Porn addiction has affected the personal lives and relationships of some Black men, including entertainers Chris Rock and Terry Crews, who have publicly discussed their struggles with pornography. Their experiences reflect concerns studied by researchers, including compulsive sexual behavior, relationship difficulties, secrecy, and the challenges people face when seeking treatment.
In a November 3, 2026, interview with GQ, Rock revisited his failed marriage to Malaak Compton-Rock, acknowledging pornography use and infidelity during their nearly 20-year relationship.
“I was not a great husband. I watched a lot of porn,” Rock admitted.
The comedian, whose divorce was finalized in 2016, also revealed that he had stopped watching pornography approximately five or six years earlier. He previously described himself as addicted to pornography in his 2018 Netflix special, Tamborine, while acknowledging other mistakes he made as a husband.
Rock is not the only prominent Black entertainer to discuss the issue publicly.
In February 2016, actor Terry Crews released a series of Facebook videos titled “Dirty Little Secret,” revealing that he had struggled with pornography addiction for years.
Crews described hiding his behavior from his wife, Rebecca King-Crews, and acknowledged that the secrecy contributed to serious problems in their marriage. He also revealed that he sought rehabilitation treatment after recognizing how deeply pornography had affected his life.
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Crews later discussed how anxiety, loneliness, and unhealthy beliefs about relationships contributed to his behavior. He and Rebecca have continued discussing their marriage and recovery publicly, including in their 2021 audiobook, Stronger Together.
Scientific research has examined pornography consumption among Black Americans, although studying pornography use is different from measuring addiction.
A 2019 study published in The Journal of Sex Research analyzed nationally representative General Social Survey data collected between 1973 and 2016, involving 20,620 respondents.
Researchers Samuel Perry and Cyrus Schleifer found that Black men reported higher rates of pornography viewing than the other racial and gender groups examined. However, those findings measured consumption patterns, not whether participants experienced addiction or an inability to control their behavior.
Medical professionals also distinguish between regularly watching pornography and experiencing clinically significant compulsive behavior.
Porn addiction is not a separate diagnosis in the American Psychiatric Association’s DSM-5-TR. However, the World Health Organization recognizes compulsive sexual behavior disorder under its International Classification of Diseases, ICD-11.
The condition involves persistent difficulty controlling repetitive sexual behavior over an extended period, typically six months or longer, resulting in significant distress or problems with relationships, work, or other responsibilities.
Frequent pornography viewing alone does not establish a disorder. Neither does feeling guilty about sexual behavior solely because it conflicts with personal or religious beliefs.
Research specifically examining Black people’s experiences with pornography remains limited.
A 2024 study published in the journal Body Image interviewed 20 heterosexual Black men and women across four generations to examine how pornography influenced their genital self-image and grooming expectations.
Researchers found varying experiences. Some participants reported that pornography influenced their body perceptions or expectations of sexual partners, while others described little influence or actively rejected those expectations. The study also examined how racialized sexual stereotypes appeared in pornography.
Because the research involved only 20 participants, its findings cannot represent all Black men or establish addiction rates.
Another 2024 study, published in Cyberpsychology, Behavior, and Social Networking, examined a screening tool for problematic pornography use among 2,475 university participants, including 101 Black men.
Researchers found that the relationship between pornography viewing frequency and problematic-use scores varied across demographic groups. Among the Black male participants, frequency was only weakly associated with problematic-use scores, reinforcing the limitations of judging problems by viewing habits alone.
Access to professional support presents another concern. A 2024 KFF analysis found that Black adults reporting fair or poor mental health were less likely than White adults to report receiving mental health services. Respondents identified barriers including cost, embarrassment, and difficulty finding culturally understanding providers.
Those statistics concern mental healthcare generally, not pornography-related treatment specifically.
For people experiencing compulsive pornography use, treatment can include psychotherapy, particularly cognitive behavioral therapy, which helps individuals identify behavioral patterns, manage urges, and develop healthier coping strategies. Research into the effectiveness of different treatments is continuing.
Rock and Crews have both described seeking professional help and examining how their behavior affected their relationships. Their disclosures are individual experiences rather than evidence that Black men face a greater risk of pornography addiction.
The available research establishes that problematic pornography use can affect relationships, emotional well-being, and daily functioning, while underscoring the need for more research that specifically examines Black men’s experiences and access to care.
