Early on during the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020, OnlyFans — the subscription-based platform made famous by adult content — became a household name. What catalyzed its sudden popularity? Maybe it was when Beyoncé dropped a reference to it on her “Savage” remix with Megan Thee Stallion. Maybe it was when actor Bella Thorne cleared $1 million in one day after joining. Or maybe it was the constant news stories about underpaid teachers and nurses who had made accounts to make ends meet and who were fired after their employers caught wind of it.
Founded in 2016 in London, OnlyFans has become so ubiquitous that in the comments of photos of good-looking people flexing their wealth on other social platforms, you may see quips that they must make their money on OnlyFans. While in some cases it’s meant as an insult, for many creators who use the platform, its ease has provided scalable, taxable income from home — whether they’re models, comedians, actors or sex workers. And as the capital of entertainment both mainstream and adult, it’s no wonder many of these creators are in Los Angeles.
If you’ve ever wondered who shops there, who lives there or who eats there at shiny establishments in L.A., the answer may just be OnlyFans creators. To get a small peek into their spending habits, we spoke with three L.A.-based OnlyFans creators, who model, own businesses and are aspiring actors, about how they live and spend in the city.
OnlyFans doesn’t share metrics publicly beyond a percentage on profiles. It notes only if users are in the “top X percent” of creators. To be sure, not all of OnlyFans’ more than 3 million creators make the big bucks. But some top creators do enlist management to help them run their social media accounts and steer their careers. The three creators below work with Unruly Agency, which represents talent in nonadult industries with more than 1 billion combined followers. Unruly Agency provided access to creators who make seven-figure annual incomes via OnlyFans and who would speak on the record.
Interviews have been lightly edited and condensed for length and clarity.
For the record:
1:06 p.m. Dec. 20, 2023A previous version of this article stated Carly Sutherland Lawrence received free services from the med spa at the Jonathan Club. She receives the services in exchange for posting about them on social media.
7:24 p.m. Dec. 17, 2023An earlier version of this article incorrectly stated that Carly Sutherland Lawrence’s hometown is Scarborough, Canada. It is Pickering, Canada.
Hometown: Sydney
When did you start using OnlyFans?
My story is somewhat unique. I was working as a TV host for a company called Edge TV. I was so proud and thriving in that industry. The pandemic happened and then my boss passed away. I lost my job, and being an Australian, I didn’t have the means to then go work at a bar. I had to work in the category that was on my O-1 visa, which was modeling. A green card cost me about $25,000, and I was struggling to pay my bills, struggling to pay my rent. OnlyFans income qualifies as modeling, so I jumped on the platform even though my account has no nudity. Since then, I haven’t looked back.
What was your work and financial situation before Only Fans?
I moved to Los Angeles in 2016. I was working for three years as a model before doing any TV hosting, and I was definitely living paycheck to paycheck in Hollywood with roommates. Even once I was doing TV hosting, the money didn’t compare to what I make from OnlyFans.
What was your first splurge when you started to find success on OnlyFans?
My Van Cleef & Arpels bracelet [starting at $4,500]. Then I took my mom shopping when she came from Australia. It made me feel really good to be able to spoil her. Actually, no, my biggest splurge is my apartment.
Where are you living?
I rent an apartment in one of the biggest high rises in Hollywood [$5,000 a month]. I’ve been there 2½ years, and I’ve upgraded to a bigger one. I feel like I’m living the dream looking out my window and seeing the Hollywood sign.
Where do you like to go for a night out?
I like to go to concerts. I just recently went to see Ed Sheeran and Beyoncé. At Beyoncé, I was in the owner’s suite. I don’t go out much like I used to unless we’re going to a dinner or a concert at SoFi Stadium.
Where do you go to dinner?
Catch, Catch Steak LA, Casa Madera. A lot of the people at my agency have connections there that can get us last-minute reservations or even a free meal if we post and tag.
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What do you do for exercise?
I was an acrobat growing up. I competed for Australia at the World Games in Portugal. Thanks to OnlyFans, I’ve actually been able to get my own one-on-one stunt trainer because I want to move into the world of acting and doing my own stunts like Tom Cruise.
I do personal training three times a week [free, in exchange for posting], stunt training two times a week [$100 a session] and then yoga at Equinox [from $250/month] four times a week.
Splurge that’s always worth it?
Flying business class. If I’m flying 14 hours to Australia, I’m gonna fly business [typically $6,000 to $8,000 round trip]. I want to wake up there fresh and ready to see my nieces, my family. Coming up, I’m taking my mom to Egypt with my best friend and her mom.
An Aussie magnet holds up a poem by anonymous poet Atticus at Casey Boonstra’s home. (Jay L. Clendenin / Los Angeles Times)
Casey Boonstra has a gold-colored basketball hoop decorating her wall. (Jay L. Clendenin / Los Angeles Times)
What do you spend on keeping up your appearance?
The most expensive thing for me has been my hair growth journey. I did three [platelet-rich plasma] treatments where they take out your blood and inject your plasma back into your scalp [$1,500 per session].
As my hair gets healthier, I wear wigs to change up my look without damaging it. I have a handful of high quality wigs [$2,000 each].
What’s an unexpected cost of running your OnlyFans?
I spend a lot of money on just props for photo shoots. Do the fans really care about the props? No, but I do. It makes me feel good because I put a lot of effort into everything that I create and do. It makes my stuff unique.
How do you invest your OnlyFans income into your other ventures?
I’m investing in my future. I have a retirement fund. I spend money on a one-on-one acting coach I see twice a week, which is helping project my career into the right places [$250 per session].
Hometown: Apple Valley, Minn.
When did you start doing OnlyFans?
I was very early to OnlyFans. I started in 2017 and did it for one year while living in Minnesota, but I made less than $10,000 in one year. It wasn’t until I relaunched in 2020 that things began to pick up, and now, I am making seven figures annually.
What were you doing for work before Only Fans?
I have been modeling since I was a teenager for local businesses and traveling for shoots, on top of jobs I had at everywhere from Raising Cane’s to Ulta to a tanning salon. My family didn’t have money, and my parents were very strict with me. They said, “If you want to do anything, you need to pay for it yourself.”
In 2018, I dropped out of college to move to L.A. to model. I sold my car, sold all my clothes on Depop and moved in with my cousin, who was doing his residency at Cedars. I had worked at Bank of America back home but couldn’t get a job in L.A. as a teller, so I started working at Sephora making minimum wage while trying to do photo shoots and growing my Instagram.
At one point, I got a brand deal with Ignite [energy drink] for around $2,000 per month to post and that was the most I had ever made. That’s what kicked off my career online.
First big splurge after your OnlyFans success?
My own apartment. I rent a two-bedroom apartment with three bathrooms on the border of Beverly Hills [$6,000 a month]. Three bathrooms is kind of a lot but I wanted to splurge after living in such a crowded apartment with my cousin. I didn’t realize how much I love interior design until I had the money to purchase furniture. I am saving for a house, though.
What type of house?
I love Beverly Hills, but my ideal home is not some huge mansion. I want a cottage with a huge yard because I have a dog and I want more dogs. I also want to grow my own food. My family back in Minnesota are huge farmers.
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What kind of car do you drive?
When I first started making real money from Only Fans, I bought a 2020 BMW 3 Series. Recently, I traded that in for a 2023 BMW X3.
Where do you go grocery shopping?
I go to Erewhon a lot. I’m kind of a basic b—, but the quality of the food, especially the produce, is really good. I really started understanding this whole organic thing when I moved to L.A.
Favorite small business to support in LA?
Coffee Tomo on Sawtelle. It’s near my office, and I’ll just walk there. They have this special coffee with condensed milk at the bottom that’s my favorite [$6.50].
Where do you like to go out to eat?
Me and my friends are such huge foodies. For a loungey, cocktail hour, I love Fleur Room, a newer place from Tao Group Hospitality. I honestly don’t go out that much anymore except during the day.
Decor inside Desiree Schlotz’s home. (Jay L. Clendenin / Los Angeles Times)
A sampling from Desiree Schlotz’s collection of shoes. (Jay L. Clendenin / Los Angeles Times)
What do you do for exercise?
I work out probably three or four times a week. I have a trainer, I go to [the gym] RPT in Beverly Hills [$200 a session]. I also go to Equinox [$250 a month], and I recently just got a membership at Heimat [$350 a month]. Heimat is a little far from me, and there’s only one location, but the gym is amazing. It’s so luxurious, almost too luxurious.
What do you splurge on?
Travel. My accountant was like, “You know, that’s something you should probably chill out on.” I was paying to go all over the world, especially with Celestial Swim, my swimwear brand. We rented a villa in Tulum [Mexico] for a bunch of model and influencer girls and gave them bikinis and made content for the brand [$12,000].
Recently, I started making travel content, so I’ve started having partnerships with hotels and getting to travel for free in exchange for creating content. It’s been forcing me to get into that creative aspect of photography, which I’ve always wanted to do but I just never had the time because I was trying to survive.
When it comes to beauty, how do you spend your money?
I love treatments. Ever since I started making money, I started putting a lot of money into my skin and my face. My face is my brand and I am the face of my swimwear brand too so it’s both an investment and for pleasure.
I go to iGlow Med Spa in Beverly Hills. I recently just started getting Botox, and it’s been the best thing I’ve ever done [$3,000 a visit].
I’ve been going to get my facials at the place that Haley Bieber and the Kardashians went to called Artisan of Skin, and they’ve really changed my skin. I was struggling with some acne so we did a few chemical peel treatments [$1,500 per treatment]. Now, I just go to them monthly, and they maintain my skin [$500 per facial].
What’s something you’d never splurge on?
A really absurdly expensive car, like a Bentley. I could use all that money to do something else.
What’s an unexpected thing you recently splurged on?
My Halloween costume. I dressed as a Na’vi from Avatar [$3,000 for body makeup and wig install].
Did you fund your swimwear business yourself?
Yes. It was really cool to be able to put up the money for something I really was passionate about, but it was also very risky [more than $200,000 invested]. I knew Celestial Swim would take off in a few years. It’s not something that’s gonna happen overnight. I had to accept that. I remember writing in my journal: “I’m gonna be a millionaire, I’m going to be a CEO.” To actually see that come to fruition is so insane and still mind-boggling to me.
Hometown: Pickering, Canada
When did you start doing OnlyFans?
I was a contestant on Season 2 of the Netflix show “Too Hot to Handle” in 2021. I was cast via an Instagram DM that I initially thought was a scam.
Then, right when the show aired, my then-manager had me make an OnlyFans and set up brand deals for me. I was the only girl from the season that had one at the time and a lot of eyes were on my profile. OnlyFans made me much more than the brand deals. I know girls who are influencers, and when I hear about their financials, it makes me sad. I’m always like “just make an OnlyFans.”
What were you doing for work before OnlyFans?
Before doing the show I was a bartender. Occasionally, I had done some modeling, but I didn’t really like it. I had no money to my name and no social media profile.
What was the first thing you splurged on?
A cornflower blue Christian Dior saddle bag [$5,590]. Mind you, I only had it for a week. I think I wore it once and my whole house in the Valley got robbed. So now my new living situation is a splurge.
Where are you living?
I rent a two-bedroom apartment in West Hollywood [$6,000 a month]. After the robbery, I chose a high rise for safety reasons. But it does have a steam room and sauna, which is nice. I use the second bedroom as a closet and glam room. I would love to live in a house but I couldn’t do it unless it was gated. I’m saving up.
What restaurants do you frequent?
When I first moved to L.A., I went out a lot more. Now, I cook at home every single night. When I do go out, I like Catch, BOA, Catch Steak, Barney’s Beanery.
Where do you go for groceries?
Pavilions or Whole Foods. I don’t buy organic, I’ll be honest. I could never justify going somewhere like Erewhon. I order Uber Eats a lot too. Sometimes I’ll order three different things because of that new feature where they make multiple stops.
What about working out?
I recently got sober and started working out a ton. I go to Carrie’s Pilates Plus in West Hollywood [$36 a class] three times a week, and then I have a gym in my building. I used to have a personal trainer, but it was just too expensive doing both.
It seems like a personal trainer would hardly make a dent in the seven figure income.
I live in my head like I’m broke. That’s what keeps me saving money. If I live lavishly, I will spend all my money. I have such an addictive personality, I will spend all of my money. But I do go and splurge on heels, which I’ll probably only wear once a month.
Where do you go to shop?
I love vintage and secondhand clothing. I know it’s kind of like a basic one, but I do love Crossroads, and then I also like going down Melrose. I love Sephora. I love Aritzia. I love the RealReal, because I’m always looking there to see if there’s new vintage shoes in my big-a— foot size.
What’s your most over-the-top habit?
Weekly massages at my secret spot Blossom Spa in Hollywood [massages starting at $95].
That’s not so extravagant.
OK — and gambling in Vegas. I always go to Resort World, where I know the pit boss. I get free rooms because I spend so much on gambling. I will spend at least $5,000 in one night when I go.
I also go to the new med spa at the Jonathan Club (a private member’s club in downtown L.A.). They do Tixel on me. I do red light therapy. I do cryotherapy and I do vitamin injections about every two weeks. The club is crazy expensive for members and the treatments are too, but I get them for free in return for posts and tags.
What’s something you haven’t pulled the trigger on yet?
Ringside tickets for Conor McGregor. It will probably never happen.
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Are you working on any other businesses outside of Only Fans?
I’m launching a perfume under my brand Sutherland and Co. I found a white glove perfumer who made Gucci Bloom. They’re very well known and it’s American made, which I also love. I wanted to make something that’s mine. It’s like a vanilla, sexy, woodsy perfume. I’ve invested over $50,000 of my OnlyFans earnings into this product.
What are your career goals?
Definitely to make more products. If I’m honest, I haven’t found what I want to do yet in life. The perfume’s a start. I definitely make enough money that I can afford my own house so I’ll do that. I never want to be dependent on a man.
What’s something that’s always worth the money?
Therapy [$200 a session].
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