OnlyFans is a platform full of controversies.
For starters, it's heavily association with adult content: While the platform was not focusing on that since the beginning, the platform's initial success following COVID-19 pandemic is heavily tied with amateur pornography.
Some people consider this as a stigma that hinders its acceptance in certain circles. Some people also concern the fact of potential exploitation of creators, particularly vulnerable individuals, as the platform lacks the content moderation practices employed by larger platforms.
But regardless, the platform has been credited by many for its ability to provide creators with direct monetization by offering "fans" exclusive content.
By giving creators more control, OnlyFans provides creators the ability to control monetization, giving the ability to have a reliable source of income. And this disrupted traditional content models in the process.
And this time, Drea de Matteo is giving the platform a huge credit.
Drea de Matteo was born in January, 1972, in Queens, New York City. She earned a Bachelor of Fine Arts in film production from New York University's Tisch School of the Arts.
Among her works, she is known for her role as Adriana La Cerva on the television drama The Sopranos.
It was through the series, in which she received the Primetime Emmy Award for Best Supporting Actress in a Drama Series in 2004.
She was nominated for a Golden Globe the same year for the same role.
But popularity and fame don't always translate to continuous financial success.
After her refusal to have the COVID-19 vaccine, her decision had a deliberate consequences to her acting career.
She lost pretty much all her sources of income, that she had just $10 in her bank account.
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Drea caught herself in such a perilous financial situation after taking a forbearance to help with her mortgage repayments, but ultimately couldn't afford the sum that she owed collectors.
"They put me into foreclosure and my house had flooded, so I was trying to sell the house quickly," she said.
"I wanted to try and sell it before they took it."
"At the same time, I lost my mom, and my other mom, who has dementia, had run out of money for her caregiver. I didn't know which way was up."
This was when she started considering OnlyFans.
As a 52 years old woman, OnlyFans might be an alienating platform, because most models there are way younger than her.
In fact, she was reluctant in joining the adult subscription service.
At first, she only toyed with the idea, after she and her husband had thought about joining to create a quasi-podcast.
"I did it, but I didn't want to do it," she admitted.
"I got a lot of heat for doing it and it went fucking viral and people went nuts."
"I mean, the original premise to open the OnlyFans was Robbie and I were gonna do a podcast on there that was controversial. We wanted to put it behind a paywall so to not be destroyed in the media for it."
"That was what it was going to be originally, you know, like with him rubbing my feet because you have to add a little something for OnlyFans in there."
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By joining the platform as a model to upload and reveal racy uploads, she prove that the business is so lucrative that she managed to pay off her mortgage debts within just five minutes.
"I was like, holy shit. In five minutes, I was able to pay back compass real estate who kept the sale of my house," she said in an interview.
"It saved us. OnlyFans saved my life, 100 percent. I can't believe I'm saying that, but it really did save us."
"Anybody that wants to condemn me and put me down, go for it. I just hope you never find yourself in the position I was in to take care of two little kids."
Drea also credited OnlyFans for helping her launch ULTRAFREE, her own business.
The streetwear brand was inspired by her 12-year-old son.
"It saved my home of many years that was very important to us. And beyond all that, it has given me enough money to start up and finance ULTRAFREE."
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The actress said that she has since been dieting on carbohydrates to get in shape for the money shots.
According to her, the photos "might be touched up here and there," but for the most part, she still has to look good on camera.
"I don't look good in the pictures if I'm skinny. Before photo shoot, I get to eat and eat. I get to bulk up to look better."
"We're just carb loading. I'm just being an Italian lady in the world, eating spaghetti and pasta and steak."
"You want your boobs to be big and your butt to be big. Otherwise, the photos are a snooze fest!"
In her photos, at least initially, they contain no nudity.
Drea only posed alluringly, most of which using her underwear. While some are see-through, the photos don't show her bare.
Instead of showcasing things explicitly, she provided them in a more casual, in a way that entices curiosity, but without comprehending the sexiness.
In all, she managed to show that at 50+ age, her sex appeal is still comparable to even those that are far younger than her.
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OnlyFans is one of the very few platforms that managed to disrupt traditional content models.
By challenging the dominance of advertising-driven platforms by offering a creator-centric, subscription-based model, the shift empowers creators to control their content, pricing, and audience engagement, potentially leading to a more sustainable and equitable ecosystem for content creation.
Putting ethical considerations aside, the platform has been the source of income by many people.
And here, Drea's success story is just one of the many stories, and in business perspective, this "free" marketing should translate well for OnlyFans.
Following her newfound fame and fortune, Drea blasted the "saturated' industry" of Hollywood.
"I mean, that place is a freaking cesspool. I'm not gonna lie. TV sucks," she said.
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