While tech leaders urge modernization of outdated platforms, Donald Trump’s media empire is powered by one deeply controversial figure whose past includes running explicit websites. Forbes’ latest investigation reveals the adult entertainment ties of Chris Pavlovski — the man behind Rumble and a cornerstone of Trump’s Truth Social infrastructure.

In a recent Forbes Tech Council article, experts emphasised the importance of modernising legacy systems with transparent, secure, and scalable digital solutions. Yet in the case of Donald Trump’s flagship media venture, Truth Social, much of the architecture rests on cloud and software built by a man whose prior ventures included adult entertainment sites and domain squatting operations.

A Pornography Background at Odds with MAGA’s Morality Crusade

Chris Pavlovski, now CEO of video platform Rumble and a close Trump ally, once owned explicit websites including PornoBrokers.com, LustyMaids.com, and MilfMansion.com. Under his early company Jokeroo, Pavlovski’s portfolio also included domains like CanadianClit.com and ChurchUpskirts.com — the latter of which ran ads for voyeuristic content, though Pavlovski claims third parties handled advertising.

Between 2003 and 2013, Pavlovski and his business partners built and managed networks of adult-themed websites and monetized domain traffic through a mix of SEO manipulation and provocative branding. Some domains overlapped with politically sensitive topics. One was a misspelled version of “Breitbart,” suggesting an attempt to siphon conservative web traffic.

These ventures are now raising questions, given that Trump’s MAGA movement includes prominent figures seeking to ban pornography entirely, such as VP J.D. Vance and leaders at the Heritage Foundation. Trump himself signed the Take It Down Act this year, criminalizing the publication of intimate images without consent — potentially outlawing the kind of “hidden cam” ads previously associated with Pavlovski’s domains.

Rumble’s Rise — And the MAGA Pivot

Rumble, founded by Pavlovski in 2013, originally positioned itself as a YouTube alternative focused on free speech. In 2021, after receiving funding from Peter Thiel and J.D. Vance’s VC firm Narya, the platform became a hub for right-wing media figures like Steven Crowder, Dan Bongino, and The Daily Wire. The company soon became intertwined with Trump’s own social network, Truth Social, after Pavlovski was invited to provide hosting and ad infrastructure.

Rumble now hosts Truth Social’s cloud services and ad platform — infrastructure that is critical to the platform’s survival. Pavlovski reportedly turned down an offer to be Truth Social’s CEO but remains deeply embedded in the platform’s technical operations through his companies.

Outsourcing Controversies: North Macedonia, Slutload, and Domain Empires

Much of the backend work for Truth Social is outsourced to Cosmic Development, an IT firm Pavlovski cofounded in 2011. Several Cosmic executives also have adult industry ties:

  • Ryan Milnes, Pavlovski’s cofounder, previously owned Slutload, one of the largest pornographic tube sites on the internet. He held over 20 explicit domains.
  • Vuk Popovic, another executive, registered over 400 pornographic domains during his tenure.
  • Staff at Cosmic handle everything from content moderation to fraud prevention for Truth Social, according to the Washington Post.

Both Milnes and Popovic did not respond to comment requests from Forbes.

A Public Friendship with Trump — and Growing Government Ambitions

Despite his controversial past, Pavlovski has become a trusted Trump ally. At a recent White House event, Trump publicly praised him:

“If Rumble’s doing good, that means Truth is doing good,” Trump said. “You’re doing a great job.”

Pavlovski and Rumble executives are also expanding government ambitions, having traveled with Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick and Truth Social CEO Devin Nunes to North Macedonia to pitch hosting partnerships and data center development. The country, which has strict laws against nonconsensual intimate content, nearly banned Telegram in 2021 for similar violations.

Rumble insists Pavlovski’s adult site involvement was in the past and largely limited to domain parking. A spokesperson told Forbes:

“Forbes must have a lot of free time if they’re writing about a domain parking business Chris ran when he was 18 or 19… He has no recollection of them specifically.”

Still, the optics remain problematic — especially for a movement whose leading voices call porn “diabolical” and seek to legislate morality online.

As Trump’s media operations position themselves as morally and politically righteous platforms for conservative voices, the infrastructure powering that message stems from a web of companies and executives once deeply tied to the adult entertainment world. The clash between MAGA’s morality platform and its technical foundation raises serious questions about integrity, transparency, and the real motivations behind the movement’s digital empire.

Disclosure: This article does not represent investment advice. The content and materials featured on this page are for educational purposes only.

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