Bella Thorne Criticized For Claiming She Was the 'First' to Use OnlyFans
Celebrity

Bella Thorne Criticized For Claiming She Was the 'First' to Use OnlyFans

This article has been updated with new information.

Bella Thorne is facing substantial backlash for saying she was the "first" to use OnlyFans.

Earlier this week, the actress took to her Instagram Stories to claim that she joined the subscription-based adult platform before everyone else.

"Everyone jumping on OnlyFans but I took the hit for doing it first, cool," she wrote, before adding, "Legit everyone in my news feed following in my footsteps, but when I was getting heat, y'all were scared."

Needless to say, it didn't take long for a number of people to speak out against Thorne's posts. After all, as many pointed out, she was far from the first person to use OnlyFans, and her claim effectively erased the efforts of sex workers — many of whom are POC — who've been using the platform since its launch.

"Bella Thorne claiming to have 'started' OnlyFans, taking credit away from the Black and Brown SWs who made that platform what it is today," as one person wrote on Twitter. "And the fact that it was created in 2016 and she hopped on THIS YEAR, I just… the worms in her brain are working overtime rn my god."

Meanwhile, others noted that Thorne wasn't even the first celebrity on OnlyFans, as Cardi B, Blac Chyna, and several other famous faces were all already using the site by the time she joined.

Also adding to the scrutiny was the fact that Thorne previously ran into trouble for raking in over $2 million after allegedly offering a $200 pay-per-view "nude" back in August. However, the move was quickly deemed a "scam" after she revealed that there was no actual nudity.

Not only that, but many other OnlyFans creators subsequently accused her of causing a new policy change affecting the amount of money people can charge for tips and pay-per-view content — something that drastically impacted many sex workers' incomes.

And though Thorne eventually apologized and went on to say that she was only trying to help "normalize the stigmas" behind sex and sex work, the controversy also ended up being referenced in several posts about her latest claim.

"If #BellaThorne said she was the first to join and scam, then cause the platform to install new rules and regulations that affected workers on there, then I'd totally agree with her," as one person wrote.

"Remember when Bella Thorne went onto OnlyFans, scammed people with PPV content, and in response the company installed new rules and regulations that damaged the income of all the non-millionaire users?," another critic said, before posting screenshots of her recent Instagram Story and adding, "This is her now, feel mad yet?"

Thorne hasn't responded to the backlash, though her publicist reportedly stopped her from answering any questions about the OnlyFans debacle during a March 2022 with The Daily Beast.

Photo via Getty