Melissa Bulanhagui once gave up the support she had as a Team USA figure skater for a chance to represent the Philippines. Years after her skating career ended, she made another major life change and entered the adult film industry under the name Jada Kai.
The Filipino-American skater's path took her from international competitions for the United States to two Philippine national titles. Her story has drawn fresh attention online, but her problems with funding and her later adult film career happened during separate parts of her life.
Why Melissa Chose the Philippines
Bulanhagui was born in Philadelphia on 16 August 1990 to Filipino parents. She started skating in 1996 and went on to represent the United States at international events until 2010, while also competing at the US national level through 2011.
Her US career included a bronze medal in the junior women's event at the 2006 US Championships. She later won the 2008 ISU Junior Grand Prix event in Merano, Italy, and took bronze at the 2010 Nebelhorn Trophy in Germany.
In 2011, Bulanhagui decided to represent the Philippines, where both of her parents were born. In an interview that October, she explained that skating for the country was a way to honour them, saying, 'Skating for the Philippines, it is my chance to compete for them.'
Two Philippine Titles Followed
Despite those costs, Bulanhagui became a two-time Philippine national champion, taking the title in 2012 and again in 2013. She also won bronze at the Asian Open Figure Skating Trophy in Bangkok in 2013.
Her move also put her on the international stage for the Philippines. She competed at the Four Continents Championships in 2013 and later returned to the event in 2015.
The 2015 competition in Seoul became one of the final major events of her career. Official International Skating Union results show that she finished 15th overall with 126.32 points, one place ahead of fellow Philippine skater Alisson Krystle Perticheto.
Bulanhagui Spoke Out Over Support
By 2013, Bulanhagui was publicly talking about the problems she said she faced while representing the Philippines. She complained about the support she received and was particularly upset that she had not been selected for the Olympic qualifying event.
The skater said she had already proved herself by winning twice at the national level. 'I came here from Team USA to compete as a Filipino national, hoping to prove that I was the best in the country and I did that twice,' she said.
She also worried that younger skaters could face similar problems. 'I have so much love for the sport but if they can do it to me, the more they can do it to the kids who spent so much time and effort,' she said.
From Figure Skating to Jada Kai
Several years after leaving competitive skating, Bulanhagui began working in adult entertainment under the stage name Jada Kai. Sources documenting her later career place her move into professional adult film in 2019.
Her unusual career change later became part of her public story. A January 2021 episode of the 'Talk, Naked' podcast introduced Jada Kai as the former international figure skater Melissa Carmen Bulanhagui and discussed her move into adult film.
What the available evidence does not show is that her funding problems in Philippine skating caused her to enter pornography. The events happened years apart, and reports documenting her complaints about skating support do not establish such a link.
A Career With Two Very Different Chapters
Before becoming Jada Kai, Bulanhagui had already built a notable skating record. She represented two countries, won an ISU Junior Grand Prix event for the US, earned two Philippine national titles and competed twice at the Four Continents Championships.
Her decision to represent the Philippines also carried a personal meaning that went beyond medals. When she announced the switch in 2011, she said it was a chance to give something back to her Filipino parents after the opportunities their move to the United States had given her.
Her later move into adult entertainment became a separate chapter of her public life. More than a decade after her switch from Team USA to the Philippines, the sharp contrast between those two careers continues to bring new attention to Bulanhagui's story.
