In a recent sit-down on the Veterans Minimum podcast, hosts Nick Dais and George Carmona delved into the crossover milestones that define a high-profile career. Their guest, former adult film star Lisa Ann, reflected on the moment her professional life collided with mainstream pop culture in a way she never expected. When the conversation turned toward “apex moments” and the realization of reaching a global audience, she pointed directly to her satirical performance as Sarah Palin in Eminem’s 2009 hit music video, “We Made You.”

The story behind the casting is as surreal as the video itself. At the height of the political “Palin-mania” era, Eminem’s team was scouring for the perfect person to lampoon the then-Vice Presidential candidate. For Lisa Ann, the initial outreach felt less like a career-defining opportunity and more like an elaborate joke. She admitted that the idea of a legendary rapper seeking her out for a high-budget production seemed far-fetched, given the gatekeeping often found between the adult industry and Hollywood’s inner circle.

Recounting the experience, Lisa Ann shared the full story of that disbelief: “Well, I did the Eminem video as Sarah Palin for ‘We Made You.’ Eminem’s people called my office, at that time, I had an agency and we thought it was a prank call from one of my friends. I was like ‘there is no way Eminem wants me to be in his music video.’ And then when I found out it was real, I was like ‘this is going to be embedded in the internet forever.’ I’m 80 and watching this video like ‘I was so cool one day! I was in that video!’ That was really high point for me. That time I was not even counting money. That staff was a gift and I’m so grateful.”

Beyond the immediate shock of the casting, the performance solidified her place in the digital archive of the late 2000s. The music video became a massive success, racking up hundreds of millions of views and cementing her likeness—dressed in the iconic glasses and updo—into the cultural zeitgeist. For Lisa Ann, the project represents more than just a job; it is a permanent piece of internet history that she looks forward to looking back on for decades to come, serving as a reminder of the time she shared the screen with one of the biggest names in music, EMINEM.