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.
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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.