Our podcast team, Karen and Brandon, recently sat down with pastor and former porn star Joshua Broome. Having seen the dark side of the porn industry, Joshua is passionate about his message of hope to those who are trapped by it. For anyone trapped by pornography, here are five key takeaways from Joshua Broome’s story of hope!
Article at a Glance:
1. Childhood Wounds Shape Your Life
The things we experience in childhood play a powerful role in shaping our decisions as adults. Joshua shared what happened to him:
“I grew up without a father. [He] never rejected me—he was just sixteen years old. He was like, I’ll pay what I need to pay, but I’m not ready to be a dad. The tough thing was, as I got older… I would see him… He has the title of father, but he was never my dad. That caused me to look at myself and wonder, is this something wrong with me? Why doesn’t he want me? What added to it is, he got married and had two children… I saw these children growing up… happy… and it hurt. Because I didn’t have a dad.”
Sadly, many of the folks who come to us struggling with porn have similar experiences. Joshua told us, “There’s so many levels… where that trauma dictates the decisions you make on a daily basis. And it gives you a blurred version of the reality or the future that you could have.”
Like Joshua, you can escape the destructive cycle of blame, guilt, and shame that leave so many of us feeling helpless and alone. (Learn more about childhood wounds and how they can shape your decisions here.)
2. Bad Decisions Bring Bondage
Nobody sets out saying, “I want spend the rest of my life watching pornography compulsively!” Usually, a porn habit begins with curiosity or accidental exposure.
In the same way, Joshua never set out to become a porn star. He had moved to Los Angeles to pursue a career in acting and modeling. His descent into the dark world of porn began when he said “yes” to the wrong conversation. A talent agent told Joshua about an opportunity to shoot a porn film.
Joshua told us,” While I knew I should have said ‘no,’ unfortunately I said ‘yes.’ That decision… changed the trajectory of my life.”
Joshua suffered immediate consequences for this decision. His opportunities for acting and modeling were cut off. The girl he was with dumped him. These consequences led Joshua to make more poor choices; he felt he had no other options.
3. Success Can Destroy You
Though he had sabotaged his conventional acting career, Joshua found success, money, and fame in the porn world.
“I’m an “achiever,” explained Joshua. “This can be a good thing. But if you’re operating out of a lack of identity, and you’re trying to mask pain, and you’re trying to achieve value, it’s going to work against you.”
After six years, Joshua won the pornography industry’s award for best male performer. It was only after this accomplishment that Joshua realized his “success” in pornography was actually destroying him:
“When I obtained everything that I had thought would fill the void in my life, it actually illuminated… the despair and depression that I had in my life. That depression led me to contemplate self-harm. If you’re listening to this and you’re [thinking] ‘if I had this relationship or this job or this promotion,’ and you believe the lie that that’s going to bring you happiness, that’s what I believed.”
If, like Joshua Broome, you’ve found “success” in the wrong things and realized they’re destroying you, keep reading—there’s hope!
4. Jesus Brings Redemption and Restoration
Joshua plunged into a dark place where he even contemplated suicide. He realized the emptiness of the porn industry and decided to get out. But it proved challenging to leave his old life behind:
I left the industry after six years, and I went on this journey of trying to run. I covered up my tattoos and deleted my social media and I tried to run. But the reality was that there [were] a thousand pieces of content that weren’t going anywhere. As many times as I lied, no matter what I did I just couldn’t escape it.”
Joshua couldn’t hide his past as a porn performer. Even when he lied, the truth got out eventually. In a similar way, many people who want to quit watching porn find this part of their lives simply won’t go away!
So, what was the solution? Joshua confessed the truth about his past. More importantly, he found hope and redemption in Jesus.
“Jesus wants to redeem and restore every aspect of humanity. The process that I’ve been on, it’s been a process of restoration. Yes, salvation is instantaneous, but that sanctification process has been ongoing. As I’ve come to know the person I am through knowing the one who made me, understanding how I’m wired allowed me to see in my past why did I do some of the things I did.
5. You Need to Take Practical Steps
What does Joshua Broome recommend for those seeking a restored life? You need a relationship with Jesus, of course, but Jesus also uses people in your life to bring about change.
He calls it “H.O.T. conversation”: “honest, open, and transparent.” These are conversations where you can share everything with the other person! And they’ve played an important role in Joshua’s own growth and pursuit of purity.
What’s one tool for H.O.T. conversation? Covenant Eyes!
“Covenant Eyes has been a great partner with me, and I always, always advocate for it,” said Joshua. “I love that you guys have this piece that we can provide to people so they can live this life free of pornography.”
You can listen to the whole conversation with Joshua Broom here!