OnlyFans may not have originally been meant to be a bastion of sexually explicit content, especially from celebrities, but that’s exactly what it became. Now the site is attempting to distance itself from the very content that made it famous. That leads us to an important question: what’s to become of the celebrities who joined the site?
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Though it might have initially been started with the intention of being a site where content creators could directly interact with fans and produce exclusive content for a bit of extra money, OnlyFans soon drew a very different clientele. Almost immediately, the site drew legions of sex workers and others who produced explicit content, including quite a few celebrities.
Some of the people who have broken records for the most money earned in a short period of time have been celebrity content creators. Bella Thorne, for a brief moment, held the title of most money earned in a 24 hour period on the site after her debut, though that record wasn’t without its controversy.
After raking in a record $1 million on the first day of her debut, she soon faced backlash for setting her starting subscription rate at a high price of $20 a month. She also received complaints after refusing to post nude content, instead of posting suggestive photos such as posing in a bikini or eating a hot dog. To be clear, she’d never promised nude content and had been upfront about this choice. Some sex workers blamed the former Disney star for changes made to OnlyFans’ payout rules, which undoubtedly created a headache for the site.
The site denied rumors that Thorne was behind the reason for the change, announcing in a statement that transaction limits imposed by the platform were “not based on any one user,” adding, “Transaction limits are set to help prevent overspending and to allow our users to continue to use the site safely.”
Another famous face on the platform is Bhad Bhabie, otherwise known as Danielle Bregoli, the “cash me outside” girl of Dr. Phil fame. She blasted through Bella Thorne’s record with ease, earning $1 million in just the first six hours after she joined the site. She debuted on the site not long after she turned 18, though her photos and videos are not explicit, either.
Of course, other kinds of celebrities joined the site as well, including former Boy Meets World star-turned-adult actress Maitland Ward, who bragged about the monthly earnings she took home from the site in an interview with TMZ. Now it looks like these stars will have to find another source of income thanks to OnlyFans’ new policy.
The social media platform has decided to ban all sexually explicit content starting in October. In a statement, the site explained their decision, “In order to ensure the long-term sustainability of our platform, and continue to host an inclusive community of creators and fans, we must evolve our content guidelines.” The site will still allow nude pictures and videos, as long as they meet the terms of service.
The platform is hoping to move away from its reputation as a safe place for sex workers and more towards a space for musicians, chefs, fitness instructors, and other internet influencers to convene with fans, in order to help attract investors that are hesitant to invest in what is seen as porn. This move is likely to be unpopular with many of its users and content creators, but we’ll have to wait to see the full scope of the policy change’s outcome until the change is made official in October.