OnlyFans models are spreading wild conspiracy theories about the attempted assassination of Donald Trump – including that the shooting was ‘staged’ in a bid to get more clicks on their profiles.
Some models have been posting or retweeting disinformation about the attack on X and bringing their OnlyFans accounts to the attention of users who do not follow them but are searching for conspiracy content, an investigation by British newspaper i revealed.
This comes as conspiracies related to the shooting of former US president Trump at a rally near Butler, Pennsylvania on Saturday have spread like wildfire on social media, with armchair theorists spinning out increasingly wild theories.
Some people on social media have claimed hat the attempt was a ‘false-flag’ and staged.
According to the Center for Countering Digital Hate, by Tuesday, conspiracy content about the shooting had been viewed over 200 million times on X.
And now, i has revealed that individuals have been able to monetize off of people viewing their profile which features adverts for their subscription sites, such as OnlyFans, a platform used by amateur models who create content for subscribers, which are often of a sexual nature.
i found that some of those promoting misinformation were not motivated by politics, but rather by social engagement, with popular posts coming from small accounts sometimes having been amplified by profiles with larger followings, including OnlyFans models.
i’s investigation found that of the 10 biggest accounts to post disinformation, five of them were OnlyFans models who either wrote the Tweets themselves or re-posted someone else.
It also found that of the top 10 accounts with the most followers that promoted right-wing content, eight came from verified accounts.
But OnlyFans’ terms and conditions states that creators are not allowed to advertise their profiles in anyway that ‘encourage behaviour prejudicial to health or safety’ or ’cause physical, mental or moral detriment to any person’.
Speaking on i’s findings, CEO of the CCDH Imran Ahmed said: ‘I’m not going to blame anyone for wanting to make a buck but [people] with OnlyFans accounts have to find any means they can to promote themselves. They can take advantage of a system that’s used by hate actors, disinformation actors who may have more malignant ends.
‘If they’re using it to build their brands because they know that’s the way the platform works – by spreading disinformation so you get more eyeballs on your content and it helps you to build your OnlyFans profile, [it shows it’s] a ridiculous way to run something that purports to be a place where you find the news’, he added.
The investigation also found that conspiracy theories related to Trump’s shooting have emerged on other social platforms.
While TikTok’s attempts to suppress disinformation has partially worked, with information boxes popping up which read: ‘Be mindful of the risks of information and disinformation’, some conspiracy theorists have managed to slip through the net, i also said.
In one video, a man recorded himself saying ‘Trump set that s**t up’, and received comments agreeing with his claim.
One user said: ‘Facts bro… Like he didn’t even flinch or jump…he casually raised his hand like ow my ear…then dropped..it was like he was waiting for a cue or something.’
TikTok accounts that have shared videos of the moment shots were fired at Trump have received comments from people claiming the assassination attempt was staged, with one user saying: ‘This is so staged. No one in their right mind doesn’t feel like this is just a movie. Fake AF’.
However, most videos that show up for the conspiracy searches are predominantly clips from news organisations and conspiracy clips are not displayed.
On Instagram, people have also shared their warped theories on Trump’s assassination attempt. One Instagram user, who is also an adult entertainer with 160,000 followers, said in a clip posted to her profile: ‘I have a feeling this was staged’.
The cloudburst of speculation and conjecture as Americans turned to the internet for news about the shooting is the latest sign of how social media has emerged as a dominant source of information — and misinformation — for many, and a contributor to the distrust and turbulence now driving American politics.
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