OnlyFans stars SLAM site over porn ban U-turn and demand ‘answers’ from its CEO

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Sex workers and models have slammed OnlyFans in the wake of its U-turn on the ‘sexually explicit’ content ban, accusing the site of causing them ‘immense’ and ‘unnecessary stress’ – while insisting the company has ‘lost all credibility’ after doing a 180 on its porn restrictions. 

The subscriber-based online platform is facing a fresh barrage of criticism from its users over its announcement that it was ‘suspending’ plans to ban all ‘sexually explicit’ content from the site – which is most widely known for hosting X-rated images and videos sold to fans by sex workers and models. 

According to OnlyFans’ chief executive Tom Stokely, the decision to suspend the porn ban – which he claimed was prompted by ‘unfair’ banks who were concerned about ‘reputational risk’ – came as a result of the site ‘securing assurances necessary to support our diverse creator community’. 

However, while members of that creator community have welcomed the suspension, many have also spoken out to slam the site for ever threatening to implement the ban in the first place, with some saying that OnlyFans has now ‘lost all credibility’, while others are threatening to take their business to another online platform. 

Miami-based porn star Kazumi Squirts, 24, is one of those preparing to launch an account on a rival site – with the adult entertainer admitting that she doesn’t believe OnlyFans will make its porn ban suspension permanent. 

‘I don’t believe it for a second,’ she said. ‘It says suspend, not revert. They just didn’t expect such a negative backlash.

‘I am ready to create on another platform, or at least make double the money winning on both.’

Kazumi added that she has lost all faith in the site over the explicit content flip-flop, saying: ‘They’ve lost all credibility. We have to fight in solidarity.

‘We don’t know if this is a marketing ploy to make money off us until the last minute or not, but either way, I don’t trust them.

‘I will be there as long as I can though!’

British OnlyFans model Charlie Rose, 27, agreed, warning: ‘They’ve just announced that’s been suspended for now, so we shall see if that means forever.’

The former police officer added that news of the ban caused her ‘immense stress’ – particularly as she relies on the site as her sole source of income, having quit her full-time job when she started to gain major success as an OnlyFans star. 

‘It’s caused us immense stress. My content mainly fitted within the “new” terms and conditions anyway but I just hope OnlyFans have some answers,’ she continued. 

‘I’ve been there from the start, five years ago before it was even a thing, and we do not deserve to be kept in the dark like we have been. We depend on this income to survive.’

Several other creators joined Rose in demanding answers from the company and its founder Stokely, with former teacher-turned-OnlyFans star Courtney Tillia, 34, from Los Angeles, telling People that she feels ‘betrayed’ by the site – through which she earns up to $100,000 a month. 

‘My initial reaction was like, “Oh yay!”‘ she said of the site’s U-turn. ‘But then you come back to this moment of, “Wait, you betrayed us from the beginning.”

‘Why is it a change now and why is the banking issue okay now? I want to know what [Stokely] is going to do.’ 

Tillia said the site needs to take steps in order to ensure its creators that they will be ‘protected’ in the future – particularly sex workers, who had found something of a safe haven in OnlyFans, where they were able to sell content for sky-high prices without putting themselves at physical risk.  

OnlyFans model Sophie Dee, who is based in Las Vegas, said that she is willing to give the site another chance now that it has reversed its porn ban – however she admitted that she is prepared to move her X-rated content to another platform should the company fail to provide assurances to its creators.     

‘I love OnlyFans. It’s a great platform. Obviously, the news that came out about the ban was a shock but I do understand how banking within the adult industry can be challenging,’ she said.

‘I would’ve still stayed on OnlyFans and just removed any content that goes against their new terms and conditions. I would’ve probably moved my explicit content to a different platform.’   

Thus far, Stokely has shared very little information about what prompted the London-based company’s initial ban announcement – or this week’s surprise reversal – only stating that the original change was prompted by ‘unfair’ banks who were concerned about ‘reputational risk’. 

He named three banks – Metro Bank, JPMorgan Chase and Bank of New York Mellon – but none have yet commented on the matter.

Some Twitter users speculated that the whole thing had been a huge publicity stunt, but OnlyFans insisted that it had ‘suspended’ the change having ‘secured assurances necessary to support our diverse creator community’. 

The platform is predominantly used by sex workers – many of whom joined during the pandemic when in-person adult venues shut – but a number of celebrities, musicians and comedians also use it for non-sexual content.

Creators receive 80 per cent commission on their earnings, while the remaining 20 per cent goes to the company, covering ‘referral payments, payment processing, hosting, support, and all other services’. 

OnlyFans announced the U-turn in a statement on its Twitter page, although it did not clarify whether the ban is permanent or temporary. 

It said: ‘Thank you to everyone for making your voices heard. We have secured assurances necessary to support our diverse creator community and have suspended the planned October 1 policy change.

‘OnlyFans stands for inclusion and we will continue to provide a home for all creators.’

Some users of the platform criticized the policy change when it was first announced, with some stating that they intended to look elsewhere following the announcement, while others were anxious about what the future holds.

The company said today that an ‘official communication to creators will be emailed shortly’, but one user, a 23-year-old who uses the name Hexx Girl, criticised the firm for the U-turn.

She said: ‘I think it just shows the cracks in OnlyFans as a company, and to make things worse, they announced on Twitter and have still yet to send any communications to their users.

‘It shows that all they care about is their public image and they are desperately trying to hold their company together but it’s a sinking ship. I thought surely they were at least gonna stick to it. It’s such a joke.’

Hexx Girl said that after the last announcement, she lost 500 subscribers, meaning her income dropped by $5,000 to $7,000 this month. Her earnings vary monthly.

‘I have new accounts on new sites and will be actively encouraging all my subscribers to move,’ she added.

Initially, the company said the move was being introduced due to pressure from financial partners, leading some to assume payment processors Mastercard and Visa were behind it. 

The company said in a message to users last week: ‘The new rules are necessary to comply with the requirements of these financial institutions and are the only way to help ensure the long-term sustainability of OnlyFans.’

Last week’s abrupt change upset the site’s creators, many of whom threatened to move to another website. The site has been tremendously lucrative for some people, allowing them to earn thousands every month.

Scarlett Woodford, an analyst at Juniper Research, who tracks the adult entertainment industry, told MailOnline: ‘We were surprised to hear about OnlyFans’ initial decision to ban adult content, as this genre of creators represents a lucrative revenue stream for the platform.

‘With content creators able to charge up to $50 for exclusive content, and accept up to $100 in individual tips, the initial decision to ban adult content was likely to have serious financial ramifications for OnlyFans.

‘The ability for users to pay for content on OnlyFans via traditional payment providers, such as Discover, Mastercard and Visa, will rely heavily on the attitudes of these providers towards adult content.

‘Given the fact that all three card providers have withdrawn support for Pornhub, it is unclear as to whether support for adult content monetization will remain.

‘To maintain control over content monetization and reduce the influence of mainstream payment providers, OnlyFans must seriously consider introducing support for cryptocurrency payments.’

OnlyFans says it has 130 million users and two million creators who have collectively earned $5billion.

Lacy Lennon, who says she makes tens of thousands of dollars a month from OnlyFans charging $100 a minute for custom videos, remains skeptical on the ban reversal.

She said: ‘What’s scary is what’s the safety on this? How do we know it won’t happen again?’

There are other sites where people can pay for porn, and a crop of new ones started trying to lure upset OnlyFans creators.

Rapper Tyga was promoting his plans for a new platform called myystar in media interviews after OnlyFans announced their ban, saying, ‘We’re not putting a limit to any content that you do.’

‘We’ve been in the adult industry for 20 years and we’re tired of seeing sex workers get bullied and exploited by the platforms that make the money off them,’ said Mattie McCoy, whose company in Nevada is also developing a site that could offer an alternative to OnlyFans for sex workers, called Naughty Popcorn.

Advocates had criticized OnlyFans’ planned ban, saying they were concerned it would push people into more dangerous street-based sex work. They say taking away a safer virtual space and cutting people’s income makes them more vulnerable to the risk of being trafficked.

‘Not having the online outlet is going to hinder and harm a lot of people. Online is much safer, particularly for trans and gender nonconforming folks,’ said LaLa Zannell, the ACLU’s trans justice campaign manager who leads the rights group’s effort to decriminalise sex work.

The online porn industry is changing amid concerns about sex trafficking and the exploitation of children.

Two 2018 laws, the Stop Enabling Sex Traffickers Act and the Fight Online Sex Trafficking Act, were meant to stop sex trafficking online, and led some spaces to shut down.

But many sex workers say these changes have also made their jobs more dangerous.

Elected officials had also raised concerns about OnlyFans. A bipartisan group of over 100 members of Congress called on the Justice Department to investigate OnlyFans earlier in August, saying the site was a ‘major marketplace’ for sexual videos with children in them.

The letter cited anti-porn group National Center on Sexual Exploitation, which has its origins in the faith-based group Morality in Media, as a source, as well as the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children.

Sex workers and their advocates say conservative and religious groups are trying to erase sex from the internet under the guise of combating sex trafficking and child pornography.

‘The only reason they’re going after porn sites is because they’re ideologically opposed to sexual content,’ said Cathy Reisenwitz, a writer and OnlyFans creator who makes between $1,600 and $3,500 a month on the site. 

‘Trafficking and porn are totally different.’ 

Stokely blamed banks such as Bank of New York Mellon for the planned ban in an interview with the Financial Times on Tuesday, saying they refuse the site’s business.

Adult-content companies have to navigate higher fees and requirements from financial companies beyond what most retailers encounter; others won’t touch it.

Both Mastercard and Visa last year began blocking customers from using credit cards on Pornhub after accusations that the site had videos of rape and underage sex. American Express cards, meanwhile, can’t be used on online pornography. Stripe won’t process adult content.