OnlyFans and 'Euphoria' are having a moment. Here's what sex workers think about it
OnlyFans and 'Euphoria' are having a moment. Here's what sex workers think about it
Alyssa Goldberg, USA TODAYWed, July 1, 2026 at 11:01 AM UTC
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Sex workers are having a pop culture moment.
In Apple TV's "Margo's Got Money Troubles," which premiered in April, college student and newly single mother Margo (Elle Fanning) launches an OnlyFans in a desperate attempt to provide for her child. On "Maximum Pleasure Guaranteed," also on Apple TV, a newly divorced mom gets wrapped up in crime with a cam boy (Brandon Flynn). And in the latest season of HBO's hit "Euphoria," a central plot point is Cassie's (Sydney Sweeney) evolving role as an aspiring OnlyFans star, a storyline that has drawn backlash over inaccuracies (for example, the controversial "baby play" is not allowed on the platform).
This spotlight isn't new. Sex workers garnered attention during the 2025 Oscars season − "Anora" won five awards, including best picture – and the year prior, Emma Stone took home best actress for her role of Bella Baxter in "Poor Things," the film's protagonist who spends time working as an escort at a Parisian brothel.
These various depictions bring up questions of empowerment versus exploitation, autonomy and how the media shapes our views of sex work. So, we spoke to actual sex workers to get their thoughts.
These recent shows and movies, they say, differs from their lived experiences in a few big ways, and most of these portrayals obscure some very concrete issues sex workers are actually dealing with.
"Euphoria" showed the most "stereotypical" and "taboo" kind of sex worker, says "Boy Meets World" actress and OnlyFans creator Maitland Ward.
"It’s insulting to actual OnlyFans creators," Ward says. "Women are taking control and building brands and making a ton of money, gaining followers and being able to support themselves and their families. I don’t think it’s given the credit that it deserves so much of the time."
Sex work is real, structured labor
During the COVID-19 pandemic especially, when everything in our lives was forced online, Ward says the idea developed that "you could just come on OnlyFans and be millionaires overnight."
Around that same time, OnlyFans first started to infiltrate pop culture. In 2020, Cardi B used the platform to promote her music and release exclusive content, and Bad Bunny's track "Te Mudaste," which mentions OnlyFans, landed on Billboard's Top 100. Even Beyoncé sang "She might start an OnlyFans” on a Megan Thee Stallion track.
Some young women are now joining these platforms thinking they can turn a quick profit. But the "easy money" pull is a myth, Ward says.
While high-income OnlyFans models can make as much as $100,000 per month − or even in the millions for some celebrity accounts − most aren't rising to that kind of success overnight, or possibly ever.
Besides "Margo's Got Money Troubles," which shows the not-so-glamorous, behind-the-scenes struggles of sex work, depictions in the media often leave out the labor of building and maintaining a following, managing clients and administrative work.
Elizabeth Romanova, a United Kingdom-based escort, says that she understands that TV shows need to be "dramatic for people to watch," but she warns that some viewers "treat the show like it's a documentary."
"I wish people would listen to the real sex workers," she says. "They don't see that there's different types of sex workers, and that we have a normal life day-to-day."
Romanova says something as simple as opening a bank account can be a challenge for sex workers.
"I can get my bank closed down because I'm a sex worker, which is really difficult because I still run a business. I have to pay my taxes, I'm paying my bills," she says. "Things like that happening is really making life difficult."
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Sex workers frequently ask for advice on Reddit and exchange tips for setting up a bank account to process their OnlyFans earnings.
It also takes a lot of effort to produce content, according to Ward.
"It's whole choreographed things. You have to be physically fit to do it, and then you have to work on all your stuff, like the admin stuff," she explains. It is "very hard and time-consuming" to build a following. For as long as you're "on set," you may be spending the same amount of time editing photos, building your brand and organizing content.
Will 'Euphoria' return for Season 4? What we know so far
Sex workers want better representations of their lived experiences
Marla Cruz, who was introduced to sex work over a decade ago, had been excited for the release of "Anora," but was disillusioned by the film, she told USA TODAY in 2025.
"Anora" follows the whirlwind relationship between a 23-year-old stripper, Ani (Mikey Madison), and her wealthy client-turned-husband, Vanya (Mark Eydelshteyn). Cruz herself has danced at strip clubs across the country.
One of her biggest issues with the film was that it depicted sex workers "through the eyes of customers and consumers and not as workers performing labor," which she calls a "disrespect of our work." To her, the film was a "reminder" that the lived experiences of sex workers like herself, and the tensions between sex workers and consumers, will "not be portrayed accurately" unless sex workers are in control of that portrayal from start to finish.
"There are plenty of people who will destigmatize the concept that sex work is real work, which it is," Cruz previously told USA TODAY. "But just because you recognize that it’s real work, that doesn’t mean that you respect the worker behind it."
Real life sex work isn't all about gimmicks or a thirst for fame like viewers may think after watching "Euphoria." Rather, Cassie's character is like a caricature of a sex worker, Ward argues.
"The best things you thought of to portray a sex worker is dressing like a baby and a dog... that's what you think represents sex workers?" Ward says. "It's like, 'Let's put them up there to laugh at them, they're like a freak show,' and it's not fair to the industry or women."
Romanova says in the show, Cassie works day and night, whether she's shooting content or building connections at parties.
But "we are still people. We have normal lives." On her off days, Romanova walks her dog. She pays her bills. Answers emails. Spends time with family. The same as anyone else.
Sex workers in film and TV are sparking important conversations
Even with their flaws, sex workers say shows like "Euphoria" have at least made sex work visible enough to open important conversations.
Ward says strangers, fans and even people on the street treat her like a "safe space" to ask about porn and sex work because they recognize her from TV, and that curiosity itself is a positive shift: "They've been told for so long, 'Oh, it's taboo and scary, and you can't know about this,' but the fact that questions are now being asked… I think that's a good thing."
"(Sex work) doesn't have to be perfect. It's not all good, but it's not all bad. It's just a normal thing of life," she says. "If we normalized it, it would protect so many women."
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: What sex workers think about 'Euphoria,' 'Margot's Got Money Troubles'
Source: “AOL Entertainment”
