‘I’ve got something people…’: Some Olympians are flaunting their bodies on OnlyFans. Here’s why

OnlyFans, a subscription-based video-hosting service mainly used by pornographic creators, also has other content creators who post photos and videos to gain subscribers. Apart from chefs, musicians, fitness trainers and others, Olympic athletes also seem to have taken to the platform to make some extra cash. According to reports, several athletes use the adult content service where they post pictures of themselves, flaunting their bodies. 

A Great Britain diver, Jack Laugher, told The Telegraph that he has an OnlyFans account from which he tries and “make extra money”. Obviously, I’ve got something people want, and I’ll happily cash in on that. I’m a bit of a hustler, and I want a bit more money if I can [get it],” he said. 

The reason, Laugher explains, is that he isn’t earning as much when compared to what he got when he started in 2011. “The funding hasn’t changed. When I first went on, it was £21,000 ($26,907) for the top eight in the world. And at the time, as a 16-year-old, I was buzzing. But I’m almost 30 now, I’m in the top three in the world, and it is £28,000 ($35,876) a year.” 

Training expenses and the need to make more money at a particular age have also led other athletes to get onto OnlyFans. His teammates Noah Williams, Daniel Goodfellow, and Matty Lee are on the platform. Laugher’s teammate, Tom Daley, told The Telegraph that in the lead-up to the Olympics, divers train for up to eight hours a day, six days a week. Due to the high costs of training and sustaining themselves, athletes have taken to the side hustle. 

Notably, people between the ages of 30-39 in April 2023 were getting a median wage of £37,544 ($48,105), as per official data from the House of Commons library. In comparison, Laugher is making way less for his age, especially when his training expenses are taken into account. 

New Zealand rower Robbie Manson is also on the platform and charges $14.99 a month. He shares “exclusive content that tastefully explores the boundaries, including artistic portrayals of nudity.” Others on the content platform include Canadian pole vaulter Alysha Newman, Canadian speed skater Alexandra Ianculescu, Australian basketballer Liz Cambage and Australian springboard diver Matthew Mitcham.

Another reason why such a side hustle helps them is because once they exit the sport, they do not have anything else to show for their experience. Team Great Britain short-track speed skater Elise Christie, who retired in 2021, told The Telegraph that she “went from being someone who won medals under a system to then having absolutely nothing and just being dropped out and left to understand life”.

She later set up an OnlyFans account. She added, “I had lost my house and was working three jobs at the time… [OnlyFans] brought me back from a really dark place, and I now use it positively.”