Media personalities in the escort industry: influence on public opinion and new trends

When former UFC fight star Paige VanZant admitted she “made more money in the first 24 hours on OnlyFans than she did in her entire career in the cage ” – sports media overheated servers from clicks. Fox News

When former UFC fight star Paige VanZant openly announced that she had made more money on OnlyFans in her first 24 hours than she had in her entire cage career, the sports and news media exploded with clicks and discussion. For some, it was a sensational confirmation of just how much the “center of gravity” is shifting from the ring to the digital space. For others, it was a sign of a new era where public figures are less and less dependent on fees and traditional contracts.

VanZant’s success demonstrates that the battle for audience and popularity is increasingly taking place not only in the octagon, but also on the Internet. The desperate media race brings to the forefront those who are willing to experiment and seek new forms of monetization. In Paige’s case, her attractive athletic image, charisma and willingness to share content “behind the scenes” are turning into direct financial gain. VanZant’s recent statement on Fox News underscores the point: people who can “package” their personal brand and show the inside of their lives have a real chance to capitalize on their image. And while athletes used to depend on prize money and advertising integrations, now digital platforms can provide more stable and faster income.

1- Economics, which explains everything

Platform revenue: OnlyFans’ 2023 revenue up nearly 20% to $1.3 billion Business Insider.
Payout model: 80% of each subscription goes directly to the author, the rest is commissions and taxes.
Dividends to owner: Leonid Radvinsky received $472 million in dividends in just one year – a good indicator of how much money is swirling around erotic content.

At the heart of any change in media is often the economy – and the growth of OnlyFans is a prime example. According to Business Insider, the platform’s annual revenue in 2023 grew nearly 20% to $1.3 billion. This is not just a dry statistic, but a reflection of an entire industry that increasingly involves athletes, bloggers and media personalities.

The payment mechanism on OnlyFans looks very attractive to authors: 80% of each subscription goes straight into their pocket, and the remaining 20% is covered by commissions and taxes. Such simplicity and transparency encourages more and more people to try themselves as “digital entrepreneurs”. At the same time, the large dividends of the owner of the platform Leonid Radvinsky (472 million dollars for the year) show that around erotic and exclusive content is really “circling” a huge amount of money. For stars, this means one thing: building a loyal community of subscribers and regularly delighting them with content is sometimes much more profitable than depending on not always generous sports or TV royalties.

Why has it become profitable for athletes and TV personalities

Low fees in women’s sports. Brazilian libero Kay Alves has honestly calculated: “I earn about 50 times more from digital platforms than I do from volleyball” SPORTbible.
Capitalization of the body. Athletes and fitness models are already selling the image of a healthy, fit body; erotica is just the next, slightly bolder step.
Social media algorithms. Clickbait images get into recommendations faster, which gives you a boost in audience for any kind of project – from energy drinks to sports podcasts.

It’s not uncommon to hear the question, “Why are more and more professional athletes and media personalities going in the direction of paid explicit content?” The answer lies in a whole host of reasons. Firstly, unfortunately, the fees in women’s sports are still significantly inferior to men’s, and many athletes have to find additional sources of income. A prime example is Brazilian volleyball player Kay Alves, who earns “50 times more” on digital platforms than she does on the volleyball court.

Secondly, the very idea of “body capitalization” is not new. Athletes and fitness models have long been selling the image of a healthy, trim body by cooperating with brands of sportswear, dietary supplements, and so on. By entering the world of conventional “soft erotica,” they are actually taking one step further in the same direction, satisfying the growing demand for “closer” communication with the audience. Finally, social media algorithms incentivize users to share spectacular or provocative photos and videos, which automatically raises the rating and popularity of accounts. As a result, increased attention to “candid” projects leads to success in other spheres as well, whether it’s selling merchandise, launching a sports podcast, or launching your own line of energy drinks.

2. Three routes to the “new intimacy”.

Today’s digital environment offers both classic monetization schemes “through explicit content” and more creative formats. Three popular routes can be distinguished:

Digital Escort. Users subscribe to exclusive photos/videos, have private chats with the chosen “star” and, if desired, can pay for a personal meeting for a separate fee. This is most often done by “zero” level showbiz influencers who want to “spin” a name faster and capitalize their appeal.
Trans-branding. In this case, erotic or near-erotic content is “embedded” in an existing career, be it sports or television. The content remains soft: light flirting and seductive photo shoots are enough. The method has worked well for such personalities as Paige Vanzant or TV personality Luciana Jimenez, who need to maintain their image and not alienate a too conservative part of the audience.
High End Fanservice. An exclusive format where fans are offered not just photos, but more “elite” interactions: from private dinner in a small circle and NFT passes to events to personalized sports training. This is mostly how former top stars of the porn industry or reality TV shows, whose recognizability is great enough to garner a cult audience of willing paying fans, operate.

The reality is that one celebrity often combines all three models – by season, mood and money flow.

3. live cases

Paige Vanzant (USA) – “queen of the octagon… and subscriptions”

After 13 fights and a couple of serious injuries, the boy-persona switched to streaming, cosplay, and then full-on OnlyFans. One “hot” photo earns her more than the UFC’s “fight of the night” bonus. “It’s life-changing money,” VanZant confesses Fox News.
Paige VanZant is the clearest example of how a mix of athletic career and spectacular image can bring stunning digital success. Starting out by fighting in the UFC, she has proven herself to be a tenacious fighter and has gained a serious fanbase. Injuries and challenging fights pushed her to find alternatives: from the octagon, VanZant moved into the world of streaming, cosplay, and then full-on OnlyFans. According to Paige herself, one hot shot can bring in more than all the “fight of the night” bonuses in the UFC. That sounds like a shock to many, but for VanZant, it’s “life-changing money” that allows her to more freely choose her future path in sports and media. Her example proves that women’s sports can be a launching pad for much bigger projects – and not always only in the ring.

Kei Alves (Brazil) – libero with a grandmaster price list

A $14 subscription and 2.3 million followers on Instagram make the volleyball player a millionaire at a salary of ≈$10k per season at the Osasco club. Kay’s motto: “I don’t quit sports, but the number feeds me today.” SPORTbible.

Kay Alves has not only established a reputation as a talented volleyball player, but has also become one of the most talked about athletes on social media. Her bet on digital platforms, including OnlyFans, has been so successful that Alves’ current income is dozens of times higher than her salary at Osasco, where she plays libero. A subscription to her account costs $14, and her 2.3 million Instagram followers provide a steady stream of fans willing to pay for additional content.

At the same time, Kay herself emphasizes that she is not going to give up big sports, at least because volleyball remains her main passion and a way of self-fulfillment. The money she earns from digital platforms helps her to become financially independent and provides her with comfort for training, traveling and life in general. Alves even has a “motto” that “digital feeds her today,” and it’s hard to argue that it works.

Jessica Andrade (UFC) – credit? No, we haven’t heard

The 52-pound former champion closed her mortgage, bought out her car and paid for seven months of rent in Las Vegas with only “pics” for subscribers: “I’ve helped my whole family – and there’s still money left over” LowKickMMA.com.

Jessica Andrade is one of those athletes whose career in the UFC will be remembered by viewers with colorful fights, despite her small weight (about 52 kg). But in addition to titles and belts, Andrade has another high-profile story – she completely closed her mortgage, bought a car and paid her seven-month lease in Las Vegas with “pics” for subscribers on OnlyFans.

In an interview with LowKickMMA.com, she admitted that her earnings were enough to provide for her family and take a break from the sport without fear for her financial well-being. For her, it’s not just a fleeting venture, but a serious platform that allows her to gently “insure” the risks of her athletic career: injuries, downtime between fights, and strict salary caps. In addition, Andrade actively helps his relatives, showing that with proper management, even a short period of “digital” activity can become an excellent financial foundation.

Thus, the phenomenon of OnlyFans and other paid services is becoming a mirror of a whole range of social transformations. Athletes, TV presenters and models are increasingly expressing their individuality and earning money where only a few years ago there was only narrow “erotic” content. For many, the platform turns out to be a way to capitalize titles, figure and popularity without being tied to traditional fees. And it seems that in the foreseeable future, the boundaries between sports, show business and the “new intimacy” industry will be increasingly blurred.

4. How the audience feels

The bifurcation of morality. The same audience that watches a fight or match rushes to buy exclusive access – but in social networks stigmatizes the authors for “degradation”.
A New Ethic of Consumption. According to OnlyFans itself, 28% of users are 18-24 years old; for them, paid erotic services ≈ Netflix with a rating limit, only without ads.
Fem-agency vs. object. Celebrities emphasize control over content and finances, while critics speak of “shadow prostitution” – a never-ending controversy that is unlikely to be resolved in the coming years.

5. The Brazilian phenomenon

Brazil is often in the headlines for a reason:

The culture of the “body ” – from carnival to the TV show Domingão do Faustão.
Legal loophole. Direct brokering (pimping) is prohibited, but online monetization without offline brokering does not fall under the criminal code.
Media Amplifier. Sports marketers themselves are pushing stars to “racy” content for the sake of reach – clickability goes up by an order of magnitude.

6. Risks to the star

Risk	How it manifests itself	How to minimize
Bank lockouts	Mastercard/PayPal could be banned from processing	diversify payment gateways, cryptocurrencies
Content leaks	leaks, memes, blackmail	watermarking, DMCA forensics
Cancel-contracts	the brand is not ready to be associated with erotica	prescribe “moral clauses” in advance

7. What’s next?

NFT + offline. Already, authors are selling a “golden ticket” in the form of a token – the holder gets dinner or a workout.
AR/VR Migration. The industry is gearing up for meta universes where an exclusive avatar of a model will cost more than a live photo shoot.
Normalization. While banks are cautious, big sports nutrition and apparel brands are signing “hot” athletes – sales figures have won out over puritanism.

Bottom line

Escorts and erotic subscriptions are no longer the backwater of show business. It is a vanity fair that athletes, TV personalities and influencers have successfully entered, not by erasing the boundaries of morality, but only by giving them new, digital shape. The subscriber votes a “card” for access to the idol’s private life, and the star turns likes into a guarantee fund.

Paradoxically, an industry traditionally associated with stigma is suddenly acting as a laboratory for the creator economy: direct access to fans, instant payments, no middlemen. Perhaps in five years’ time we will be discussing only one question: why did OnlyFans come to OnlyFans so late?

Source citations:

UpMarket. “OnlyFans Official Revenue…” (2024).
Wikipedia. “OnlyFans” (last modified July 2025).
Narcity. “Key Alves earns ’50 times more’…” (06.07.2022).
BJEE. “Paige VanZant: I Made More Money…” (02.09.2023).
Azerbaijan24. “Jessica Andrade proud to use her body…” (10.09.2021).
Latin Times. “Male Fans Slam Mia Khalifa…” (30.09.2020).
Social-Rise. “OnlyFans Statistics: Users, Creators, Revenue…” (2025).
Business Insider. “OnlyFans owner made $472 m dividends…” (2024). Business Insider
YouTube / Black Brazil Today. “Key Alves: I earn 50 times more…” (2024). YouTube
Guardian. “OnlyFans owner paid £359m dividend…” (06.09.2024). Wikipedia

This post is also available in: Russian Ukrainian Hebrew