OnlyFans continues its mainstream push. Their free-to-view, safe-for-work streaming platform, OFTV, will launch its latest original series, Smash City, on June 13th.
Hosted by Australian tennis player Nick Kyrgios and reality TV star Sophie Stonehouse (Too Hot to Handle), and refereed by 2022 AVN Hall of Fame adult actress Rachel Starr, Smash City is a four-episode pickleball-based competition.
Eight OnlyFans creators—a mixture of sexy reality show contestants (Nathan Webb, Joey Joy), sexy sports pros (Adi Spiegelman, Sachia Vickery, and sexy models (Nellie Cronen, Kayla Fitzgerald, Trippie Bri, Steph Mi ) compete for $20,000 in a variety of pickleball games, which run the gamut from silly to suggestive. The first episode, for example, has the contestants play pickleball against each other with oversized bats. In another minigame, they’re playing ‘Pickleball Pong,’ with massive cups on either side of the net.
For Kyrgios—who has been notoriously fiery and emotional on-courts—the show was a great opportunity, to showcase his personality.
“I was super excited when they told me the idea,” said Kyrgios in an exclusive interview with Complex. “I’ve hosted a couple TV shows in the past, and at this point in my career, I’m always looking to do things outside the box. So I was all for it, and it was a lot of fun for sure.”
“I enjoyed hosting it, and I love competition in general,” continued Kyrgios. “Pickleball for me is very close to tennis, so that instantly caught my interest.”
Kyrgios, who at one point was ranked No. 13 in the world and has seven ATP Tour titles to his name, signed up to be an OnlyFans creator in December 2023. It’s a decision that comes with some necessary qualifiers: No, Kyrgios is not making porn, and no, Kyrgios doesn’t have future plans to make porn. Instead, he is one of a growing group of creators changing the public perception of an OnlyFans creator. He uses this digital platform to interact with his fans and share his touring and professional life with his followers. He says OnlyFans has never pressured him to change that focus or move in a risque direction, although he finds commonalities between his career and OnlyFans’ ethos—they both go against the grain, and they both make a lot of noise.
Kyrgios’ first priority is to engage his audience, which is why he has not monetized access to his content. Right now, it is free to subscribe, because he wants as many people as possible to come to the channel and see what he’s up to.
“I think the perception of OnlyFans is slowly changing,” said Kyrgios. “When I’m able to show people my OnlyFans and the type of content I can post, it makes people more comfortable to start their own accounts and share things about their life. I don’t think I’m trying super-hard to change the outside perspective. It’s more so just educating people.”
“The content I’m able to share on OnlyFans is a lot different than what I can share on other platforms,” continued Kyrgios. “I’m able to share a lot more of my personal life. I always do a lot of tennis content, but there’s also things that I do in the gym and in my everyday life. I can video myself at a restaurant with my friends or at home with my parents. I could do a Q&A or do a poll. I’m able to give my fans what they want.”
It’s these live Q&As that Kyrgios enjoys the most. Kyrgios has been open about his struggles with mental health, admitting on podcasts and the Netflix documentary Break Point that he’s struggled with drinking and self-harm, and he seriously considered suicide after losing to Rafael Nadal at the 2019 Wimbledon tournament. And because of this openness (and the contrasting societal stigmas surrounding mental health), many people in similar situations have sought out his comfort and support.
“You know, people don’t assume that an athlete playing on the world stage is going through things like that,” said Kyrgios. “So, when I was able to open up about it, it made other people feel more comfortable talking to me about that. So that’s been special to help them and make sure that they’re on the right track and on the right path.”
Kyrgios has since recovered from those struggles, but now, instead, he’s dealing with physical injuries—the inevitable by-product of elite-level play. Knee injuries have plagued him since 2021, and he tore a wrist ligament in 2023, which required surgery and has since been a recurring liability.
Kyrgios is still committed to his tennis recovery, even if he is diversifying his brand. He will be competing in this year’s men’s doubles tournament at the French Open with fellow countryman Jordan Thompson, in addition to doing TV work. Then he plans to compete in both Wimbledon and the U.S. Open (one of his favorite tournaments) in men’s singles. Kyrgios understands that doubles is much easier on the body. Still, singles competition remains his priority, and he plans on playing singles for the foreseeable future, fitting in doubles where he can. As for his infamous on-court ‘bad boy’ persona, Kyrgios has come around to embracing it. It is who he is, for better or for worse.
“I think it’s a little too late to change habits or change,” admitted Kyrgios. “The way I kind of go about things on the court? I think that’s just who I am, ever since I was a young kid. I played with my heart on my sleeve. I was emotional. I was unpredictable, and I think that’s part of the reason why I’m able to do some of these cool things outside the tennis court, because I’m definitely a big personality. But I enjoy the way I am on the court. I give fans a memory, whether it’s good or bad.”
Kyrgios also loves the idea of doing more collaborations like Smash City in the future. It’s surprising to see how much the stigma surrounding sex work has evaporated over the past decade. There was a time, in the not-so-distant past, when a collaboration like this one would have been off limits to anyone pursuing mainstream success. But now, it’s much less taboo. Even though Kyrgios is not creating sexual content, he is collaborating with creators (like Rachel Starr) who do. But Kyrgios has an open-minded, non-judgmental approach to all of it.
“When I meet people, I don’t necessarily think about what they do straight away,” said Kyrgios. “When people meet me, obviously, they know that I’m a tennis player. But you know, I had conversations with all these people, and they all have different journeys. And I think this is just a part of my journey where we collaborated and we did something really cool together.”
“It is a step out of my comfort zone,” continued Kyrgios. “But at the same time, that’s exactly where I want to be. All these different people are amazing in their own way. I started playing tennis, and now, I was able to do a TV show with some pretty crazy people, and it turned out awesome. I enjoy being outside my comfort zone, and it felt extremely comfortable being there and hosting with Rachel. I think we all had a lot of fun and became good friends at the end of the day. And I think that’s what it’s about.”
Smash City will launch on OFTV on June 13. All content on OFTV is available to watch for free.
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