OnlyFans CEO Keily Blair Talks Gender Norms & More in Recent Interview

OnlyFans CEO Keily Blair is just the most recent example of a no nonsense, driven female executive taking the reins at OnlyFans, an adult platform that’s seen record growth and record earnings this past fiscal year. With Blair at the reins, OnlyFans has evolved in plenty of new exciting ways, as Blair has taken a microscope to the issue of double standards often faced by creators and executives alike.

While former OnlyFans CEO Amrapali Gan has started her own company, aimed at bridging the gap between Instagram and OnlyFans, Keily Blair has taken over and made it clear, she’s in it for better or worse. OnlyFans, love it or hate it, is responsible for lots of discussions happening around the world of adult content. Founded by British businessman Tim Stokely in 2016, OnlyFans has blossomed into an incredibly profitable business model. Worth US $1.9 billion, OnlyFans built this wealth by taking 20% of each transaction on the site. With more than 4.6 million creator accounts, it’s easy to see how this company became so rich so quickly. OnlyFans also doesn’t pay a whole lot of employees, with only 42 people currently directly employed by OnlyFans.

Despite OFTV (OnlyFans’ non-explicit streaming service featuring everything from reality shows to fashion shows) and other ventures into fashion and more PG areas, OnlyFans is mostly known as an adult website. But Blair argues there’s more to the platform than meets the eye. “We have many comedians who are making over six figures on OnlyFans,” Blair says. Everything from gardening to sports exists on the platform, and creators don’t have to share explicit content. Sophie Annaston is a good example of a creator who has made bank without showing much skin. The stunning brunette has gained hundreds of thousands of followers through her hugely popular try-on content and toy collection videos- all while keeping things tasteful.  

Blair went on to lay out the challenges she’s faced as a female CEO in a male-dominated business world. Saying, “We often get asked about imposter syndrome, but not ambition. No man has ever been asked this question when they’re CEO of business,” adding, “Why are we policing the reputation of women rather than men?” Blair says that male OnlyFans creators rarely find themselves scrutinized in the public eye at all, while female creators seem to draw the ire of OnlyFans haters everywhere. “I’ve never had someone say: ‘Well, the Girth Master feels like he’s being exploited.’ People so very rarely write about our male creators.” The belief that women having sex on camera should be shunned and shamed is still alive and well. “The countries where OnlyFans is banned are not countries which are pro-women, like let’s be clear about that,” adds Blair, who also questioned where the “restriction on women’s sexuality and women’s liberty” stops. 

Whether it's positively viewed by the public or not, OnlyFans has made content creators nearly $24 billion since its inception 10 years ago. That’s roughly $2.4 billion a year. In a world where traditional sex work is stigmatized, OnlyFans have given uniquely talented creators the ability to earn what they’re worth and then some. Keily Blair also touts her company’s strict age-verification compliance and non-predatory practices. As sweeping age-verification laws make their way across the globe, OnlyFans has some of the most airtight software making sure those accessing the site are of age. OnlyFans is also ad-free, uses no algorithm and doesn’t sell its users’ personal information. While Blair has been locked out of a bank account and been rejected from dinners with foreign dignitaries just because of her job title, she loves being CEO and frequently travels, sharing her company’s success story around the world.