Bank of America has rejected allegations that it terminated the accounts of adult entertainment performer Cherie DeVille because of her career. A bank spokesperson stated that the decision to close the accounts was driven by recent transactional patterns and compliance with federal monitoring requirements, rather than her line of work.
"We are subject to federal regulations that require us to monitor account activity," the spokesperson said in a statement. "In this case, the account was closed based on recent transactional activity and not because of any industry or profession."
DeVille, who has publicly identified herself as an adult content creator, asserted that the financial institution shut down both her personal and business accounts despite her long-standing relationship with the bank. She described the move as being fired as a customer, noting that she had no outstanding debts or allegations of illegal activity against her.
"So Bank of America has just fired me as a customer," DeVille said. "I know that is crazy because after literally years of banking with them, they closed all of my accounts... not because I committed fraud or did something illegal, not because I owe them money, but because I'm an adult content creator. That's it. That's the entire reason."
The performer argued that her enterprise is a lawful operation that pays taxes and employs staff, and therefore deserves the same banking access as any other compliant business. She characterized the incident as an example of "debanking," a practice she said can severely impact livelihoods and is not unique to her industry.
DeVille noted that the issue has reached federal attention, citing an executive order signed by President Donald Trump aimed at addressing debanking in vice industries. She clarified that while the order was not specifically for her sector, it reinforces the principle that legal businesses operating within the law should not lose banking access due to personal disapproval of their work.
