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Wed, 11 Mar 2026

Wed, 11 Mar 2026 'Icky and heartbreaking': The $2 per hour worker behind the OnlyFans boom

The BBC talks to a Philippines-based woman paid to pretend to be an OnlyFans star in online chats.
A woman from the Philippines who earns less than $2 per hour pretending to be an OnlyFans model online has described her job as "heartbreaking". She works for an agency that hires out her services, and she must interact with fans and attempt to sell them images and videos. The platform connects creators of explicit content with users who pay a subscription to access their material and chat online. OnlyFans generated $7.2 billion in revenue last year, but the workers hired by agencies like hers are paid very little. They often have to pretend to be someone they're not, which can be emotionally draining. The woman said that even though she knew what the job entailed, it was still unpleasant and made her question her morality. The union representing these workers, known as "chatters", has expressed concerns about the largely unregulated nature of this type of online work. They say that workers are exposed to potentially egregious or harmful content without clear guidelines on safety, accountability, and worker protection. The woman's agency pays her under $4 an hour for chatting work, but she says it's not worth the emotional toll. She also mentioned concerns about potential legal risks in taking on this type of work, given the strict anti-pornography laws in the Philippines. The union president noted that while there are advantages to outsourced digital jobs, including higher potential income and opportunities to develop skills, the industry needs more regulation to protect workers from exploitation.