Stormy Daniels: 5 Things About The Pornstar Who’s At Center Of Donald Trump’s Indictment

Stormy Daniels is front and center one again following Donald Trump's indictment in New York City on Thursday, March 30. The indictment comes from criminal charges pertaining to alleged $130,000 USD in hush money paid to Daniels along with a non-disclosure agreement to not speak about her alleged sexual encounter with Donald in 2006 -- the same year he married Melania Trump and a decade before he ran in the 2016 presidential election. Donald has previously denied being involved with Stormy, and said that he paid her to stop "false and extortionist accusations."

In 2018, she went into further detail about what happened during their 2006 encounter after a celebrity golf tournament in Lake Tahoe. As he showed her a magazine cover he was on, she joked to him, "Someone should take that magazine and spank you with it," she said on 60 Minutes.

"So he turned around and pulled his pants down a little - you know had underwear on and stuff - and I just gave him a couple swats," she then said, as Trump asked her of she was interested on being on his show Celebrity Apprentice.

"He was like, 'Wow, you - you are special. You remind me of my daughter.' You know, he was like, 'You're smart and beautiful, and a woman to be reckoned with, and I like you. I like you,'" she went on. After returning from the restroom, she claims Trump was "perched" on the hotel bed. "I realized exactly what I'd gotten myself into. And I was like, 'Ugh, here we go...And I just felt like maybe ... I had it coming for making a bad decision for going to someone's room alone," she added.

The dramatic case also involved Stormy's ex-lawyer Michael Avenatti being found guilty of stealing $300,000 from his client on in Feb. 2022. The lawyer, who had represented Stormy in her lawsuit against Trump, was found guilty of wire fraud and aggravated identity theft, per The New York Times. Michael had forged a letter to Stormy's literary agent getting the money sent to him. Michael's legal troubles had begun in March 2021, when he was arrested for trying to extort money from Nike. He had been sentenced to 30 months in jail, but then was later granted a mistrial.

Learn more about Stormy here.

Her real name is Stephanie.

Stormy Daniels' legal name is Stephanie Gregory Clifford -- however she was born Stephanie A. Gregory on March 17, 1979. She is best known as a professional stripper who became a porn star, winning awards in the space. She rose to further public prominence over her alleged sexual relationship with Donald Trump in 2006 that involved allegations she took hush money not to speak out about it in 2016 when he ran for president. As of March 30, 2023, Trump has been indicted on criminal charges pertaining to the payment.

"Stormy" denied taking the money.

Supposedly, Trump's lawyer Michael Cohen set up the payment as part of a nondisclosure agreement one month before the 2016 presidential election (right after the horrible Hollywood Access tape.) Stormy allegedly told sources interviewed by the Journal that she and Donald had a consensual hookup in 2006, one year after Trump tied the knot with Melania Trump, 47. The paper had previously reported that Stormy had intended to appear on Good Morning America in 2016 to discuss the affair but pulled out at the last minute.

Michael Cohen had sent a brief statement "TO WHOM IT MAY CONCERN" and signed by "Stormy Daniels," denying that she had a "sexual and/or romantic" affair, per the New York Post. "Rumors that I have received hush money from Donald Trump are completely false," the statement also read. The White House declined to comment about this new 2018 report and Mr. Cohen said the allegations were "old, recycled reports, which were published and strongly denied prior to the election."

3. She's a former stripper from Baton Rogue.

"I worked at a strip club in Baton Rouge (and I won't mention the one I worked at when I was underage) but when I was legal I went to work at the Gold Club in Baton Rouge," Stormy told Adult DVD Talk in 2002. "I have very mixed emotions about stripping. Because stripping got me where I am now. If I hadn't gone in that first night I certainly wouldn't be sitting here talking to you. Everything happens for a reason. Everything in life is a chain reaction. I am very thankful for stripping for the sex business and the adult industry in general. On the other hand I have just seen so many girls that it just ruins them."

4. This wouldn't be the first time she got into bed with politics.

Stormy actually considered running for Senate in 2010. A group of fans attempted to recruit the politically-minded Stormy to run against Republican Senator David Vitter. While she did form an exploratory committee in 2009, per The Times Picayune, she said in 2010 that she ultimately couldn't afford to run a senate campaign. Senator Daniels? Imagine what could have been.

5. She took her name from her love of hair metal.

Her earliest adult film listing on IMDB is for 2000's Big Busted Goddesses of Las Vegas. Some publications list Stormy as "retired" from adult videos, though she has been directing films for Wicked Pictures since 2004. She also has a noteworthy cameo in The 40-Year-Old Virgin. As for the origin of her name? "I am such a huge Motley Crue fan," Stormy said on the archived FAQ part of her old website.

"I wanted my cool new nickname to have some connection to the band. I did not like any of their names, but the bassist Nikki Sixx has a son named Storm. Perfect. Besides, Stormy just kind of fits." The 'Daniels' came from seeing an ad for Jack Daniels, though Stormy said in 2002 that she wasn't much of a drinker.