impact on me. I spiraled into this depression that I just feel like I couldn't get out of, and every day I was asking the God that I knew about because I went to church growing up, so I knew about God, but I didn't know Him. And I was asking, like, God, if you're there, I really don't wanna live because I believe, I believe that would ruin my life. There's no way that I'm gonna be a dad. There's no way that I'm gonna be a husband. There's no way that I'm gonna be a contributor to society in any capacity. What gifts and talents do I have? What do I have to offer? I'm absolutely useless other than selling myself in this way. I have no value. What am I supposed to do? And that depression had been, it didn't spawn out of nowhere in that moment. It had been happening over the last, like, year. And I walk into this bank, and I normally would go ATM or Dropbox because I didn't wanna deposit the check because on the check and the memo, it said what it was for. I didn't wanna face that music, but to this day, I didn't have a choice, so I walk in, put the check down. Do you have your account number? No, swipe your card, looks it up, puts it in my account. Here's your receipt, and I go to walk away. And she says, Joshua, is there something I can do for you? Joshua, can I help you? And it wrecked me because I had stopped answering the phone when my mom was calling. I stopped answering her text messages. I stopped answering my brother's calls. I unfriended everyone on social media. There was no one in my life that called me Joshua. So when I heard my name, it was the first time I'd heard it in 18 months. And it just snapped me out of this, like, fake, plausible reality that I had created based on a lie. Hey, everyone, after a brief word from our sponsor, we'll dive back into the interview with Maggie and Joshua. Let me ask you a serious question. If something triggered a major market drop in the coming months, would your retirement be ready or exposed? With inflation, market volatility, and ongoing global uncertainty, more families are taking a closer look at whether their retirement plan is truly built to hold up. And many are finding that adding a layer of protection makes a lot of sense. Sanctuary Metals is a Christian-owned company that helps families strengthen their retirement savings with physical gold and silver through a gold IRA. During uncertain times, many people look to precious metals as a way to add stability when other assets may be under pressure. If you'd like to explore whether a gold IRA is a good fit for your situation, Sanctuary Metals makes it easy to get started. Text GUIDE to 94878 to receive your free retirement defense guide. Or call 888-958-6579 to speak with one of their knowledgeable team members. Again, text GUIDE to 94878 or call 888-958-6579. I wasn't there for my mom when she needed me because I was her protector. I always was. You know, as someone who, my mom's gorgeous, and I was, she was 16 when she had me. So growing up, she's still very young and just hurt. And then, like, that, that was the catalyst for me to pick up the phone. I quit, I quit, I quit. I called my agent. I called, you know, my PR person. They put out a press release. I quit. And then, most people that have only heard my story once or twice, they think, yeah, I quit. I become a Christian. Hooray. You know, my life is changed. But there was actually a two-year gap in between when I quit until that happened. And it was miserable. I covered up my tattoos. I deleted my social media. I got a job working at a gym and working in a grocery store. And every single person that I would talk to for more than a minute, like, wait, aren't you that guy? Because currently on HBO and Cinemax, I'm probably in 50 of those, like, Skinemax movies. So if you were watching Cinemax or HBO past 10 o'clock, you were seeing my face. And that award show was all over Showtime. So they were like, you're, what are you doing here? You're that guy. I just wanted to get away from that. And then two years, I just, I lied and I ran and I lied. I would lie about my past. I would make up things about my dad because I was ashamed that I just didn't have a relationship with him. I was just a mess. And then in the process, that gym that I was working at, they really poured into me and I eventually became a manager. And another gym had an opening and I stepped into like a more higher up position in this gym. And now I'm making enough money where I don't have to work at the grocery store and things are good. And I have a bunch of personal training clients and my life is like from the outside looking in, like it looks great, but I had night terrors every single night and I would keep having the same dream over and over again. It was like, I'm walking out, I'm essentially like on a porn set and I'm naked and people are like, I knew that was you. Just because like all the time I was looking over my shoulder just waiting to be found out. Right. And like two years of that, this girl walks into the gym. I try to put her weights away after she worked out and she's like, nah, I'm good. I can put my own stuff away. I was like, Oh gosh. Later that day, I asked her out on a date and she said, no. I was like, wow. Like, okay. And she's like, I'll tell you what, you can meet me for a run. And I was like, I hate running, but whatever. I'll do what I have to do. I meet her for a run and I got there a little bit earlier than she did or running at this park. And I'm waiting for her to get there. And I just feel this overwhelming guilt. And it's just like, don't you dare hurt her. She doesn't deserve that. Just tell her the truth. And if she tells you she never wants to see you again, so be it. At least you did the right thing. And our run quickly turns into a walk. And I'm like, Hey, I want to tell you something. And I tell her everything. And then she just kind of looks back at me. And then after what seems like 10 minutes, she said, I can't believe you just told me that. But you know that a person is not defined by the worst thing they've ever done. And they're not defined by the greatest thing they'll ever accomplish. God defines who someone is. And it's absolutely true. But in that moment, I was used to putting on the mask. So I was whoever the person on the other side of the table wanted me to be. So I was like, Yeah, absolutely. I believe in God. God is real. Time, space, and matter had to come into existence at the same time. So there had to be a catalyst for that creation. So it had to be God. Absolutely. She's like, Okay, do you have a relationship with Jesus? Like, do you pray? Like, are you walking with Jesus? And I was like, I knew the answer was no. And it was weird. And then she's like, Well, here's my experience. And told me about her faith journey. And then all of a sudden, we're talking about tacos. I'm like, What just happened? Because I saw I was going to be rejected. I was like, How are you responding this way? And then just like two people who meet, you know, sparks are flying and they're texting, you know, every 14 seconds. And I'm just crazy about this girl. And she's like, Hey, do you want to go to church this Sunday? And I was like, Actually, yeah. I was like, the way that you responded to me and the things that you said to me, it actually cultivated this curiosity. Hey, everyone, after a brief word from our sponsor, we'll dive back into the interview with Maggie and Joshua. Let me ask you a serious question. If something triggered a major market drop in the coming months, would your retirement be ready or exposed? With inflation, market volatility, and ongoing global uncertainty, more families are taking a closer look at whether their retirement plan is truly built to hold up. And many are finding that adding a layer of protection makes a lot of sense. Sanctuary Metals is a Christian-owned company that helps families strengthen their retirement savings with physical gold and silver through a gold IRA. During uncertain times, many people look to precious metals as a way to add stability when other assets may be under pressure. If you'd like to explore whether a gold IRA is a good fit for your situation, Sanctuary Metals makes it easy to get started. Text GUIDE to 94878 to receive your free retirement defense guide. Or call 888-958-6579 to speak with one of their knowledgeable team members. Again, text GUIDE to 94878

It was great. Everything was great. And I'm engaged. And then this guy walks out. And I grew up going to a Southern Baptist church where, you know, you're going to hell. Yep, yep, I totally, yep. Fire and brimstone. And it was so legalistic that I don't ever remember hearing the gospel because for many reasons, mostly because of how I saw myself. But somewhat casually dressed man that reminds me of my grandfather walks out on stage, and he's got a real thick Southern accent. And he just starts telling this story. And he's being vulnerable. And he's talking about how he's not perfect. And he tells this story about Mephabosheth from 1 Samuel and how Jonathan and David had this special friendship and then Jonathan dies and David becomes king. And it is customary that the previous kingdom is wiped out. They kill everyone because they don't want anyone to think they have access to the existing kingdom. And David wasn't that type of king. And he actually sent his guard to find Mephabosheth because he was the only member of the family that was remaining. And there's a little bit of backstory to where it was like Mephabosheth, he knew that was coming. And this nurse was carrying him and dropped him. And so he was, we don't know exactly, but he was maybe he had a trouble walking, but they find him, this guard finds him as a beggar. He's expecting death because he knows history. And history tells Mephabosheth that he deserves death. Instead, that guard extends grace and David restores his land and David invites him to his table and not just a seat, the best seat, and not for a day, a week or a month, but forever. And then he continues and he's like, so much more does Jesus want to do for you because Jesus extends his grace like this. We have all sinned and fall short the glory of God and there's a wedge in between a perfect God and us and sin causes that. But Jesus loved you so much that he died the death that you deserve and you have access to God if you put your faith in him. And I was just like, it all made sense. I'm pretty emotional, so I'm like, I'm crying and it's crazy because for me, like as I'm surrendering myself to Jesus, I'm letting go of not the shame and the guilt from porn. I'm letting go of not feeling like I was enough my entire life. And in that moment, what really just smashed me literally to my knees was that my entire life, I was longing for a father and I realized that I had one and I was just like filled with love and peace and I gave my life to Jesus. And then just to speed me the story that about a week later, I walk into, so this was a pretty big church in Raleigh, North Carolina. I walk into this pastor's office and I'm like, hey, Pastor Gary, can I talk to you for a second? He's like, sure. I was like, I feel like God wants me to build a boat. He's like, what are you talking about? I was like, well, God wants me, I feel like God wants me to do something that's bigger than I can comprehend. And my grandfather taught me that if I wanna do something, I need to learn how to do it well. And I need to ask a lot of questions to someone who is doing what I wanna do. So I'm here to ask a lot of questions. He's like, man, I'm so glad you're here. There's this guy down the hall, his name's Andrew and his family just moved here. He just graduated recently from Dallas Theological Seminary and his family are, they're gonna help launch a new campus that we're planning. And I was supposed to meet with Andrew one time for him to figure out how to read the Bible correctly, just understand context. And little did I know or did he know that we would spend the next four years together. I would end up interning there and we spent about 15 to 20 hours a week together for about three or four and a half years. As this time's going on, I started to get opportunities to share my story. And I remember the first time that I shared my story is five years ago, this radio show was having their yearly, like just event, honoring some of like the big givers and they had King of Country was there. I don't know, but it was a big event. And I'm the speaker. I'm gonna share my story. And for me, like the way that I think, I was like, okay, the script or like coaching. So it's like, I know exactly what I'm gonna say. And I had 16 minutes to talk and I get up there and as I step out there, I just feel this like, I don't know, I went from like being terrified to eerily calm. And I intended on sharing this long story and telling it in this eloquent way where, you know, it was captivating and engaging and this. And I spent about three minutes. I just blasted through the story about three minutes and then I shared the gospel for the rest of the time. Never in my life have I felt more certain that I was doing something that I was made to do. And I loved it. God started opening doors. And today I'm teaching and preaching all over. Most amazing part of the story, which I've held on to, I don't normally land the plane because I get too excited. But what's amazing is that person. So Colossians 4, 5 and 6, it talks about we are walk in wisdom towards those who are without and our interactions with people. Our speech needs to be gracious and seasoned with salt so that we might know how to answer each person. And the way that she answered me broke down boundaries and that person that we went on that walk, we had that conversation and she invited me to church. She's been my wife for five years. It'll be six years this year. And we have three beautiful boys together. So amazing. That's my story in a nutshell. Yeah. Your story is so amazing. You know, in this world that we live in with porn so accessible at our fingertips and even OnlyFans, like just becoming more increasingly popular, it's important for men like you to stand up and say, Hey, I have walked this walk. It did not fulfill me. The only thing that could is Jesus. So fight the new drug, just put out a new study. 53% of boys, 39% of girls reported believing that pornography is a realistic depiction of sex. Right. Why do you think that is? Do you think that it's just so easily accessible at our fingertips that just, they just watch it whenever they want? Yeah. And I think like, if I always had dessert for dinner, like growing up, I'm just kind of painting the picture of society. It's like, if something is constantly seen, it becomes normalized. So society is so oversexualized that what was pornography 20 years ago is on TV unscreened, not no big deal. So it's a problem because we've allowed it to be. And I think as parents, first and foremost, we have to have conversations with our children because if we allow someone to be the initiators of that conversation, now they have the authority over the conversation because they first heard it from them. And now you're playing catch up and you're playing catch up with the world. So those stats are real and they're absolutely alarming. I could go on and on with the stats, but I mean, the fact that if you take Netflix, Hulu and Google, add them all together every day, that's how many times people are watching porn a day in the world. So it's easily accessible and it's a lie. So it's like, why does OnlyFans exist? Why do these things exist? Because if we believe a lie to be true, then we will live like that lie is true. So when we don't pursue purity and we experience these things, it blurs boundaries. Because when I watched something on a screen that is not real, I was in those movies. There's, you know, you, you see 20 minutes of footage. There's three hours of footage. It's just like any other thing. There's two actors being paid to be there that don't really want to be there because no one is a prostitute and they lay their head down at night and they're proud of themselves. So no one really wants to be there. There's a director telling you what to do. And then there's editing that happens. So it's like the product that you're seeing is so far removed from what actually happens. And in addition to that, just really land the plane, the content that people are watching. So there's 30 people who I was dear friends with, close friends. This was their path. They get in the industry. They become really popular. They stay in the industry for about five years, but all of a sudden their work starts to dissipate somewhat. And then that agent, they have this list. So each and every person, predominantly girls have this list. These are things I don't want to do. These are people I don't want to work with. And they take those things and they call the big companies like, hey, this person hadn't done that because if they hadn't seen him done it, all of a sudden it's taboo. So it's valuable. They auction off to the highest bidder. And then they call the call the girl back, you know, like, Hey, this company called and offered $50,000 if you would just do that thing that you said you wouldn't want to do, but I know you said you didn't want to do it, but here's the thing. If you do it, then you'll be relevant again. And then you'll, your popularity will peak. And then they do it. It lost its luster. It's no longer taboo. It's no longer worth anything. That's just something that you do that

literally prostituting yourself. Now, all of a sudden, if your popularity dissipates again, now you're like hanging on for dear life, but you're used to it. You used to be popular, so the strip clubs will pay you to feature dance. But again, like that starts to dissipate and all of a sudden your phone's not ringing and people have been telling you for five, six, seven years that this is all you can do. And because of what you've already done, it diminished your worth. You start asking yourself, like, well, if my phone's not ringing, my life must not be worth living. And 30 people who were in the industry with me, who were incredible people made in the image of God, ended their life. Wow. Because their phone stopped ringing and they didn't believe their life was worth living. Those 30 girls, their content is still online. And some of those names are in the top 10 most watched list. So you're watching the content that killed that person. Wow. Well, thank you so much for being on here. If someone is struggling with porn, what do you recommend doing? Number one, you have to be honest. You can only be as free as you're honest. So if I'm gonna be honest, I need to know that porn is harmful for me and it hurts the people that I love most. Secondly, I need to take inventory of my life. What do I need to remove from my life that's gonna allow me to move in the direction that I want to go? Who am I being influenced by? Who am I following on social media? I need to take inventory of those things. And if it's not a hard yes, they got to go, especially in the beginning. And then I got to put boundaries in my life. I need to make it more difficult to do the thing that I don't want to do. And then lastly, have someone in your life that you can have hot conversations with, honest, open, and transparent, that's going to genuinely ask you how you were doing and lovingly correct you if you're moving in a way that you don't want to go. Well, Joshua, thank you for sharing your heart and your story. And I love to see how God's using you to just change lives and what a story of redemption. So thank you. Want to take just a second to thank the team at Life Audio for their partnership with us on the Thinking Christian podcast. If you go to lifeaudio.com, you will find dozens of other faith-centered podcasts in their network. They've got shows about prayer, Bible study, parenting, and more. Life Audio, brought to you by Life Audio and BibleStudyTools.com, your nightly scripture, a calming, scripture-centered devotional podcast created to help you end your day with peace, reflection, and rest in God's presence. This 260-day Bible reading journey features carefully selected passages from across scripture paired with slow, reflective devotionals, and gentle evening prayers. Whether you're ending a stressful day, struggling to quiet anxious thoughts, or simply longing to fall asleep focused on God's truth, Your Nightly Scripture is here to guide you into a more peaceful night. You can listen to Your Nightly Scripture on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you listen to podcasts.