At age 18, Ketcham answered an ad in a San Diego paper, through which she entered the pornographic film business. She performed scenes in well over 200 pornographic features, originally filmed between 2002 and 2009. In 2005, Ketcham directed an instructional video for Shane's World Studios. She also directed the pornographic films Shane's World: Girls Night Out 1–3, Blazed and Confused 1–3 and Penny Flame's Out of Control. In 2008, she signed a deal with Vivid Entertainment and Tristan Taormino to direct her own line of movies under the studio's sex education imprint, Vivid-Ed; the first film was "Penny Flame's Expert Guide to Handjobs", and the second "Penny Flame's Expert Guide to Rough Sex". She retired from the industry in 2009 to enroll in college, and to work as a writer and illustrator.
Ketcham states she became sexually active at age 12, and that she practiced safe sex as a youth. She has explained that her sexual activity was a way for her to achieve the emotional validation missing from her relationships with family and friends. Her parents divorced when she was 13; Ketcham ceased speaking to her father and did not do so again until she was 26. Ketcham stated that she struggled with substance abuse, particularly during her early years in the industry when she was unhappy with her life. She stated in an interview at age 24 that she had formerly been addicted to cocaine. Despite not being a top-tier porn star, Ketcham remained in the industry because it allowed her to work only three days a week while earning a substantial income. It gave her the instant attention and acceptance of adoring fans, and it was the most convenient way to feed the sexual addiction associated with an inability to trust or form deep emotional connections with others. The sex addiction preceded the substance addiction, but the two became intertwined and difficult to untangle. In April 2009, Ketcham checked into the Pasadena Recovery Center for sex addiction, as depicted in Sex Rehab with Dr. Drew, a VH1spinoff of Celebrity Rehab with Dr. Drew. Ketcham has said that she originally intended to disrupt the process in order to gain publicity and increase marketability as a porn star, but that after the first five days of treatment, she began to have a change of heart. She came to accept that she suffered from a problem which she needed to resolve, took the process seriously and became a model participant. With the help of Dr. Drew and Jill Vermeire, she graduated from the program. Afterward, she entered a sober living facility, as depicted in the second season of Sober House, which premiered in March 2010. The last adult film that Ketcham performed in, titled Celebrity Pornhab with Dr. Screw , was shot just before her participation in Sex Rehab with Dr. Drew. Ketcham discussed her path into pornography and her recovery from addiction with Pinsky and others in a March 17, 2010, appearance on The View. She explained that she had taken a year-long vow of abstinence when she completed treatment. Nine months into this period of abstinence, a friendship with a man who supported her recovery and attended "12-step" meetings with her became a committed, monogamous relationship. Ketcham is an avid painter and sees it as a healthy outer circle activity, as well as a new source of income. When she was enrolling in college, she forfeited all porn-related sources of income to make a clean break.
Career as writer
In April 2009, Ketcham started a blog titled "Becoming Jennie", after participating in VH1's Sex Rehab with Dr. Drew. In her first entry, dated April 29, 2009, she wrote, "My name is Jennie Ketcham, and I am a recovering pornstar, and addict. This day, as every day, is the first day of the rest of my life, and I intend to live it to the fullest." According to the blog, she does not regret having been in pornography, was living a sober lifestyle, and is working on a memoir. In December 2009, Ketcham began contributing to the Huffington Post, on the inauguration of their Los Angeles edition. She published a memoir in July 2012 titled I Am Jennie.
