With millions of tickets sold and endless coverage in the news, Lovelace became a celebrity — and one of the top “sex goddesses” of the 1970s. Playboy founder Hugh Hefner even held a party at his mansion in her honor.
With household names like Johnny Carson discussing the film, Deep Throat introduced hardcore porn to mainstream audiences, making it somewhat less stigmatized. And when New York City Mayor John Lindsay banned the film in 1973, the legal drama only sparked more interest in the movie.