Thorne apologised, saying she'd been trying to 'normalise the stigma' associated with sex work and porn. Photo / Instagram
Thorne apologised, saying she'd been trying to 'normalise the stigma' associated with sex work and porn. Photo / Instagram
Bella Thorne stunned the world this year after she made millions of dollars in a matter of days after joining OnlyFans.
But the former Disney actor suffered severe backlash for joining the adults only platform, with controversy over a set of "nude" photos and criticism from sex workers on the site that her joining severely affected their ability to make an income.
Thorne announced she was launching an account on the adults only paid subscription service in August in a racy Instagram video.
The actress, who was already estimated to have a net worth between $US5 and $12 million, made $US1 million in the 24 hours after debuting her account, according to OnlyFans. In the following days her earnings grew to $US2 million.
Thorne revealed she'd joined the platform, primarily used by sex workers, in a bikini and diamond-encrusted necklace that read "sex".
Thorne apologised, saying she'd been trying to 'normalise the stigma' associated with sex work and porn. Photo / Instagram
She also advertised a picture set on the site as nudes, selling it to her fans for $200. However, the set did not include naked photos.
The issue caused so many users disappointment that OnlyFans reportedly had to issue refunds — and some users believe it led to the platform making changes in their policies.
Thorne later said in a tweet: "Also nooooo I'm not doing nudity".
Thorne's enormous payday from joining the platform, as well as her refusal to post adult, nude content, sparked heavy criticism from sex workers, who said her appearance on the platform had severely hurt their ability to make a living.
'YOU WANTED THE CASH GRAB'
"You bragged about making 2 mill$ in a week and everyone already knows what OnlyFans is so you weren't 'shining a light' on anything," one sex worker wrote online. "You scammed people and only spoke up bc you've been ridiculed for the last few days and thought it would just go away."
"If you respected our work you wouldn't have scammed people in the first place. I can barely make rent on the first let alone my other bills. You wanted the cash grab," another sex worker wrote.
After Thorne joined Only Fans, a number of changes were made to the site, including preventing creators from charging more than $US40 for pay-per-view content and capping users from tipping more than $US100.
The site also extended the time allowed to pay creators from seven to 30 days.
The OnlyFans platform has basically been destroyed because of her lying. Sex work is real work and Bella Thorne just made a joke out of it and proved she has no idea what it means to be a sex worker. She disrespected every sex worker out there and nobody will forget about this.
Thorne later announced she'd be making a film with acclaimed director Sean Baker about her experiences on the platform.
"Thank u @paper I'm excited to talk about the politics behind female body shaming sex," Thorne wrote in an Instagram post. "With the amazing director sean baker who I'm proud to call my friend," she said.
But as the backlash from sex workers intensified, Baker rebuked Thorne and said he was not working on the film with her, calling her interview "false".
"I would like to make it clear that the news of me making a film (documentary or fiction narrative) about OnlyFans and using Bella Thorne as research is false," he wrote on Twitter.
Baker explained he'd met with Thorne to discuss a "possible collaboration" in the "far future" focusing on "her life and the circumstances leading to her joining OnlyFans".
"On that call, I advised her team to consult with sex workers and address the way she went about this as to NOT hurt the sex work industry … I am an ally and have literally devoted my career to tell stories that remove stigma and normalise lifestyles that are under attack.
"I would never do anything that could possibly hurt the community. So please know that this news is not correct."
At the end of August, Thorne issued an apology for joining the site amid the growing backlash, saying she'd been trying to "normalise the stigma" around sex work and porn.
The former Disney actor quickly faces a backlash for sex workers. Photo / Instagram
"I wanted to bring attention to the site, the more people on the site the more likely of a chance to normalise the stigmas, and in trying to do this I hurt you," she wrote.
"I have risked my career a few times to remove the stigma behind sex work, porn, and the natural hatred people spew behind anything sex related. I wrote and directed a porn against the high brows of my peers and managers because I WANTED to help with the stigma behind sex."
"I am a mainstream face and when you have a voice, a platform, you try to use you in helping others and advocate for something bigger than yourself. Again in this process I hurt you and for that I'm truly sorry."
She also apologised for sex workers financially hurt by the changes on the platform.
OnlyFans has denied it made changes to the site because of Thorne, saying in a statement: "any changes to transaction limits are not based on any one user".
"Transaction limits are set to help prevent overspending and to allow our users to continue to use the site safely," read a statement shared by the site. "We value all of the feedback received since this change was implemented and we will continue to review these limits."
Despite the controversy and apparent loss of a project with Baker, Thorne has continued to use OnlyFans and regularly advertises the site through her mainstream social media.
