The CEO of OnlyFans has sparked a debate after insisting that the subscription-based platform is not a 'porn' site.
Following its launch in 2016, OnlyFans has grown in popularity and welcomed creators and subscribers from all over the world.
Users are now able to make millions from sharing their content on the platform, and after first joining the company in January 2022 as chief strategy and operations officer, Keily Blair took over as CEO in July 2023.
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Almost one year on, Blair sat down with The Financial Times to discuss the site where a large amount of creators share explicit, sexual content.
When asked if she would call OnlyFans a 'porn site', Blair responded: "No: we’re a site that hosts adult content, but we also host a variety of other content. And a lot of the people who create adult content also choose to create other content, so maybe yoga and naked yoga."
Blair went on to point out that since OnlyFans is a site for adults, it should 'cater
to all of grown-ups’ interests'.
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"Lots of people who are over 18 like sex, but they also like comedy and sports and music, so [it’s about] being able to cater to our audience base and to be able to provide opportunities for creators," she explained.
"We don’t want to categorise people, so we don’t. That’s why we don’t categorise our content either. Creators are able to create whatever content they choose to, as long as it’s within our terms of service."
When asked specifically why she avoided using the word 'porn', Blair expressed belief it can be 'quite a pejorative term'.
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"There’s a lot of people who would hear that and think one thing or another thing," she said, adding: "When we talk about this subject, it’s really important to be as unemotive as possible.
"The word “porn” has been wrapped up in some of the negative things that were the case for the adult-content industry, and we’ve done an awful lot to try and help adult-content creators to have a safe space on the internet and be treated with respect. That’s the reason why I don’t tend to use the P word."
After Blair shared her thoughts on the site, readers took to social media with thoughts of their own.
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One X user expressed belief that OnlyFans is 'definitely a porn site', saying it is 'filled with actual porn stars and women who aren't adult entertainers trying to earn extra coins through the oldest form of entrepreneurship'.
Another responded to Blair's comments to say: "I'm sorry, what? You pay for adult content on that site...that's literally what porn is, adult content."
Other social media users shared different opinions, with one writing: "onlyfans is not a Porn site."
Another X post reads: "Onlyfans isn't a porn site by the way. Anyone can jump on there and post any content."
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Though people might not be able to agree on the type of site OnlyFans is, Blair has made clear that the platform continues to see success, saying: "We’ve paid out over $15bn to creators since we started, and that’s increasing year on year."
Emily Brown