Why are some artists turning to OnlyFans?

The online subscription platform OnlyFans is known for being a place where sex workers can get paid safely, as well as a space where celebrities can interact with fans.

But a lot of artists are using it to make ends meet — and that raises all kinds of questions about the viability of being an artist these days.

Andrea Werhun is a performer, film producer and the author of the memoir Modern Whore. Reanna Cruz is a writer for Vulture and producer for the podcast Switched on Pop. Today on Commotion, they join host Elamin Abdelmahmoud to discuss the trend, and what it means for sex workers when civilians or celebrities dip their toes into the industry.

We've included some highlights below, edited for length and clarity. For the full discussion, listen and follow Commotion with Elamin Abdelmahmoud on your favourite podcast player.

Elamin: Reanna, I want to talk about the big stars here. Musicians and artists first really began to migrate to OnlyFans during the pandemic, but now it kind of seems like a pretty common way to earn extra cash or retention for artists who actually are doing OK. What's your sense of this?

Reanna: I think it's extremely hard as an artist today to make money, you know? Shows are getting canceled, and I think often we as fans overestimate the amount of money artists are making. For rappers that are coming up with OnlyFans, I think they're doing it as a way to make money, but also as an extension of the brand, because we live in an era where artists need to monetize aspects of themselves other than their music. You can't just exist being a musician and letting your music speak for itself; that's not really working anymore, so you need to monetize your personhood as well.

Elamin: We've got people who are using it as a means to an end, like they can't be a writer or an actor or musician without the money that they're making, and then all these stars who their careers, as far as we can tell, are going fine. Lily Allen is the reason we're having this conversation…. She talked about how empowering she's found this experience so far. I heard her say when she was younger, her image was sexualized without her permission, and now she gets to be a bit more in control of this thing. So it's kind of allowed her a journey of transformation, if you will. Does that surprise you, that she's kind of found empowerment in doing this?

Andrea: No, that doesn't surprise me. I think putting a financial boundary around your body and charging for access and charging time to people, it absolutely changes a person's life to be able to say no. Like, "Oh my God, I've been doing this for free my entire life." It's a game changer. So I understand why it would be empowering for her.

Elamin: Andrea, there is a history at work when these celebrities hop onto a platform like OnlyFans, because OnlyFans did go through a period of time where they were like, "Actually, we don't want the sex workers. We know that we built our name on the sex workers, but what we really want is this sort of premium relationship with celebrities." And of course, sex workers rose up and said, "Actually, no, we literally built this entire platform. What do you mean you're going to kick us out of this place?"

People who this is the full-time thing that they do, it feels like there's a detriment to them when celebrities are just kind of like tourists in that space. What's at stake for sex workers, as it becomes more and more common for musicians and artists to hop on the platform?

Andrea: I think it's important for us to remember that sex workers do sex work for one reason and one reason only, and that's for the money. We don't do it for fun. We don't do it to extend our brands. We do it to survive a capitalist hellscape. And it is a job that comes with enormous risks to our safety, our reputations, our future career prospects. But also, it's a job that provides a flexibility of time, labour and compensation that is, frankly, unmatched in the job market, which is why it continues to be appealing to artists as a side gig.

For many sex workers, platforms like OnlyFans are the difference between being housed or being unhoused, or the difference between being fed or being hungry. So when civilians and celebrities engage in sex work for a laugh or to tarnish squeaky clean reputations, they become forces of gentrification in our industry, and it negatively impacts the people who don't get to do sex work as a choice or just as a side hustle.

You can listen to the full discussion from today's show on CBC Listen or on our podcast, Commotion with Elamin Abdelmahmoud, available wherever you get your podcasts.

Panel produced by Jess Low.