As 2024 comes to a close, few performers are hotter—both literally and figuratively—than Kylie Rocket. Actually, make that Kylie “Motherfuckin’” Rocket. A handful of colleagues anointed her with that nickname about a year ago, igniting an extra dose of sass in the Florida native with flawless skin and raven-black hair.

Rocket has undoubtedly earned the right to walk with a swagger.

Only 23, she’s widely regarded as one of the top on-screen performers in all of porn. Her cowgirl skills have harkened comparisons to those of the legendary Kimmy Granger. And the passion she exhibits working with females—switching between moments of tenderness and dominance—is so powerful that director Mike Quasar recently labeled Rocket as the adult industry’s top girl-girl talent.

Rocket, a 2024 AVN Female Performer of the Year nominee, can also act, having commanded the lead in last year’s hit comedy “Love, Sex & Hollywood.” And her bubbly personality and radiance have placed her in high demand for influential podcasts such as “PlugTalk”—and also on porn sets, where she’s known for her punctuality and professionalism.

“Kylie Rocket is at the very top of this industry,” veteran director Jacky St. James says. “She’s as good as it gets.”

Agent Mark Spiegler, who added Rocket to his stable in February, says Rocket has a radiance that helps her flourish in the public eye. Some may use the phrase “it factor” to describe Rocket’s aura. But Spiegler prefers “duende,” Spanish slang for a heightened state of emotion, expression, and heart.

“Kylie is Puerto Rican, so she’ll appreciate that,” Spiegler chuckles. “She has something magnetic about her, something that draws people to her. It’s not something you describe. It’s something you feel.”

As much as she enjoys the success and notoriety she receives in her current profession, Rocket doesn’t want it to define her in the future.

That’s why three days a week—every Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday from 9:30 a.m. to 8 p.m.—Kylie Rocket, the porn star, becomes Kylie Rocket, the student. It’s a schedule she’s maintained since March when Rocket enrolled in cosmetology school in Los Angeles.

The grueling routine would be taxing for anyone. But it’s incredibly challenging for a 23-year-old who has also maintained a steady flow of studio shoots and OnlyFans collabs—not to mention numerous industry events and mixers that come along with being one of the most prominent names in the adult industry.

The people closest to Rocket are hardly surprised to see her taking measures to ensure a successful post-porn career. They often remind her to stop and enjoy the moment instead of always thinking two steps ahead.

“They’re actually right about that,” Rocket laughs. “I don’t think I’ve ever lived in the present. I’m always focused on my next move.”

It’s a trait that Rocket has carried for years.

Even when she was taking orders and making sandwiches at Chick-fil-A.

***

Kylie Rocket had been in Los Angeles for about a month when she called her roommates back in Florida.

“Put everything I own in my car and ship it to California,” Rocket told them. “I’m not coming home.”

It was August of 2020, and Rocket—who had turned 19 four months earlier—had just finished her first round of studio shoots as the newest member of Motley Models. Rocket signed with the agency the previous winter, but the COVID pandemic had prevented her from traveling until the summer.

Now in the center of Porn Valley and immersed in the industry culture, Rocket had a newfound purpose in life and, more significantly, a sense of belonging and stability she’d never experienced throughout her youth.

“For the time,” she said, “I felt secure.”

Raised by a single mother, Rocket grew up in Orange Park, Florida, a suburb of Jacksonville with a population just above 9,000. As a freshman, she was a member of her high school’s cheerleading team before excelling as a standout striker on the varsity soccer squad as a junior and senior.

When she wasn’t on the field, most of Rocket’s free time was spent at Chick-fil-A, where she landed a job at 15. Wrapping sandwiches, cleaning air fryers, taking orders at the counter … Rocket performed seemingly every task as she worked her way up the hierarchy at the popular fast-food chain. By the time she was a senior, Rocket had been promoted to closing manager—a huge testament to the work ethic of the then-17-year-old.

“Even before I was the boss, I was acting like the boss, walking around and telling people what to do,” Rocket chuckles. “It was a lot of responsibility, but I took a lot of pride in that job. I enjoy hard labor. I’ve never been afraid of work. I embrace it.”

While she had a fair number of friends, Rocket’s social life was limited—partly because of work and soccer but also because she and her twin sister were burdened by a strict mother's watchful eye.

Rocket recalled a time when her mom stormed into the living room of her friend’s home, irate that she and her classmates were hanging out unsupervised with boys. Occasionally, Rocket would join her friends at Sonic for an hour after school, but if she wanted to socialize elsewhere, she’d have to lie and say she was at a soccer workout or a school event.

The situation made dating difficult. Rocket once told her boyfriend she could go to the movies before consulting with her mother.

“I was terrified to knock on her bedroom door to ask her,” Rocket says. “When I finally did, she said, ‘No, you can’t go!’ He was already on his way, and I was bawling my eyes out. She finally changed her mind, but it was always a struggle.”

Rocket pauses.

“I was always scared of my mom,” she says. “In some ways, I still am.”

Rocket only had two serious boyfriends in high school, including one she first dated in the eighth grade. But make no mistake: Rocket was obsessed with sex.

She began watching porn on her phone as a freshman, often late at night when she was restless in bed. She still remembers falling asleep to the moans of Riley Reid, Adriana Chechik and others.

One of Rocket’s beaus shared her passion for adult films, and the two would often watch scenes together as a form of foreplay before intercourse. But it wasn’t until she went back to her previous boyfriend that she realized how addicted to sex she truly was.

“He wasn’t as sexual,” Rocket says. “One day, we went to a friend’s house after a soccer game. They always had an air mattress for us, but he didn’t want to do anything. He wasn’t feeling it, and I went ballistic. I told him, ‘I need dick and I need it now!’"

Another time, shortly after graduation, Rocket was dating a random guy for about three weeks. He was on his way to see her one afternoon when Rocket’s roommate recorded her making a pouty face while whining into the camera: I need diiiccckkk! Dick is on the way!

“I’ve always been a horny girl,” she says.

Perhaps it’s no surprise, then, that Rocket turned to sex work when she needed money as the holiday season approached in 2019.

Rocket had fond memories of Christmas during elementary school, when her mother was dating a dentist who helped provide gifts for her and her family. But things changed after their five-year relationship ended when Rocket was in the fifth grade. Money was suddenly scarce, and only a few presents were under the tree each year.

“There were always arguments on Christmas Eve,” Rocket says. “My mom would be drinking, and everyone was mad at each other as we were opening gifts. We never got anything we wanted. It wasn’t a good vibe.”

Still 18, Rocket did a Google search for “porn jobs,” clicked on a link, and filled out an application for a studio seeking models. Within 10 minutes, a producer called Rocket and asked her to send pictures.

“By the weekend,” Rocket says, “I was booked for two scenes.”

Rocket—who was living on her own—told her boss at Chick-fil-A that she had a family emergency in Puerto Rico. Instead, she flew to Arizona to shoot for Exploited College Girls. She was picked up at the airport in a convertible and taken to the mall to choose an outfit for her scenes. Then came a trip to Sephora to get her makeup done.

“It made me feel important,” Rocket says. “I thought I was the shit.”

Performing under the name Tanya, Rocket lost her anal virginity during the shoot that day and allowed backdoor access for a subsequent shoot the following afternoon, a decision she now regrets.

Still, she flew home with a check for $4,000—plenty of money to buy a PS5 for her nephew, shoes, clothes for her mother, and lotions and iPhone accessories for her sister. It was, without question, the best Christmas her family had in years.

Rocket returned to work at Chick-fil-A and didn’t tell anyone about her trip to Arizona. However, when the scenes were released a few weeks later, word about Rocket’s exploits spread quickly. One of her former friends even went to her mother’s house to show her the footage on her cell phone.

“My mom defended me,” Rocket says, “but then she called me crying. I had to explain to her how the industry worked and what a positive thing it could be.”

With her mother’s blessing, Rocket decided to pursue porn full-time. She signed with Motley Models just before COVID and started shooting in Florida, eventually moving in with male talent Peter Green and his girlfriend as part of a throuple. The arrangement gave Rocket more opportunities than ever for sexual exploration, particularly with other females.

When Rocket flew to Los Angeles in July of 2020, she was poised to shoot a new level of content.

And eager to start a new life.

*****

The Honey Birdette lingerie cost $400, and Kylie Rocket didn’t care. Heck, she didn’t even look at the price tag.

All of a sudden, a teenager who was making $16-per-hour at Chick-fil-A in Florida was raking in anywhere from $3,000 to $5,000 per week in Los Angeles. Rocket didn’t hesitate to spoil herself with the riches as she relished her new environment.

Motley had a driver that transported Rocket to and from set, where she felt like a princess while getting glammed up by some of the city’s top hair and makeup artists. Many of her shoots were in mansions with winding staircases and infinity pools. Instead of having quick, lackluster sex with teenagers on air mattresses, Rocket was having the most intense orgasms of her life with professional, long-lasting swordsmen.

“I was only 19 and I was living a life that normal people would never get a chance to live,” Rocket says. “It was definitely a rush, going from one extreme (in Florida) to the exact opposite in LA.”

After spending six weeks at the Motley’s model house, Rocket rented a studio apartment in West Hollywood. She bonded with fellow performer Scarlit Scandal, with the two eventually becoming roommates—and regulars on the West Hollywood bar scene. Rocco’s and Beaches one night; Mickey’s and The Abbey the next. There were lots of house parties, too, where alcohol, weed, and other drugs were passed around like candy.

“We were partying all the time and staying up late—and our apartment was a mess,” Rocket says. “We were both young, dumb girls just living in the moment.”

Brazzers director/talent Ricky Johnson said Rocket was simply “going through a phase” that most young porn stars experience. Performer Vanessa Sky, one of Rocket’s closest friends, agrees.

“I wouldn’t call it a ‘party stage,’” Sky says. “She was just a young girl having the time of her life.”

The late nights occasionally caused Rocket to miss a shoot, but most directors were willing to give her a second chance. Rocket, after all, was impossible not to like. She brought energy to every set and treated the lighting guys, and caterers with the same amount of respect as her directors and co-stars. She took instructions well and was eager to learn and improve.

In other words, she genuinely seemed to care.

“There are certain girls who show up, and the mood just drops,” Quasar says. “It’s obvious they don’t wanna be there, and they’re going to phone it in. I’ve never experienced that with Kylie. Every time she shows up, she bubbly, she’s happy, and she leaves with a smile. Everyone should be like that.”

Equally impressive was Rocket’s ability to churn out award-worthy scenes from the moment she entered the industry. She made eye contact, talked dirty, and fondled balls during blow jobs. She alternated rhythm and hip movements in cowgirl and arched her back to perfection during doggy. And she kissed with passion. It all felt so natural, so perfect.

“Kylie was a ready-made performer as soon as she entered the industry,” St. James said. “She was doing things at 19 that even the superstars didn’t perfect until they were 25.

“I remember thinking, ‘Where did they find this girl?’’”

Rocket also made headlines by having sex with Johnson on top of a basketball hoop, 10 feet in the air. She rode the A-list performer for over five minutes before producers halted the shoot because of safety concerns.

“It was dangerous,” Johnson said. “They moved the ladder out of the way, and there was no harness. If we’d have fallen, we’d have been done. But she was willing to lock in for the love of the art of the porn game.”

Some of Rocket’s most memorable scenes have been in the girl-girl genre, where she’s universally regarded as one of the industry’s best. Rocket’s trysts with Leah Gotti and Emma Hix were among the highest-rated scenes on Slayed, Vixen’s all-girl banner, in 2023. She earned back-to-back AVN Award nominations for sultry hookups with Maddy May (in 2023) and Melissa Stratton (2024). And Quasar said Rocket’s 2021 tango with Sky in Lesbian Massage 7 is still among the best scenes he’s ever shot.

“It’s mind-blowing to see young girls like Kylie and Freya Parker perform with females at the level they do,” Quasar says. “It’s like, ‘How do you have this knowledge and this aura, as young as you are? I don’t get it. It seems like you have years of experience, and yet you just started.’”

Rocket, who is bisexual, says she perfected her oral skills by good old-fashioned practice, taking mental notes of the tongue movements and pressure points that garner the most reaction. While she occasionally enjoys being submissive, Rocket usually prefers to play the dominant role in girl-girl sex.

“I love when they just lay back and let me do my thing,” she says. “It’s so hot to watch and hear a girl cum because of what I’m doing to her.”

As Rocket’s bookings increased, so did her level of maturity. Her partying began to subside, and when she did go out, it was usually when she didn’t have a shoot the following morning. She stopped making silly purchases to save up for the BMW she bought in 2022. One year later, she moved out of West Hollywood and into her own three-bedroom home in Woodland Hills.

That same year, AVN honored Rocket by asking her to be a screen girl at its annual awards show in Las Vegas, where she also appeared in skits and presented a trophy. Her aura—her duende—caught the attention of Adam & Eve director Will Ryder, who turned to his friend in the audience and whispered, “I just found the lead for our next feature.”

In 2024, Rocket was nominated for Female Performer of the Year, and Spiegler is convinced Rocket would someday win the honor if she ever decides to shoot anal scenes.

Rocket, though, is adamant that her backdoor will never open that wide again, on- or off-camera. Simply swabbing her ass with a Q-Tip for routine STD tests makes her uncomfortable, she says.

The choice doesn’t appear to be impacting Rocket’s popularity. She signed at the prestigious Brazzers booth during awards season last winter. After discovering that deceased “Friends” actor Matthew Perry followed her on Instagram, she was featured in a Daily Mail article. And Rocket has made multiple appearances on “Plug Talk” and “Pillow Talk With Ryan”—podcasts with more than 1 million Instagram followers.

Still, Rocket's career highlight came when adult icon Riley Reid approached her at an industry event last year.

“She came up to me!” Rocket says. “I said, ‘Wait … you know who I am?’ And she said, ‘Yes! I’ve heard you’re amazing. We should shoot together.’ I was literally crying!”

Rocket and Reid were scheduled to collaborate on Mother’s Day in 2023, but they decided to reschedule so Reid could spend the afternoon with her newborn child.

Rocket hopes they can meet soon, but her mind has been on other things in recent months.

Things that don’t involve porn.

“As much as I love being Kylie Rocket,” she says, “there are some days I wish I wasn’t.”

***

One of the most revealing photos Kylie Rocket posted on Instagram in September didn’t feature her tight booty, her perky boobs, or even her alluring face.

Instead, it was a picture of her calendar. Only two of the 30 squares were empty.

Three bookings with Brazzers; scenes for Darkko, Bellesa, and Inked Vixens; multiple collabs and two industry events. But most of all, school.

Rocket’s reason for pursuing a cosmetology license is twofold. She’s long been passionate about cutting and styling hair. The sense of fulfillment that engulfs her after making someone look—and feel—beautiful is unlike anything she’s experienced in the adult industry. But even more, Rocket is thinking about her future, about her life after porn.

“It may be 5-10 years from now, but I can see myself owning my own salon,” Rocket says. “I can see myself doing hair on movie sets or touring with artists. I love porn, but there are bigger things out there for me.

“When that time comes, I want to be ready.”

It hasn’t been easy.

Rocket wakes up around 5 a.m. each Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday to prepare for the day. She’s out the door by eight and arrives at school by 9.

The yearlong course, which began on March 4, opened with seven weeks of classroom sessions, lectures, and bookwork. By the end of April, Rocket was working on the floor, seeing clients initially booked by the school. Now she has regulars.

On slow days, Rocket styles hair on doll heads. She’s become a master at braids, weaves, and coloring. She also makes wigs and is so skilled at cutting men’s hair that she’s considering getting a barber’s license, too.

“I wanted to have a security blanket for myself, a plan B,” Rocket says. “I’m not going to be young and pretty forever. There are so many things out there besides the industry. I want to have a family someday, a normal life. My vision for my future extends far beyond porn.”

Rocket estimates her school schedule caused a 25 percent dip in her studio bookings in 2024. This made it particularly challenging for companies to book her for feature films, as those projects often require three or four consecutive days on set.

Still, Rocket shoots anywhere from eight to 12 scenes a month—and that doesn’t include content for her OnlyFans platform, which has seen a huge spike in numbers in recent months after Rocket hired a new management team.

Rocket's determination and drive while juggling work and school have enhanced her reputation in the adult community. Her peers say it’s been uplifting to watch her transition from a bubbly, carefree teen into a driven, career-minded workhorse.

“Kylie is a true success story,” Johnson said. “This is superstar shit she’s doing. She’s only five years removed from high school, and she’s already operating like a veteran.”

Sky said the most impressive thing about Rocket’s growth and ascension—“the arc to her journey”—is that it hasn’t caused a change in Rocket’s youthful aura. She’s still the girl who laughed hysterically while everyone else screamed while touring a haunted house, the one who smiled and hardly broke conversation a few months ago while Sky skidded and swerved on the highway to avoid a car wreck. When Sky turned and looked at Rocket in the passenger seat, she was giggling as if nothing had happened.

Sky said Rocket’s humble upbringing could explain her sunny disposition. Those who grow up less fortunate have a choice, Sky says. They can play the victim card and focus on the negative side of things. Or they can see the world like Rocket does, always appreciative and optimistic about how much better life can become.

"You have to be very level-headed and strong to take that path," Sky said. “Kylie is that person. She’s a ball of energy. She loves life.”

And she knows it has so much more to offer.

Not just in the long-term future.

But in the present, as well.

As much as she’s been looking ahead, Rocket is hardly ready to distance herself from porn. She predicts she’ll remain in the industry for about 10 more years, a period her cohorts say could allow her to become a multimillionaire—and one of the top talents in the industry’s history.

“I’ve seen girls like Sasha Grey and Riley Reid come in when they were brand new, and then they get so big they almost outgrow the industry,” Quasar said. “They become their own brand. Kylie has that potential.”

Spiegler agrees, adding that Rocket’s looks alone place her in an elite class of performers. Spielger and Rocket have grown closer since he added her to his roster in February, often meeting for dinner or at the movies.

“She’s one of the most naturally beautiful girls we’ve ever had,” the Hall of Fame agent said. “She’s sassy, too, and people love that. I haven’t had one person say anything bad about her. There’s no limit to what she can accomplish.”

With Rocket’s schooling ending in April, she knows that 2025 could be her best year yet. Her work ethic is stronger than ever, her brand is sizzling, and instead of the fresh-faced newbie, Rocket now has the look of a high-end glamour model. She’s definitely in her hot-girl era.

“She’s about to catapult,” Johnson said. “And remember, sometimes less is more. She doesn’t need to shoot 100 scenes anymore to elevate. Her fan base is solidified. She could shoot 10-12 scenes—all for top companies—and not dip at all in popularity.”

Johnson pauses.

“As long as she keeps being Kylie.”