To put it mildly, Sydney Elaine Leathers has had a weird year. From liposuction so painful she’d rather be fat than ever do it again to getting double D breasts, selling a slice of her vagina, going on Howard Stern and making a porno film, the bombshell disclosure that she was sexting with New York mayoral hopeful Anthony Weiner after he resigned from Congress because of all his lying about all the other phone sex all seems rather blasé.
So now what?
With another porn film looming on the horizon, Sydney is excited to explore whatever doors the Weiner episode may open for her. And sure, if any other politicians want to sext with her, she says she’ll sign a non-disclosure agreement. Any takers? Of all of Weiner’s sexting partners, Sydney is the most brash and the one cashing in. And she won’t apologize for it. As we reported earlier in the week, she jokes that she wouldn’t mind if Weiner’s penis landed back in her inbox. But that’s not likely to happen since he defriended her on Facebook — the ultimate thud in social media rejection.
Still, we wanted to learn more about her, what she thinks about, her media diet, her workout regimen — it’s an intense 60 minutes twice a day — and her relationship with her family and what they think about her porn. Sydney Elaine Leathers — yes, that is her real name from birth — graciously agreed to do The Mirror Questionnaire for a special New Year’s Eve edition. The daughter of her former publicist who sent the Questionnaire is named Brandi Snail — does everyone around her have a porn name?
Let’s begin.
Bona Fides
Hometown: Mt. Carmel, Illinois (AKA Hell)
Age: 24
Named for: The name Sydney didn’t have any significance to my family, but my middle name, Elaine, is also my mother’s friend’s name. “Who needs a stage name when you’re blessed with a ridiculously porno sounding name?” she asks rhetorically.
First job ever: My first job was working in the mall at The Buckle.
Current employment: I suppose you could call me an entertainer of sorts.
Currently resides: I travel a lot for work, but home will always be in southern Indiana because my family is there. Right now I live in Princeton.
What is your media diet? Oh I love this question. My perception has changed a lot since everything happened. I used to admire Cenk Uygur from The Young Turks. I obsessively watched his show while he was briefly on MSNBC. And he has said a lot of nasty things about me. Sean Hannity, who I expected to be a jerk, is an extremely nice guy. I realize it’s easy for Democrats to be mad & for Republicans to embrace me considering my circumstances. I’ve always read the New York Times. My dad used to make me read newspapers on the weekends & write essays about what I read. He sparked my interest in politics. I love political satire so I always watch Real Time with Bill Maher, The Daily Show, and The Colbert Report. I recently started watching Crossfire on CNN. My DVR records The Cycle on MSNBC daily as well as Rachel Maddow. And Sean Hannity. Quite the variety!
It’s New Year’s Eve. Any New Year’s resolutions? My only resolution is to not get caught sexting any politicians next year. (Politicians: sext me. I’ll sign a nondisclosure agreement!) Best pick-up line ever.
Would you ever get involved romantically with another politician? I would love to, but considering my track record I don’t see that happening. (Seriously though, sext me!)
What’s next for you? What would you do with your life if absolutely nothing could stop you? As pompous as it may sound, I like to live as if nothing can stop me. What’s next for me in the immediate future is another scene for Vivid. Eventually I would like to write a book. I’ve always wanted to spend time in another country teaching English. But my biggest dream is to be a political satirist. If I could be the female version of Stephen Colbert in the future, I could die happy.
Who is your celebrity crush? I have several, but my biggest ones are Keith Olbermann & Bill Maher. Weird, I know.
If you had to sleep with Olbermann or Maher who would it be? If I had to choose, I’d pick Bill. (Bill, if you don’t want to have sex with me, you could at least smoke pot with me. We have that in common.)
Speaking of your family, how do they feel about your newfound career? I’m really lucky to have a close relationship with my family. They are very supportive of me. They just want me to be happy. Everyone expects me to have daddy issues since I’m in porn, but that’s not the case at all. My dad and my older brother are my best friends.
This year you became a double D. If this is not too personal, what were you before? What all have you had done and would you recommend it for other women? Are you comfortable in your own skin? Before my surgery I was a small C. I’ve had a rhinoplasty, breast augmentation, lipo, & labiaplasty. I would never advocate other women having excessive plastic surgery. If anything, I’d say I hope most women are less impulsive than I am when it comes to these things. I made a deal with my parents that if I decided I wanted to have any other work done, I’d think about it for a year and if I still want it, I’ll go from there. Some surgeries are more painful than others. Lipo was the most painful for me. I couldn’t stand up straight for days. As far as being comfortable in my own skin, it’s a work in progress. Having Twitter trolls tell you they think you’re fat all the time is definitely a reality check. But the happier I am with myself as a person, the less I’ll focus on every little thing I find imperfect about myself.
You cannot tell me the labia surgery wasn’t painful. Liposuction is a million times worse. I would diet my life away or get used to being called fat forever over getting lipo again.
If someone wants to get on your good side, what candy or liquor should they ply you with? I only like sour candy. Specifically sour grape jelly bellies. I don’t drink alcohol very often but when I do, I’m a sucker for white wine.
Most exotic place you’ve ever visited: Cyclades Islands
Why do you think Washington is so polarized? And please consider your answer in terms of boring us. I think part of the problem is the media being hyper-partisan. If you’re only getting your news from one extreme end of the spectrum or the other (I’m looking at you, Fox News & MSNBC) then you’re likely to only see half of the issues. I think it’s important to get your news from more than one source.
A thought that makes you want to cry: Those abused animal commercials get me every single time. I also get oddly emotional about sloths because I REALLY love them. There’s a sloth sanctuary in Costa Rica I’m dying to visit.
Weirdest habit you’ve observed in a newsroom (workplace) setting? One of the worst jobs I ever had was at a telemarketing company when I was a teenager. There was a guy who smelled so bad I called him TurdBoy and he routinely sat with his buttcrack out right in my view. And he scratched his balls constantly. It wasn’t a pleasant thing to see.
Sydney … this one in particular is for you. Please explain the tweet about your aunt in your own words. Oh boy. … My aunt really did fall down the stairs. And she really did fall down the stairs while she was saying horrible things about me. She wasn’t hurt badly, and it actually became a running joke in my family. Even she laughs about it now. So the tweet was never meant to be malicious. Just poking fun at a situation we all laugh at anyway. (Speaking of hilarious family injuries, my brother wrecked a snowmobile in July once and ended up in ICU. Almost sounds like a Palin family story.)
You ever see yourself living in Washington, D.C.? Have you visited and, if so, what were your impressions? Yes, I actually lived in Fairfax County briefly, and I loved it. I would be happy to live there again in the future.
If you had to have a U.S. senator or congressman as your father who would it be? Sen. Bernie Sanders is a hero of mine. But I have an amazing father, so can I replace my mother with Sen. Elizabeth Warren? Do you think she would adopt a 24-year-old?
Since this is The Mirror Questionnaire, what would you change about yourself physically if you could? I’ve had quite a bit of work done this year, so I’d say the only thing I’d change would be my weight but I’ve lost some recently and I’m still working on it.
And your personality? I usually have pretty thick skin, but occasionally I can be overly sensitive. I’d like to care less about what people think of me. Though I must say, having people constantly tell you on Twitter they think you’re a fat whore helps toughen you up!
Preferred beach: Any beach will do.
Guilty pleasure TV show: I watch ALL of the Real Housewives shows. It’s so embarrassing, but I cannot tear myself away. I’ve met most of the New York ladies so that was exciting for me. They were all so nice! Except one. *cough*RAMONA*cough*
On a scale of one to 10, how self-obsessed are you? (10 being you can’t tear yourself away from your own daily Google search and one meaning you often spend time in the country away from your computer and don’t give a crap about your Klout score.) I’d say a 7 is accurate. I don’t have a Google alert set on myself or anything, but I do keep up with social media. I love Twitter and Instagram. (Follow me @sydneyelainexo)
Workout regimen: I do 60 minutes of cardio twice a day 5 days a week right now. It’s killing me but I’m starting to see results.
Pick one — flabby thighs, cankles or love handles? Love handles would probably be easiest to alter. I could just get lipo…again. [But see above on all that.]
A thought that brings you great joy: The fact that I have 2 of the sweetest cats in the world and they were both rescues. Picking Oliver up off the street and adopting Edith from the shelter are the best things I’ve done in life.
A regret (of any kind): I’d be a liar if I said I didn’t have the occasional day where I wish the entire Anthony debacle wouldn’t have happened. But it did happen, so there’s no point in regretting it. I also have my days where I see the humor in the situation. Those days outnumber the “woe is me” days.
Any brushes with death? If so, please describe. I was in a seven-car pileup but I walked away without a scratch. It was definitely a scary experience though.
Just a preference Q: Bo or Sunny? Bo is the OG.
Most annoying thing your editor (boss) does: Luckily I don’t really have a boss. I suppose I’m my own boss. I’m a perfectionist and that’s very annoying. I put a lot of unnecessary stress on myself.
Rank how hairy your butt is: 1 to 10? 0. If there’s ever a chance you’ll be naked on camera you’ll become obsessively aware of body hair.
Go for a stroll in the park with one of the following and explain the reason for your choice. 1. Andrew Sullivan, of The Daily Dish. 2. The Washington Post’s Jonathan Capehart. 3. NewCo’s Glenn Greenwald. I feel I would get along best with Jonathan Capehart, but that’s why I wouldn’t choose him. I’d probably pick Andrew Sullivan. I feel we would be able to have a civilized debate I could actually take something away from. I really enjoy discussing politics/current events with people who have differing views from my own. How will you learn if you only discuss your passions with people who feel the exact same way as you?
When was the last time you were, if ever, naked outside? I got topless on a beach in Malibu about two months ago.
Do you think Santa is white or black or do you not even give a sh*t about this issue? Santa is whatever fucking color you want him to be, unless you’re Megyn Kelly, in which case my answer would be that Santa is SO BLACK. (I wish I could attach a photo of Mr. T as Santa with Nancy Reagan kissing him)
From The Sunday Times’ Toby Harnden: If you could tell one person to their face that they’re full of shit, with no consequences, who would it be? Sarah Palin. She’s an insignificant half-term governor and I hate mentioning her, but her hypocrisy really astounds me. Martin Bashir had to leave MSNBC for nasty comments he made about her, but the “Duck Dynasty” douche can make gay slurs all day long and she supports him. And it’s only okay to say the word “retard” if you’re Ann Coulter and you’re referring to the president.
From Al Jazeera’s David Shuster: If you had to watch or read a news report in a language you didn’t understand, what language would it be and why? Greek. My grandmother was Greek. The language reminds me of her & makes me nostalgic for my childhood.
From lefty radio host Bill Press: Where’s the one place in Washington you’d love to have sex, but can’t? I’m a little jealous that Monica got some action in the Oval office.
Please provide a question for the next lucky victim of The Mirror Questionnaire. Make it good. Who is the worst journalist on your favorite news channel?