Mia Khalifa was born Sarah Joe Chamoun on February 10, 1993, in Beirut, Lebanon, to a Lebanese Christian family. She grew up in a conservative environment and attended a French-language school where she became fluent in both French and English. When she was a child, her family moved to the United States in 2001 to escape conflict in southern Lebanon. Growing up in Maryland, she experienced cultural challenges and bullying, particularly after the September 11 attacks, which shaped her early worldview. She later studied history at the University of Texas at El Paso, where she supported herself by bartending, modeling, and appearing briefly on a local game show.
At the age of 21, Mia Khalifa entered the adult film industry in 2014. Her career there was extremely brief, lasting about three months, but it quickly brought her international notoriety. One of her early scenes featured her wearing a headscarf, a choice that sparked intense controversy and backlash, particularly from communities who saw it as offensive. The video went viral online, making her one of the most searched performers on major adult websites despite her short tenure in the industry.
Although she became world-famous almost overnight, Mia later stated that she earned relatively little money from her adult film work and that much of the attention she received did not translate into long-term financial security. The intensity of the negative reaction, including threats and public condemnation, contributed significantly to her decision to leave the industry.