Hillary Rivera, the mother of the late adult film star August Ames aka Mercedes Grabowski, has made new allegations against Russian adult film star Markus Dupree.
Ames was 23 years old when she took her own life by hanging in a park in Camarillo, California. Many of Ames’s friends maintained she was bullied in the days leading up to her death.
Ames said that she refused to work with a male performer who had previously acted in gay pornography and refused to take an HIV test.
Friends of Ames later came forward to say that they felt she had been the victim of online bullying because of this decision.
Rivera’s book about her daughter’s life and death, Porn Star Mom: My Life With August Ames, was released on February 26.
Ames mother alleges her daughter was ‘manhandled’ and ‘roughed-up’ by Markus Dupree
Rivera told The Daily Beast in a March 2022 interview that her daughter was “on cloud nine” after leaving her life in Nova Scotia to make it in entertainment in Los Angeles.
Rivera said that things began to change over time, mainly after she worked with Markus Dupree. Rivera said, “She was forced into situations where she was very poorly treated—beyond poorly treated. She was manhandled by her co-star, [Dupree] roughed her up. He left marks on her so badly that she couldn’t work for a couple of weeks.”
According to The Daily Beast report, the scene featuring Dupree and Ames has never been released.
River and her daughter both suffered from bipolar affective disorder
Rivera told The Daily Beast that she and her daughter both suffer from bipolar affective disorder. Rivera added that during Ames’ upbringing, she was a high-functioning alcoholic.
In a January 2014 interview with Bare List, Ames was asked about her family’s reaction to her career choice. Ames said, “I’ve always been honest with my mom; we have a really cool relationship like that.”
Ames also said in a 2017 interview with Holly Randall that her mother had a bipolar disorder. In that same interview, Ames spoke about her own mental health issues saying, “Some days I’ll be fine and if I’m not doing anything I’ll get these awful flashbacks of my childhood, and I get very depressed. I can’t get out of bed and cancel my scenes for like a week or two.”
Hilary Rivera served two terms in Afghanistan with the Canadian material
Scott Weiss wrote in an August 2021 article that Hillary Rivera is a Canadian military veteran who did tours of Afghanistan. Following her second tour, Rivera said that she checked in to a psychiatric hospital to be treated for PTSD.
After leaving Ames’ father, she relocated to Colorado Springs where she married a U.S. military contractor. During this time, despite having full custody of Ames and her three brothers, Rivera sent Ames and her brother, James, to live with their father back in Canada.
In the Weiss article, Ames’ brother makes allegations that his mother conducted affairs with multiple men, including a young waiter she met at a PF Chang’s restaurant, a family friend, and a 19-year-old man she met after checking into a psychiatric hospital.