Emily Willis

About Emily Willis

Emily Willis (born Litzy Lara Banuelos on December 29, 1998, in Argentina) is an Argentine-born American former adult film actress, model, and actress whose career was abruptly cut short following a catastrophic brain injury in 2024. Widely regarded as one of the most successful performers of her generation, she rose to prominence through hundreds of productions, numerous industry awards, and later began transitioning into mainstream film before a medical emergency permanently altered the course of her life.

Willis moved to the United States at the age of seven after her parents separated and her mother married an American citizen. The family settled in St. George, Utah, where she spent most of her childhood. Raised in a middle-class household, she became fluent in both English and Spanish and trained in ballet for approximately fifteen years. After graduating from high school a year early, she relocated to San Diego, California, where she worked in door-to-door sales before eventually entering the entertainment industry. Willis is the eldest of two children and has a younger brother, Michael, who later organized a GoFundMe campaign to help support her long-term medical care.

Willis began her professional career in October 2017 at the age of nineteen after being introduced to the industry through a performer she met on a dating app. What began as a relatively modest debut quickly developed into one of the industry's most successful careers. Within only a few years, she had become one of the most recognizable performers in adult entertainment, earning a reputation for her professionalism, strong work ethic, and versatility. Over the course of her career, she appeared in more than 700 productions for major studios including Brazzers, Vixen, Evil Angel, Jules Jordan Video, Digital Playground, and several others.

Her work earned widespread recognition throughout the industry. Among her honors were the 2021 AVN Award for Female Performer of the Year, multiple additional AVN Awards, several XRCO Awards, Penthouse Pet of the Month (May 2019), and Playboy All Star of the Month (2021). By the early 2020s, Willis had established herself as one of the industry's most recognizable and decorated performers.

By 2023, Willis had begun broadening her career beyond adult entertainment. She appeared in Slipknot's Grammy-nominated music video for "Hive Mind" and made her feature-film debut in the science-fiction thriller *Divinity*, produced by Steven Soderbergh. Although still early in her mainstream acting career, these projects were widely viewed as the beginning of a transition into more traditional film and television work before her career was tragically interrupted the following year.

Away from her professional career, Willis maintained a relatively private personal life. In 2021, she filed a $5 million defamation lawsuit against fellow performers Gianna Dior, Adria Rae, and several unnamed defendants over allegations of animal abuse that she said were false and damaging to her reputation. Rae later issued a public apology, after which Willis voluntarily dismissed the claims against her. Following Willis's incapacitation in 2024, the remaining lawsuit was later dismissed without prejudice because no representative appeared on her behalf.

In January 2024, Willis voluntarily entered Summit Malibu rehabilitation center in California seeking treatment for a severe ketamine addiction. According to court filings, she had been consuming approximately five to six grams of ketamine per day for about a year before deciding to seek treatment. Her family later alleged that during her stay she became increasingly dehydrated, malnourished, disoriented, and physically weak while experiencing multiple medical complications that were not properly recognized or addressed. On February 5, 2024, approximately one week after her admission, Willis suffered a cardiac arrest. Despite prolonged resuscitation efforts, the extended lack of oxygen caused a catastrophic anoxic brain injury, leaving her permanently incapacitated.

Willis remained in a coma before gradually progressing to a minimally conscious state. Although she eventually regained the ability to open her eyes, track movement, and show limited awareness of her surroundings, she remains profoundly disabled, unable to communicate verbally, and dependent on others for every aspect of her daily care. She requires continuous, around-the-clock assistance, and her mother, Yesenia Cooper, serves as her legal conservator.

Her family subsequently filed a negligence lawsuit against Summit Malibu and its parent company, alleging that staff failed to recognize and respond appropriately to her rapidly deteriorating medical condition. The defendants denied wrongdoing, and in July 2026 the parties reached a court-approved $3 million settlement without any admission of liability. After attorney's fees, medical liens, and other costs, approximately $1.25 million was allocated for Willis's ongoing care and future medical needs. The settlement was intended to help provide lifelong support for her treatment and daily care.

As of 2026, Willis continues to receive full-time care in Utah, where her family remains committed to her rehabilitation. Although her recovery has been limited, her mother has spoken publicly about her hope that continued therapy, medical advances, and future assistive communication technologies may one day allow Emily to communicate more effectively and regain some degree of independence.

Willis's medical emergency drew widespread attention both within and beyond the adult entertainment industry. Fellow performers, production companies, friends, and fans expressed support for her family, while her case prompted broader discussions about addiction treatment, patient safety, and the standard of medical care provided at residential rehabilitation facilities. Although her professional career ended abruptly in 2024, her story continues to resonate as both a reminder of the devastating consequences of severe addiction and an example of the lifelong challenges faced by survivors of catastrophic brain injuries. Through their continued advocacy, her family has sought not only to provide Emily with the best possible care, but also to raise awareness of the importance of accountability and patient safety within addiction treatment programs.


Back in November 2025, Emily had amassed 2.0 million followers on Instagram, 897.5K followers on TikTok, 17,500 subscribers on her YouTube Channel. Willis also had an OnlyFans with self-produced content. She had been one of the platform’s breakaway moneymakers during its pandemic-era boom. She was also one of the first porn stars to engage one of the now ubiquitous third-party “management agencies” to maximize OF profits and deal with the volume of fan demand.