Bella Thorne’s foray into OnlyFans wound up screwing a whole lot of people who use the site for their primary or sole income, and now she says she’s trying to make it right.
The ex-Disney star made $2 million from her page after a week on OnlyFans, convincing around 50,000 people to subscribe to her page at a rate of $20 per month. As frustrating as that was for content creators on the site who have been hustling to make a living for some time now, it was Thorne’s pay-per-view photo, which she charged users an additional $200 to view, that stirred up trouble.
Some users said Thorne was claiming the photo had nudity, something very commonly seen on OnlyFans pages. But it actually didn’t, and apparently so many people who purchased it complained to the site for a refund that they altered several policies that stand to deeply damage the income of regular everyday creators on the site.
None— Wolfman (@Wolfman) 1598587929
After that, the site's policies changed. The pay-per-view photo price limit has now been capped at $50 and the maximum amount a user can send as a tip is $100. And rather than get paid 7 days after making their money, creators will now have to wait a full 30 days — something that can be a serious problem in the gig economy.
\u201cHEADS UP ONLY FANS CREATOR!!! Have a feelings this is going to change the game a bit!\u201d— \ud83d\udc8bhadley monroe\ud83d\udc8b (@\ud83d\udc8bhadley monroe\ud83d\udc8b) 1598588869
OnlyFans has denied that “any one user” is to blame for the policy changes, but the timing has people doubting that claim — including, it would seem, Bella herself.
The actress has been clear that her decision to join OnlyFans was made in part to help break the stigma surrounding sex and sex work, as the site has often been used by sex workers as a safe place to provide content to a paying audience.
In a series of tweets posted Saturday, she says she realizes she hurt the people she was trying to help with her actions, and plans on meeting with OnlyFans to discuss the new restrictions.
\u201cI wanted to bring attention to the site, the more people on the site the more likely of a chance to normalize the stigmas, And in trying to do this I hurt you. I have risked my career a few times to remove the stigma behind sex work, porn, and the natural hatred people spew...\u201d— BITCHIMBELLATHORNE (@BITCHIMBELLATHORNE) 1598739949
\u201cbehind 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.\u201d— BITCHIMBELLATHORNE (@BITCHIMBELLATHORNE) 1598739986
\u201c...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\u2019m truly sorry.\u201d— BITCHIMBELLATHORNE (@BITCHIMBELLATHORNE) 1598740041
\u201cPs. I\u2019m meeting with only fans about the new restrictions to find out why!!! This is fucked up and I\u2019m sorry comment any ideas or concerns you want brought up to OF!! and send me your links and a pic so I can promote you guys\u201d— BITCHIMBELLATHORNE (@BITCHIMBELLATHORNE) 1598740126
