Before she was the Internet’s Stepmom, Sheena Ryder worked as an Army nurse. After nearly nine years serving her country, she began serving cunt instead. Now, with 15 years — and a few too many party days, if you ask her — as an adult performer under her belt, Ryder has climbed the X-rated ladder and is enjoying the view from the top (cowgirl style, of course). I recently spoke with the 41-year-old Ryder to talk about the transition from military nurse to porn star, and all the bumps in the road along the way.


When I decided to leave the Army and join the adult industry, I didn’t share any details about my new job with my superiors — it was none of their business. Besides, I was already having so many issues with my Army job.


Once, they gave me an Article 15 (a punishment for a soldier without officially charging them for their offense) for being AWOL; I was in the National Guard, and I didn't make it to one of my weekend drills. I informed them that going to those drills was actually costing me money, and that I had a regular job that paid more. I was working in a doctor’s office at the time, which is why I missed that weekend drill. I told them it was more of a hardship for me to continue, so I finagled some paperwork and was able to get out with an honorable discharge.


I originally joined the military because I really sucked at school, but I wasn’t stupid (I scored very high on the test that you have to take to get in and get your job assignment). I knew I wanted to be in the medical field, and I’d already worked in a doctor’s office as a medical records specialist. I quickly realized that in the military you get paid to learn the same kind of training that people get when they pay for it in college, and that you also get money in college benefits from joining the service. It just seemed like a logical thing for me — and it was also right after 9/11.


But it sure wasn’t an easy job. I’ve worked in different departments — such as the immunizations clinic and the ER — and in both cases, a 12-hour shift could easily turn into a 16-hour shift on a whim. Over time, I’ve had to hold my pee so much that, by the time I would be done taking the medication for one kidney infection, I would be on my way to a brand new kidney infection. I was surviving on Skittles and sugar-free Rockstar, and it’s not like the bathroom was far away — I just literally had no time to go.



After roughly eight-and-a-half years, I realized I didn’t want to be told what to do anymore. As I said, I got in trouble a lot — I didn’t want to follow the rules, so I lost a whole bunch of rank, and by the time I got out, I was just over it.


At the time, my then-fiancé and I were swingers, and through swinger parties I met a lot of people in the adult entertainment world. It was always something I was interested in. I remember being a teenager and wanting to be a Playboy bunny until I realized I’m not platinum blonde and I don’t have huge boobs. (I did eventually go to the boob store, but when I was younger, I didn’t encapsulate the bimbo look that Playboy was going for.)


So in 2010, I signed my first contract with LA Direct Models. Personally, I’ve always felt like I have the best job ever. I love the fun of sex, and I don’t put it up on a pedestal. Intimacy is a completely different thing for me, but I’ve always seen the act of sex itself as just a hobby.


This certainly doesn’t mean that working in the adult entertainment industry is easy. If anything, it’s harder than being in the Army. To give you a raw and unfortunate example, more coworkers that I knew personally have died during my time in the adult industry than in my entire eight-and-a-half years in the military. Plus, when you’re in the military, society thanks you for your service. Being in the industry doesn’t get you that kind of recognition. I remember when I told some of my then-friends that I was getting into the industry. “Oh, you’re going to get HIV and die,” they told me.


Despite all the naysayers, though, I kept at it, and now, I’m the Internet’s Stepmom. That’s a name I gave myself, really. At one point, I chose it as my Instagram handle because, over the years, I’ve lost so many Instagram accounts — and had to deal with so many imposters as well — that I was running out of ideas to come up with names. I knew that Dana DeArmond was the Internet’s Girlfriend, so that’s where I got my inspiration from.



I’d been in the industry for so long that eventually I just fell into the category — and ended up owning it. Because of our age, we do get boxed into stuff. If you’re not the teen and you’re not the MILF, you’re in that weird, “hot wife” middleground. Some female performers will have a dead zone there, because they can’t shoot the teen stuff anymore and refuse to crossover to MILF content. I, however, adapted really well — I even got nominated for MILF Performer of the Year during the pandemic.


The only issue is, being the Internet’s Stepmom is getting me more fame than riches right now, and I just want to be rich, not famous. I will learn how to handle that side of things, but it’s not easy. I just don’t want to draw any additional attention to myself while I’m in social settings outside of work.


On the plus side of things, I don’t look as old as I am. And I have the experience, fan base and brand that so long as people keep on loving MILFs, stepmoms, hot wives and moms next door, I can keep working for as long as I want.