OnlyFans Pays Better Than The Sopranos?
Actress Drea De Matteo Says OnlyFans Saved Her Life
Most viewers will recognize actress Drea De Matteo from her iconic role as the “Jersey Beauty Queen” Adriana in HBO’s mob drama The Sopranos. But fans are getting to see a whole other side of the 52-year-old with some rather spicy pictures and videos behind her OnlyFans paywall.
Though De Matteo’s OnlyFans wasn’t exactly a secret, news of its existence hit the mainstream recently after her appearance on the “OnlyStans” podcast on Barstool Sports. Then, YouTube commentator Tim Pool highlighted this revelation, essentially calling Drea De Matteo a “hooker.”
Women deciding to be hookers instead of having jobs is an arc I didn't expect feminism to take https://t.co/bOjvmG59Sx
— Tim Pool (@Timcast) March 22, 2024
Which prompted De Matteo to respond…
https://twitter.com/dreadematteo/status/1772173179038949789?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw
Despite the rather “spicy” reputation OnlyFans has as being a platform for pornography that has become a “cautionary tale” for young women looking to make a quick buck, De Matteo recently went in-depth with Rolling Stone about why she turned to OnlyFans in the first place.
Apparently, when COVID-19 caused Hollywood to grind to a halt, De Matteo was one of the few who refused to take the vaccine, a decision which quickly got her blacklisted in the entertainment industry and prevented her from getting work. And with no royalties coming in from her previous projects, as well as the financial burden of taking care of two children and a family member with dementia, De Matteo found herself with only $10 in her bank account and her house in danger of being foreclosed on.
De Matteo had been looking to start a podcast on OnlyFans as a way of protecting herself when talking about controversial topics in Hollywood (like anti-vax sentiments) behind a paywall and decided to make a desperate last-minute attempt to make money by offering spicy pictures and videos of herself to fans.
The result?
(Images courtesy of Drea De Matteo’s Instagram page.)
Within five minutes of opening her OF account, she’d made enough to pay off her lenders and keep her house. In fact, one month on OnlyFans earned her more than she made during the entirety of her run on The Sopranos.
De Matteo found the experience, which had been born out of necessity, ultimately empowering. She’s since committed to the platform, doing special photo shoots to continue to offer fans (non-pornographic) spicy images, as well as some commissioned videos of her berating fans in Adriana’s iconic New Jersey accent.
Since then, the success of De Matteo’s OnlyFans account has allowed her to pay off all her debts and even launch a new business called ULTRAFREE, a brand of streetwear clothing.
De Matteo’s success goes against the narrative pushed by numerous pundits that OnlyFans is a toxic platform that ruins the lives of the women who use it to earn money. And while De Matteo’s obviously a rare success story for the platform, her achievement of financial freedom does raise some serious questions for the entertainment industry.
Is catering to direct involvement with fans “prostitution”? Why should actors be forced to turn to a platform like OnlyFans to make a living? What is an actor to do if their personal beliefs get them blacklisted in Hollywood? Is selling non-pornographic photos on OnlyFans a way for actresses over 40 to make up for the lack of roles Hollywood has for them?
Is anybody actually being victimized here?
After all, De Matteo isn’t the only famous person who has gained enormous success on OnlyFans. Bella Thorne, Iggy Azalea, Whitney Cummings, Carmen Electra, and Denise Richards are also on the platform. And who can forget the Dr. Phil sensation, “Catch Me Outside” girl Danielle “Bhad Bhabie” Bregoil, who joined OnlyFans as soon she turned 18 and made $52 million in her first year.
With the rate at which Hollywood is contracting, and with fewer and fewer roles for actors, will we be seeing even MORE actresses turn to OnlyFans to make a living?
What do you think? Is this immoral? Or is this the future of Hollywood? Let us know in the comments!
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