Just one week ago, the internet was set aflame by the news of Bella Thorne becoming a creator on OnlyFans. The former Disney star, who is no stranger to the adult industry, joined the likes of millions of adult creators, giving her fans a glimpse into her intimate life. That may have been her intention, but it wasn’t exactly the result. In an effort to draw traffic to her page, Bella advertised her new venture on one of the largest social media platforms in the world, Instagram—a place where adult performers are deleted and banned for any mention of their OnlyFans page.
For the uninitiated, OnlyFans is a subscription-based service with 50 million registered users that, according to the company, has paid out over $1 billion to its 700,000 content creators. The platform was first launched in 2016 to serve as a fan site of sorts for adult industry workers, giving followers the opportunity to subscribe to their favorite star’s profile, chat with them via direct message, or purchase images and videos directly from the creator. A considerable portion of a model’s earnings comes from these individual messages, as well as tips provided by the customer. This platform gave adult creators the ability to earn an income without major studios’ involvement—crucial to many during the COVID-19 shutdown.
As the site grew, so has its popularity with mainstream performers. Though originally fashioned around adult creators, we have seen major celebrities—such as Cardi B—join OnlyFans, charging users for added insight into their daily lives. While this move excited many in the adult community, others feared that OnlyFans would seek to push adult performers off the platform in an effort to attract more mainstream celebrities.
Enter Bella Thorne. Around this time last year, Bella directed her first adult film for Pornhub, Her & Him, starring Abella Danger and Small Hands. As she took home the Visionary Award at the Pornhub awards, I remember seeing Bella on stage smiling and giggling with Abella as they headed backstage together. Bella seemed excited yet comfortable with her surroundings. So the news of Bella opening an OnlyFans didn’t come as too much of a shock.
When Bella’s first Instagram post advertising her OnlyFans page dropped, the news spread like wildfire. Within 24 hours, Bella had reportedly earned $1 million on the platform. This news sent the world, including current adult content creators on OnlyFans, spinning with excitement that quickly turned into frustration and animosity. While there has been much scrutiny over her motivation for joining, what she was promising (an alleged pay-per-view nude image for $200 that was never delivered), and how it may have led to a set of rule changes that hurt existing creators, another issue it raised was how Bella Thorne was able to openly advertise her OnlyFans page on her Instagram when so many sex workers have been removed for doing so.
Yes, Instagram has become notorious for deplatforming adult creators who make any mention of OnlyFans. When adult creators include OnlyFans as a graphic in an image, mention it in their comments, or link their OnlyFans page to their Instagram bio, they are banned for sharing a link to “pornographic content.” Currently, there are five different posts that link back to Bella’s OnlyFans page, as well as her link in bio. It’s a glaring double standard—and one that has angered many adult creators.
As the president of the Adult Performers Actors Guild (APAG), I’ve catalogued 2,045 adult workers who have been removed from Instagram, many because of links to their OnlyFans pages. When speaking to Instagram in the past, they have always stated that OnlyFans was considered an adult link, violating their terms of service agreement, and cited it as the reason why they instituted the ban. Many adult creators have complained that Instagram-verified accounts are protected when it comes to these issues. When their posts are reported, most immediately receive an automated answer claiming that the reported post does not violate their community standards.
When Bella’s OnlyFans advertisement on Instagram went viral, receiving over 4.1 million views at time of writing, the issue of discrimination against adult workers on OnlyFans rose to the fore. Bella reportedly earned over $2 million on OnlyFans in her first week, thanks largely to the Instagram PR. This record-breaking sum begs the question: How much money are adult creators losing by not being allowed to advertise their OnlyFans links on Instagram? We may have just received our answer: millions.
Many have been left frustrated by Bella Throne’s clumsy foray into OnlyFans, and with good reason, but the actress has also inadvertently shined a light on the battle we have been fighting with Instagram for nearly two years. Following the Bella Thorne news, APAG’s lawyer James Felton reached out to Instagram’s legal team, with whom we’ve been discussing our discrimination concerns for the last month. They’ve since taken our concerns directly to Instagram. We have yet to receive a reply.
