When OnlyFans and sexual content creators make the mainstream news, it’s not normally in a positive light.
Typically it’s because of some stunt that a creator has pulled to try and garner some extra attention, and in order to break the mainstream these stunts can be pretty extreme.
We’ve seen it before – a notable incident occurred with the ‘portal’, which was an art installation in Dublin and New York that live-streamed constantly between the two cities. An OnlyFans model in the US exposed herself live to the portal, which of course was highly unsuitable since there could easily have been minors in view.
More recently, a couple of OnlyFans models in the UK have become infamous following extended sex marathons, with Lily Philips filming an incident where she slept with 100 men in a day in 2024, followed by attempts to sleep with over 1,000 men in a single day by both her and by Bonnie Blue.
But are these stunts worth pulling off, and what’s their impact on the wider world of OnlyFans creators? Let’s explore.
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Lily Philips and Bonnie Blue – Who Are They?
Lily Philips and Bonnie Blue have both carved out distinct niches for themselves within the OnlyFans community, leveraging their sexual content to gain significant attention.
Lily Philips, known for her bold and often controversial stunts, has been an outspoken advocate for sexual liberation while simultaneously challenging societal norms surrounding intimacy and promiscuity. And Bonnie Blue is similar – both have argued that they’re doing positive work by sharing their intimate content with the world.
But how they’ve done it is controversial.
Bonnie first gained widespread attention after sleeping with 150 university students during Freshers Week over a weekend, filming the whole experience. Lily then slept with 100 men in a single night.
Both then claimed to have slept with 1,000 men in single days as part of separate stunts, arguing over who’d had the idea first. Bonnie even ended up on daytime TV in the UK, talking about her exploits (‘sexploits'?).
The interview attracted a huge number of complaints to the broadcasting regulators, outraged that she’d been given a platform to share her story and defend herself.
More controversy then followed as both indicated or hinted that they were pregnant, before backtracking on the claims. This sparked further issues since there are so many women with fertility issues, but again the creators tried to either deflect the criticism or claim they were actually raising awareness.
Ultimately, the pair have managed to get themselves frequent mentions in articles in the media both in their home of the UK and further afield around the world. Their decisions to film sex stunts such as their marathon orgies have certainly got the media’s eyes on them.
But is that a good thing?
Why Stunts Like This Work
You know the cliché – there’s no such thing as bad publicity. Even if you’re being talked about in a negative way, you’re at least being talked about.
And for both Bonnie Blue and Lily Philips, their stunts are helping to maintain their positions as some of the top earners on OnlyFans, regularly bringing in six figures each month.
Shock value is a powerful tool in the world of social media and digital content. People are naturally drawn to sensationalism, especially when it challenges societal norms or pushes the boundaries of what is considered acceptable.
In an age where viral content is king, creators are often encouraged to take risks, whether they are personal, emotional, or moral.
Additionally, platforms like OnlyFans thrive on exclusivity and the ability to offer fans something they cannot easily access elsewhere.
The allure of seeing something “forbidden” or out-of-the-norm encourages people to pay for content that would be otherwise restricted in more conventional spaces.
In this sense, creators like Philips and Blue leverage the idea of pushing the envelope not only for personal fame but also as a marketing strategy to build subscriber bases and maximize profits.
It’s also important to note that these stunts are often timed or marketed with precision. Publicity stunts like Philips’ 100-men marathon or Blue’s attempt at 1,000 are calculated events designed to go viral, meaning that they are crafted to elicit strong reactions, both positive and negative.
With viral content, it’s not necessarily about whether the stunt is ethically acceptable, but rather how much buzz it generates. The more conversations it sparks, the more likely it is to be picked up by larger media outlets, boosting the creators' profiles.
Positive Impact on Other Creators
It’s not just the creators themselves that can see a bump from stunts like this. Because it’s driving more awareness of OnlyFans as a platform, it may help other creators to get discovered.
More visitors to OnlyFans means more potential new subscribers, although the drawback is OnlyFans’ poor discoverability features – it’s not easy for people to casually stumble across profiles on OnlyFans since it’s designed for direct links. It doesn’t have a great set of features for anyone who just wants to browse other creators once they’re on the website.
Still – OnlyFans getting more coverage could be good for creators since it could just boost the popularity of the site even more, and get people to start considering spending their cash to support creators in general.
The Backlash
While these extreme stunts may be effective at driving traffic and gaining followers, they are not without significant backlash.
From ethical concerns to the potential for lasting damage to their personal reputations, the consequences can be far-reaching.
One of the main criticisms of such stunts is the potential harm they cause to the wider OnlyFans community.
These high-profile, extreme events can reinforce negative stereotypes about sex workers and adult content creators, perpetuating the idea that OnlyFans is merely a platform for shock-based, attention-seeking behavior rather than a space for creative freedom and entrepreneurship.
For creators who build their business on consistency, professionalism, and niche-based content, sensational stunts can diminish the legitimacy of their work in the eyes of the public and the media.
Moreover, there’s also the personal toll these stunts can take. The pressure to constantly outdo yourself can lead to a cycle of escalating behavior that is difficult to maintain.
It’s not uncommon for these creators to experience burnout or to find themselves caught in controversies that damage their mental health or sense of self-worth. For some, it’s about riding the wave of fame until it crashes, while for others, it becomes an exhausting cycle of trying to remain relevant in a saturated market.
Then there are the legal ramifications. Depending on the nature of the stunt, content that’s deemed explicit or inappropriate can lead to bans or restrictions on the platform.
This can damage a creator's reputation and make it harder to rebuild a career should they face bans or suspensions.
Lastly, there’s the question of the impact on viewers. Many critics argue that these stunts trivialize sex work and can lead to unrealistic expectations about the nature of intimacy and sexual relationships.
By commodifying extreme acts for attention or profit, they may inadvertently contribute to the objectification and exploitation of both the creator and their audience.
Conclusion
The stunts that Blue and Philips have carried out have clearly had some short-term success for them. But there’s some serious risks here for creators who are looking to make good, honest money through genuine connections with their fans – the platform’s name doesn’t need some of this negative attention.
But at the same time, one of the key principles of OnlyFans is allowing creators to express themselves. And both Blue and Philips are staying on the right side of the law. So should they be encouraged for celebrating their freedom to have sex with as many people as they want to? Or criticized for the damage done to the wider reputation of OnlyFans creators?
There’s no easy answer, but as creators seek more and more unusual ways of gaining traction and building up their following, we surely haven’t seen the last crazy sex stunts in the mainstream media.
Hopefully, those who do try something extreme are careful enough to stay on the right side of the law and to make sure they don’t do themselves any lasting mental health damage.
