Knox started doing pornography in 2013 to help pay for her $60,000 per year tuition costs. After the outing, she has publicly defended her decision to do the work, and the choice of discussing the situation. She believes her experiences are indicative of the rising costs of higher education in the United States. Knox took a college-sanctioned break from Duke University in early 2014 and later returned to continue her studies. Knox has also spoken publicly about her views of feminism and rights for sex workers. She has won a 2014 Fanny Award and a 2015 XBIZ Award.
In early 2015 Knox declined to comment on whether she is still filming adult movies, but announced later in the year that she was no longer in the industry.
The Poynter Institute's Kelly McBride commented on the reception for Knox's story, stating that it "[presented] a lesson in crowd behavior," and noted, "While her critics were loud and destructive, advocating that people call her dad to let him know his daughter is a porn star, no one suggested a phone campaign to inform the mother of the frat boy who outed her that her son is watching porn." A Journalist for TIME magazine expressed skepticism over Knox's comments stating that she viewed her pornography career as empowering. The Journalist continued that while shaming her was wrong, Knox "doesn’t know how to process her newfound fame," and that her decision, "will likely haunt [her] for the rest of her college and professional career." Elizabeth Stoker, in The Week, criticized Knox's statements, noting the sex industry did not have a trade union, and male sexual Desire would ultimately oppress women and dictate their performances on camera. For John Rogove, Knox's predicament highlights that of women in a liberal market society in general.
