Porn Star Molly Cavalli Accused Of Faking Shark Attack For Viral Glory

A porn star is arousing controversy for a video that purports to show her being bitten by a shark.

Actress Molly Cavalli, 35, claims in a YouTube description that she stuck her foot out of a shark cage while filming an underwater video off the coast of Florida and was bitten by a lemon shark. The summary of the video, viewed more than 14 million times since it was posted May 2. says she needed 20 stitches.

But some people say the bite is a hoax.

Bryce Rohrer, owner and operator of Florida Shark Diving, told the Palm Beach Post that Cavalli and her film crew contacted him two months ago about doing a shark dive and faking an on-camera injury.

“I was talking directly to Molly and she just said, ‘Hey, we are looking to do a shoot faking a shark bite and it’s strictly in order for it to go viral,’” Rohrer said. “We immediately declined. We are pro-shark, pro-wildlife, and want to show the importance of sharks, not villainize them.”

Another boating company took the gig.

This is what the purported bite looked like on camera. The video doesn’t actually show the moment when the shark supposedly sank its teeth into Cavalli.

“I can tell you for a fact, it was not a shark bite,” George Burgess, keeper of the International Shark Attack File, told the Palm Beach Post. “How it was inflicted is conjectural, but the main thing is, the injury is not a shark bite. It was a PR stunt, and it worked.”

Florida Atlantic University shark researcher Stephen Kajiura told the paper a wound that deep should have multiple parallel slashes from teeth, not a single slash.

“It makes more sense that she was cut on the side of the cage, then blamed the sharks for the publicity,” Kajiura said.

Camsoda, the adult film company that made the video, didn’t respond to HuffPost inquiries.

Meanwhile, the Adult Performers Actors Guild, a union for porn stars, released a statement saying it looks like Camsoda may be guilty of “numerous filming violations,” including failing to have a special stunt permit, medical staff, safety equipment and a licensed diving instructor on the set.

“While we do not intend to censor their creative ideas, general laws for health safety of our performers must be followed,” the actors guild statement said.