Kate purchased a second residence in New York City and began splitting time between Vegas and the Big Apple. She also started focusing heavily on her OnlyFans account, which continues to generate a level of income Kate never could’ve achieved solely from studio porn.

“My OnlyFans has been really, really fucking good,” Kate says. “There is only one other (trans performer) whose numbers are above mine, and that’s probably because I’m not all over the internet anymore.

“I’m not on the front page of every site. I’m not in the promos. That’s why I think it’ll be good for me to go back and film a shit ton of scenes. I’m hoping that getting my face on every single website again will boost my OnlyFans.”

Still, there are no indications that Kate’s absence from studio shoots has hurt her brand. She’s won AVN trophies the past three years in fan-voted categories, meaning her admirers still love her as much as ever.

“I really do have the best fans,” she says. “But I’m not sure I can keep winning the fan awards without putting in real work.”

Kate tinkered with the idea of becoming a studio contract star like she was for Evil Angel beginning in 2108. But she realized that would limit her overall scene count, and her goal in 2025 is to amass an extensive portfolio that will put her in contention for her fourth Trans Performer of the Year award. Kate's three wins in that category (in 2017, 2018 and 2021) are the most in history.

“I can’t let anyone get close to me,” Kate laughs, “so I want to win it at least one more time. I’ve always been a very competitive person. If someone tells me I can’t do something, I like to do the opposite.”

Katie re-enters the industry sporting the best physique of her career. She’s spent the past year focused on health and fitness and is proud of the weight she’s lost and of her overall tone.

“I definitely have a newer look, more like when I first started,” Kate, 34, said. “People at AVN told me I was too skinny, so I gained 10 pounds back. My body is like a rubber band with the way it goes back and forth, but I like the way I look now. I’ve been getting a lot of compliments.”

Kate says she’s open to shooting all types of scenes. She’s already been booked for multiple threesomes and says she's at her best when she’s working with men.

Kate’s return comes less than two weeks after Emma Rose announced that she is stepping away from studio porn in 2025 to focus on self-produced content. Rose was named Trans Performer of the Year in both 2023 and 2024 and has achieved a level of mainstream fame comparable to that of Kate, whose return should help fill the void left by Rose’s departure.

Overall, the trans talent pool is much deeper and stronger that it was when Kate last shot in 2021. Brittney Kade, Ariel Demure, Jade Venus, Zariah Aura, Amanda Riley and Kasey Kei have all established themselves as some of the industry’s top stars, regardless of genre. And newcomers such as Avery Lust, Bella Joie, Victoria Grant and Leah Hayes are among the many newcomers who have fans excited about the future.

Still, there is only one Aubrey Kate. And the industry is better with her in it.

“I might just do this for one more year, or it might be two or three,” Kate says. “However long it is, I’m ready to give it my all.”