In late October, 24-year-old Canadian sex worker Sirene Rouge faced a difficult decision. She could end her recovery from a recent surgery early and return to her day job as an exotic dancer, or hope that after two months of going back and forth with OnlyF, her earnings from the platform will finally be credited to her bank account.
“It was scary and stressful,” she told BuzzFeed News. “I have to go to work a week early to make sure I’m in good financial shape.” She has access to the money in her account on OnlyFans, a subscription platform known for adult content, which she says can’t pay “twice rent.” “If they don’t pay me, I don’t know what I’m going to do next month and I’ve been trying to ask for a withdrawal but they’ve been turned down.”
Rouge is not alone. For the past two months, OnlyF account holders have been posting on social media — particularly on Twitter and Reddit — about delays and refusals to pay. Most of these YouTubers appear to be based outside of the United States. BuzzFeed News interviewed seven of them, five from Canada and one from South Korea and Belgium. All expressed disappointment at the lack of communication and support from the platform.
In an emailed statement Friday, a spokesperson for OnlyF acknowledged that one of the site’s “continuing partners” experienced “technical difficulties” in September. “This has resulted in payment delays for a small number of OnlyF’ 2 million+ creators.” (OnlyF declined to comment on a follow-up email asking if creators were affected based on their location.) The spokesperson added: “Technical issues with the provider. It has now been resolved.”
