As outspoken as I can be, I do like to keep some parts of my life private but have no problem with providing information that could keep others from potentially being in harm’s way. Therefore, after almost four years of an abusive relationship with Tone Capone (aka Toney Franco), I am here to speak out.
In no way am I trying to tell you how to conduct your business or who to/not to conduct your business with, I am simply here to provide information for others to be able to make an informed choice for themselves. I will not be going into extreme detail as I do not wish to keep reliving the horror, but I will be sharing what I believe, those in the industry need to know. It matters not whether you’re someone that I am cool with, someone I don’t know, or someone that simply can’t stand me; I wish nothing even remotely close to what happened to me happening to anyone else in this industry.
Tone has not only sent death threats towards me, but to other performers and directors as well. I will not be naming the people he has threatened besides myself because I do not want to possibly put them at risk for further threats and/or harassment. I cannot tell you if he is serious with his threats or not but from what I have experienced, this man has absolutely no problem using violence against not only on women, but anyone that doesn’t go along with what it is he wants, it doesn’t matter whether it is a friend or a stranger on the street. I have seen him use violence on others, I have been on the receiving end of his violence, and I do not wish that upon anyone.
The first relevant industry event which ended with violence was the 2018 AVN nominations party, which some of you may have attended and witnessed the altercation firsthand. It began with him throwing drinks at the bartender and ended with him fighting with security and getting dragged outside to where he was surrounded by multiple cop cars with him screaming and threatening them. By the time I got through the crowd to figure out where he went, that’s when I saw the severity of the situation when I realized the cop standing in the front had his hand ready to draw his gun out. This is when I stepped in between him, and the cops and they had asked if he was with me, and I let them know that he was.
The Red Flag
The police told me to get him far away from the location and get him home otherwise he would be getting a ride to the LA detention center. So, I made sure to get him out of there as quickly as possible while avoiding any other altercations from happening.
Another incident many of you witnessed was at the 2019 Urban X Awards when I surprisingly won Porn Star of The Year and was basically a drunk, clumsy mess when accepting my award. After I had accepted my award, I went to the interview area, and everyone was telling me that Toney had incited an altercation with one of the security officers that ended with him being booted from the theater after the security had to hold him in a chokehold to stop the altercation. I went home (with him) after this and was trying to figure out what exactly happened, and I just found him sitting on the couch with his guns out as he was screaming about going back and shooting the place up. Thankfully, I was able to talk him out of it, but behind closed doors it was not pretty. The next morning, he tried to find an attorney to sue the venue and the Urban X Awards, but they said his case was not strong enough. If anyone was witness to that night that I have not already spoken with about it, feel free to let me know how you saw it play out because I would still love to know exactly what happened while I was not present.
Gas Lighting and more red flags
In addition to these incidents, he has used physical, mental, and verbal violence on me to the point where I forgot who I was up until a couple of months ago and realized I needed to leave. It is incredibly embarrassing for me to have to admit that even as a strong and successful woman, I fell prey to this man and his antics. Please, do not ask me why I stayed so long through all the bull shit because I am not sure why, it truly makes no logical sense. Although I do love and care about him, one day I just finally woke up and realized that if I did not make an exit I would either continue to be abused and miserable or end up dead. Although there are a lot of incidents that have happened that I could discuss, including adopting a dog together to which he told me I will never see again (this is called emotional blackmail, by the way), I do not feel it is necessary to go into detail about almost four years’ worth of abuse to drive home the point that he is a danger not just to this industry, but anyone who is in his path when he decides to explode.
A warning to others
As you all know by now, I have left the relationship and went no contact, and I am not going to press charges as I do not see how the current prison system in the US is of any benefit for its detainee’s and I just straight up do not like the police. I wish nothing but the best for him and hope that one day he will get the help he so desperately needs to stop treating people in the manner that he does. Unless or until that happens, I felt it necessary to warn others and share my story as he is dangerous. I decided to do this after seeing another male performer post a photo with him stating that he is trying to return to the industry, I love everyone in this industry and felt it was best to err on the side of caution. Hopefully, this information can help others to make informed decisions on what is best for them and avoid potential threats, violence, and/or fatalities at his hands. The screenshots that follow are potentially extremely triggering for those who have gone through any form of abuse so please be advised. Although these are only a tiny sliver of information, they provide evidence of some of the many threats that directors, performers, and I have experienced. As stated earlier, I am not here to tell you what to do, I am here to provide potentially life-saving information.
Side Note: In the screenshot conversations with the pink and blue bubbles, he is the pink, I am the blue.
With all of this said, I believe it is time to break the silence on abuse and domestic violence, especially regarding sex workers. Sometimes leaving and speaking up can be very scary, but please understand that if you or anyone you know is in a similar situation that you are worth so much more and you do not deserve abuse in any way, shape, or form. You are worthy of respect, safety, decency, and love. It does not matter how much love you give to someone; they are not going to change unless and until they are ready to own up to their wrongdoings and take the action for themselves. Unfortunately, in cases of violence and abuse, this does not happen often, but is also not impossible. You are not responsible for the abuser’s behavior; therefore, you are also not responsible for continuing to stay in an abusive situation and certainly are not responsible for them seeking help either. Allowing myself stay in such an awful situation for so long was absolutely a horrible judgement call on my behalf, but everyone makes mistakes. Your mistakes do not define you; it is the way in which you handle the mistakes and learn from them that truly matters. I love you all and wish everyone continued success and safety.
Please do not hesitate to call the National Domestic Violence hotline at 800-799-7233 if you need help forming an escape plan away from your abuser.
If you are experiencing mental health or substance abuse issues, or you are an abuser yourself, I encourage you to call the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Administration hotline at 1-800-662-HELP if you are ready to seek help.
Helpful Resources:
https://www.samhsa.gov/find-help/national-helpline
One Response
Lol