Mary Ellen Cook (born June 15, 1980), known professionally as Mary Carey, is an American former adult film actress, Playboy model, radio host, film director and politician known for her appearance on the VH1 reality TV series Celebrity Rehab and Sober House. She was inducted into the AVN Hall of Fame in 2013. In April 2021, she announced that she would run for governor of California, but three months later she pulled out of the race. Early life Carey was born in to a father with cerebral palsy and a mother with schizophrenia. She was raised by her grandparents from the age of three months old, moving with them to Fort Lauderdale, Florida at the age of seven. She attended Pine Crest preparatory school in Fort Lauderdale on a scholarship. She lost her grandfather to lung cancer when she was 16. In 1999, she enrolled in Florida Atlantic University (FAU) with the intention of getting a degree in theatre. Trained in ballet, she performed on the dance team at FAU. After three years, she left university at 21 to help better provide for her family. Career In addition to appearing in pornographic films, Carey has also worked as a feature dancer and appeared on Playboy TV. She retired from performing in adult films in 2008. In January/February 2008, Carey was featured on the VH1 reality TV series Celebrity Rehab, receiving treatment for alcoholism. While on Celebrity Rehab, she stated that she would leave the porn industry and straighten out her life because of her mother, who was hospitalized in Florida after jumping off a four-story building as a suicide attempt the previous month. In the reunion episode of the show taped approximately six months after leaving rehab, she claimed she had not made an adult movie since becoming sober and intends to never make another one. However, she continues to "feature dance" in clubs, saying that she needs the money to care for her mother, but also hopes to stop doing this. In an interview with AVN magazine, Carey stated that she had entered rehab to tackle an addiction to Xanax (which she had developed around the time she dropped out of her second run for governor) and that the focus on alcohol was created by the show. In 2009, Carey made a film titled Celebrity Pornhab with Dr. Screw. The film is a pornographic parody of the VH1 show