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If you were on TikTok in 2021, you may remember the viral reactions to Sex/Life‘s penis scene and wondered what was real and fake from Brad’s nude moment.
Sex/Life—which is based on BB Easton’s book 44 Chapters about 4 Men—is a Netflix drama series that follows Billie Connelly, a mother of two and housewife from an affluent suburban neighborhood in Connecticut who has an affair with her first love and ex-boyfriend, Brad Simon, behind the back of her straight-laced husband, Cooper Connelly. In episode 3 of Sex/Life season 1, Cooper (Mike Vogel) stalks his wife Billie’s (Sarah Shahi) ex-boyfriend Brad (Adam Demos) to a gym in New York City. Cooper watches Brad work out and follows him to the locker room shower. At around the 19:50 mark, Brad turns around to reveal that he’s been blessed in his nether regions (in other words, he has a very, very large penis.)
When Sex/Life premiered in June 2021, the scene went viral on TikTok, with hundreds of people reacting to the moment for the first time on camera. For the most part, the reactions are the same: There’s the jaw drop, the laugh and the disbelief. So how real is the Sex/Life’s penis scene and was Brad’s dick real or fake? Read on for what we know about Sex/Life‘s penis scenes in both seasons 1 and 2, and how real they were.
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Image: Courtesy of Netflix.
Was Sex/Life‘s penis scene real?
Was Sex/Life‘s penis scene real? The answer is complicated. In an interview with Collider in 2021, Sex/Life showrunner Stacy Rukeyser confirmed that Adam Demos, who plays Brad, didn’t use a body double for the shower scene. “No. That’s not a body double. I mean, people usually ask is it real or is it a prosthetic?” she said.
Demos also hinted in an interview with Entertainment Weekly at the time that the scene was the real him and that he didn’t have any issues with going full frontal. “I was OK with it because you read the script and know what you’re getting yourself into from the start, so I don’t think you would sign on to a show after reading the scripts and then say no last minute,” he said. He continued, “We would have an intimacy coordinator and everyone would speak about it and their comfort levels. You would rehearse it so much that by the time you did it, it was a lot more comfortable than you’d assume. You discuss everything: hand movements, everything down to the breath. In sex scenes, the breathing is an emotional thing, so you’re discussing that journey, but then you’re also discussing each individual’s comfort level.” Shahi was also asked about if Demos’ penis scene in Sex/Life was real in an interview with The Skimm in 2021. “It’s just not my place to tell,” she said. “A woman never kisses and tells, and neither does a gentleman, so…”
Though there wasn’t a body double for the scene, Rukeyser didn’t confirm or deny to Collider whether a prosthetic was used. “And I can tell you what Adam Demos says about it which is, a gentleman never tells. So, we are leaving that up to the viewer’s imagination,” she said.
So was the Sex/Life penis a prosthetic? The answer is yes. Newsweek confirmed in 2021 that Sex/Life hired a prosthetics team for the show. A member of the prosthetics team also confirmed to the magazine that the scene, in fact, includes a prostheses. But it’s not the only prosthetic in the show. According to Newsweek, there were several prosthetic sex parts in Sex/Life, and the hired prosthetic team had extensive experience with creating fake penises, including much larger than Brad’s.
In an interview with Entertainment Weekly at the time, Sarah Shahi, who plays Billie Connelly, confirmed that another scene that involved prosthetics was where Billie had to breastfeed. For the scene, Shahi wore prosthetic breasts. “Something like Billie’s boobs, in the past every time you see my character with Brad, that’s me. Then because I do play a breastfeeding mother, I can’t have the same boobs in the present. So yeah, I had to sit through three hours of prosthetic boob application to get those suckers on,” she said. According to IMDb, Sex/Life‘s prosthetics were created by Tenille Shockey and François Dagenais. Dagenais, who has also worked on Hannibal, told Newsweek that Sex/Life was “a bit different than what we usually do but hey! We were also involved with changing Sarah’s breasts through the flashbacks.”
Though, Demos’ penis scene in Sex/Life used a prosthetic, several anonymous sources who know Demos in real life confirmed he’s around the same size as Brad’s prosthetic. In July 2021, Australian radio host Em Rusciano posted several direct messages she received about Demos’ penis scene in Sex/Life. “Hey Em, I grew up in the same town as Adam Demos (a year below me at school) and I can guarantee you there were no special effects. He is a big boy!!” one message read. Another message read, “‘My family grew up in Dapto with Adam Demos. My sister asked his bestie if it was his penis and it is.”
In July 2021, Netflix posted the original script for Sex/Life’s penis scene in season 1 and revealed that the scene was supposed to be a lot more explicit than what was shown on TV. “A jet of hot water. Brad stands under it, naked and facing the wall. He’s alone in a large area with MULTIPLE SHOWER HEADS,” the description for the scene read. “Cooper enters wearing only a TOWEL, takes in Brad, his back toward him. He moves to a shower head nearby and turns it on. Brad doesn’t seem to notice.”
“Cooper steals a look at him. But Brad makes no eye contact and is unaware. Just then, Brad turns around, facing front. He soaps up, obscuring a SMALL TATTOO ON HIS HIP. As he does so, Cooper can’t help but lower his eyes to check out Brad’s package — the instrument that brought his wife so much pleasure. And SHIT — his worst fears are confirmed — Brad’s junk is impressive.”
“Cooper glances back up at Brad, feeling like more of an underdog than ever and guilty as hell he just checked him out. Brad stands there oblivious, on display, simply enjoying his post workout shower. Then he turns off the water and leaves. Cooper watches him go, self-hatred turning to anger — at himself, his wife, BRAD…Finally, it’s all too much — he lets himself fall forward against the wall, his arms thudding on the tile.”
How big was Brad’s penis in Sex/Life?
How big was Brad’s penis in Sex/Life? Well, according to Netflix, it’s way above average. In July 2021, Netflix posted a video on its UK and Ireland YouTube channel that answered that question. The video cited research from the National Health Service, which found that the average size of a flaccid penis is 9 centimeters, and from Brad’s Sex/Life scene, his member seems to be a lot bigger than that.
“According to the NHS, the average penis is 9 cm when not erect,” a voiceover in the video said. “There’s a lot of variation to either side of that, but the bottom line is that Cooper’s not wrong to be intimidated by the competition. Take note, everyone: we’re in the presence of a natural wonder.”
The video cited a study of more than 15,000 men in 2014 at King’s College London. The study found that the average size of a flaccid penis is 3.6 inches or 9.1 cm, and that the average size of an erect penis size is 5.2 inches or 13.2 cm. As for the circumference (or girth) of the penis, the study found that the average circumference of an erect penis is 4.6 inches or 11.6 cm, while the average circumference of a flaccid penis is 3.7 inches or 9.4 cm. While the video didn’t reveal the exact size of Brad’s penis, it did confirm that it’s above average and a “natural wonder” to both Cooper and viewers.
Sex/Life is available to stream on Netflix.
Image: Courtesy of Amazon.
For more about Sex/Life, read BB Easton’s memoir, Sex/Life: 44 Chapters About 4 Men. The book—which is described as a “laugh-out-loud funny and brutally honest look at female sexuality”—takes readers through psychologist BB Easton’s four most pivotal relationships: a sadistic tattoo artist; a pop rock parolee; a heavy metal bass player; and her husband, Ken, a straight-laced accountant. Missing the reckless, passionate sex life she had before her marriage to Ken, Easton keeps a secret journal, where she writes about her past escapades with her ex-boyfriends. But when Ken finds the journal and starts to act out the words on the pages, “BB learns that the man she was trying so hard to change was perfect for her all along.”
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