Jesse Jane

Cynthia Ann Howell (July 16, 1980 – c. January 24, 2024), known professionally as Jesse Jane, was an American pornographic film actress. She became one of the few adult film performers of the 2000s to make the transition into mainstream film and television roles.

Jane was an exclusive contract performer for Digital Playground between 2002 and 2014, starring in the Pirates series of pornographic films. She retired from the adult film industry in 2017 after a career spanning nearly two decades. She was a member of the NightMoves Hall of Fame, XRCO Hall of Fame, and the AVN Hall of Fame.

Early life
Jane was born Cynthia Ann Howell on July 16, 1980, in Fort Worth, Texas. According to a 2006 interview she gave to The Oklahoma Gazette, her family relocated to the Oklahoma City area where her parents worked at Tinker Air Force Base. In 1998, she graduated with honors from Moore High School.

Career
Before securing a position in a commercial for restaurant chain Hooters, Jane had previously modeled for retailers such as 5-7-9 and David's Bridal. She subsequently ascended the ranks within the Hooters organization, ultimately attaining the role of regional training coordinator. She later made the decision to transition into a full-time career as a Hawaiian Tropic bikini model.

Pornographic film
Jane avoided the "shock value" trend prevalent in mid-2000s pornography, according to The New York Times. She signed an exclusive contract with the adult film production company Digital Playground, appearing in Pirates (2005) and its sequel, Pirates II: Stagnetti's Revenge (2008), as a ship's first officer on a mission against a group of evil pirates. The films, which respectively cost $1 million and $8 million to produce, were among the highest-budget pornographic films ever made.

In 2006, Jane and Kirsten Price became the hosts of Playboy TV's most popular live show, Night Calls; Jane also hosted the AVN Awards that year. She was named December's Booble Cover Girl of the Month.

Jane was the sex columnist for Chéri and Ralph magazines beginning in 2007. Later that year, she hosted Playboy TV's Naughty Amateur Home Videos, and The New York Times reported that Jane intended to have her breast enhancement surgery re-done for high-definition movies. She hosted the F.A.M.E. Awards in 2008,and the XBIZ Awards in 2008 and 2011.

Jane launched a line of signature sex toys circa 2010. She was the Australian Penthouse Pet of the Month in November 2010. Jane hosted the AVN Awards again in 2013. In 2011, 2012, and 2014, she was named by CNBC as one of the twelve most popular stars in porn.

In 2017, Jane announced that she would retire from the adult industry, although she briefly returned in 2019 to shoot her first interracial scene for Blacked.com.

Mainstream film, television, and other media
Jane became one of the few adult film performers of the 2000s to make the transition into mainstream Hollywood roles. In 2003, she had an uncredited appearance in Baywatch: Hawaiian Wedding and appeared in the reality TV series Family Business. In 2004, Jane made a cameo appearance in the film Starsky & Hutch, appeared on the cover of Drowning Pool's second studio album Desensitized, and in the music video for Drowning Pool's single Step Up. She was a guest star on the HBO dramedy series Entourage. She also appeared in the reality TV series Bad Girls Club and Gene Simmons Family Jewels.

In a 2009 CNBC documentary titled Porn: Business of Pleasure, Jane is the focus of the final six-minute segment, which details her career and her life outside the porn industry. Later that year she appeared in the film Middle Men. In 2011, she appeared in the film Bucky Larson: Born to Be a Star.

Personal life
In 2000, Jane gave birth to her son. She married her husband, Rich Taylor, in 2005. On March 1, 2012, Jane announced on Twitter that she was getting divorced.

On January 24, 2024, Jane and her boyfriend, Brett Hasenmueller, were found dead from an apparent drug overdose at their home in Moore, Oklahoma.