OnlyFans, a subscription-based site known for pornographic material, is pushing for PG-rated content on its safe-for-work streaming platform, OFTV.
In recent months, after growing criticism and a “porn” stigma on the platform, OnlyFans has made an extra effort to promote everything from cooking videos to celebrity comedy specials and reality shows on OFTV.
All content on OFTV comes from OnlyFans creators, but unlike the actual OnlyFans platform, no nudity or pornography is allowed.
OFTV has begun recruiting a number of prominent creators for less risqué content, most notably American comedian and podcaster Whitney Cummings.
Cummings, 40, joined the site in 2022 so she could post some of her more outlandish jokes behind a paywall without being “taken out of context” on mainstream social media apps like Twitter.
OnlyFans, a subscription-based site known for pornographic material, is pushing for PG-rated content on its safe-for-work streaming platform, OFTV. OnlyFans creator Jessika Power is pictured
In recent months, OnlyFans has put extra effort into promoting everything from cooking videos to comedy specials and reality shows on OFTV. The cast of OFTV’s comedy competition series LMAOF is pictured
“I know people like to make fun of it [OnlyFans] because there are naked ladies on it. I just decided if audiences come here, as a comedian there’s something worth looking into here,” she told Variety last year.
She added: “I wouldn’t have the self esteem to get people to see my naked body. Instead of dirty photos you will see dirty jokes.’
On April 1, Cummings is releasing a star-studded comedy roast from comedian Bert Kreischer exclusively on the platform.
OFTV has also signed former The Only Way is Essex stars Chloe, Frankie, Demi and Charlie Sims for their own family reality show House of Sims.
“There’s obviously a little taboo around OnlyFans,” Frankie admitted to Good Morning Britain last year.
“OFTV is more like its sister platform,” explained Charlie. “It means moving away from the explicit or naked side. It will all be safe for work and suitable for everyone to see.’
All content on OFTV comes from OnlyFans creators, but unlike the actual OnlyFans platform, no nudity or pornography is allowed. OFTV cooking series This is Fire is pictured
OFTV has also launched a PG-rated dating show called Miss/Match (pictured) where various OnlyFans creators meet face-to-face to get to know each other face-to-face
OFTV has launched a cooking show called This Is Fire, which pits different OnlyFans creators against each other, as well as a comedy series called LMAOF, featuring up-and-coming comedians on the platform.
OnlyFans has also reached out directly to lifestyle influencers to get them onto the platform.
Food blogger Anthony O’Connell, known as UpperFeast on Instagram, told Slate that OnlyFans reached out to him as part of their “rebranding.”
“I literally just giggled from considering it purely as a porn site. I didn’t even realize that people weren’t creating explicit content there,” he said.
“They told me they were trying to rebrand the brand,” the foodie added.
Whitney Cummings (pictured) joined OnlyFans last year to try out edgier comedy behind a paywall and will start a roast of comedian Bert Kreischer on OFTV on April 1st
OFTV has also signed former The Only Way is Essex stars Chloe, Frankie, Demi and Charlie Sims for their own family reality show House of Sims. Pictured
Despite their pursuit of broader content, it is believed that the majority of OnlyFans creators create explicit content.
Rapper Iggy Azalea is said to earn around seven figures by selling topless photos of himself to subscribers.
Many ex-reality contestants also make a lucrative living on OnlyFans with racy posts, including Married At First Sight stars like Jessika Power and Olivia Frazer, as well as Denise Richards, Carmen Electra and Larsa Pippen.
Power was at times making $100,000 a month on the site, while Olivia Frazer was making around $500,000 in her first six months.
At one point, Cardi B had an OnlyFans page, but she has since left the platform to join Playboy’s rival app.
Former Bachelor star Kiki Morris (pictured) has been posting sex videos on OnlyFans with her Spanish fiancé
Married At First Sight star Mishel Karen, 52, has become one of Australia’s top adult entertainers after filming a string of hardcore porn videos on OnlyFans
Rapper Iggy Azalea is said to earn around seven figures by selling topless photos of himself to subscribers
Twitter is said to have been working on an OnlyFans-style subscription last year that would allow users to sell nude photos and videos, but internal documents obtained by The Verge show the plan was squashed because the company “supported the sexual exploitation of children and non-consensual nudity on a scale.’
The statement was made by Twitter’s so-called “Red Team,” which included 84 employees tasked with testing the product to ensure it could be conducted “safely and responsibly,” according to the report.
Coupled with inadequate child pornography detection tools, the Red Team determined that allowing more porn on the site would lead to scrutiny from the legislature and many long-time users could potentially bail.
Those warnings forced executives to pause adult content monetization (ACM) until Twitter can develop the right tools to ensure a safe environment.
OnlyFans has repeatedly been forced to defend itself after critics claimed that potentially illegal content could be making its way onto the platform.
A spokesperson for OnlyFans told last year: “Regarding age verification, OnlyFans is an 18+ only platform and uses a combination of technology and human moderation teams to verify the age and identity of creators and fans.
“For example, as part of the age and identity verification process, creators must provide more than nine pieces of personal information and documents before they can publish content on OnlyFans.”
In 2020, YouTube star Gabi DeMartino was slammed for sharing and suggestively writing about a nude video of herself as a young child on her OnlyFans account.
Gabi, who was 25 at the time, shared a 35-second video with her OnlyFans subscribers – which cost $3 to unblock – along with the message, “I won’t put my panties on”.
In 2020, YouTube star Gabi DeMartino (pictured) was banned from OnlyFans after sharing a nude photo of herself as a child on the platform behind a $3 paywall
Some fans who paid for the clip were horrified to discover that it wasn’t a recently uploaded sexy clip, but a nude clip of her as a little girl around three years old – which her words appear to have sexualized into child pornography .
As soon as the post was spotted, OnlyFans immediately deactivated her account for violating their Terms of Service.
OnlyFans CEO Amrapali Gan defended the platform in a controversial interview with the Sydney Morning Herald earlier this month.
“First of all, we are an 18+ platform and at the heart of our business is security. This is something very important for me to be able to provide a safe place for our community,” she said.
When asked if OnlyFans is a “porn site,” Gan replied, “We are an inclusive content platform.
“So you can subscribe to creators who might be sharing adult content or something on the spicier side. You can also subscribe to YouTubers who might do yoga, or racers. We have over three million content creators on the platform.”
OnlyFans CEO Amrapali Gan (pictured) says OnlyFans is an “inclusive platform” that prioritizes safety
“We are an 18+ platform and at the heart of our business is security. This is something very important to me in order to provide a safe place for our community,” Gan said recently
A BBC investigation in 2021 found that “underage users were selling and appearing in objectionable videos on the platform” after using fake IDs to set up accounts.
In response to the investigation at the time, Gan insisted that OnlyFans was the “safest social media site in the world.”
“We are actively cooperating with law enforcement. If someone makes the mistake of uploading illegal content, we will report them. We truly are the most secure and inclusive social media platform,” she said.
In 2021, OnlyFans briefly banned “sexually explicit content,” claiming the change was prompted by “unfair” banks worried about “reputational risk.”
The company reversed the decision within a week, assuring users that they would continue to support all creators on the platform, including sex workers.
OnlyFans now faces competition from Playboy’s new creator platform, which promises to be an “elevated” version of the X-rated subscription site.
Playboy will allow nudity, which its creators see as a form of art and free speech, but explicit content and pornography will not be allowed.
The company hopes to attract creators who are uncomfortable with the more sexually explicit content on OnlyFans.
Ben Kohn, the company’s CEO, said he hopes the interjections from Playboy creators will disrupt the current creator ecosystem in much the same way “Playboy magazine shook up the publishing industry nearly 70 years ago.”
OnlyFans now faces competition from Playboy’s new creator platform, which promises to be an “elevated” version of the X-rated subscription site. Pictured is Playboy creator Megan Marx
OnlyFans star Gina Stewart, who’s known online as the “world’s hottest granny,” has already thrown in her support for the new Playboy platform.
“The Playboy platform is up, yes, and it’s going to compete with OnlyFans,” she told the Daily Star.
“It will stay within Playboy guidelines, nudity but no pornography,” she added.
“I think that appeals to a more conservative demographic and is a lot more stylish and glamorous.”
Explaining her decision, she told The Jason Lee Show that she wanted to “change” her image.
“All that stuff is a dead end and I know I’m worth a lot more than that. I feel like I have bigger fish to fry,” she said.
“Shout to the people who still have their OnlyFans and stuff like that. Get your money, don’t let the money get you down.’
Reality star Blac Chyna (pictured) recently shut down her OnlyFans account, despite being one of the top creators on the site, because she wanted to change her image