Turns out, recent reports of filmmaker Sean Baker working with actress and model Bella Thorne one a film about the popular subscription service OnlyFans were greatly exaggerated. Baker has come out and released a statement refuting Thorne’s claims that the two were collaborating, amid backlash directed at Thorne and OnlyFans for changes made to the platform after an alleged scam committed by Thorne.
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“I would like to make it clear that the news of me making a film (documentary or fiction narrative) about OnlyFans and using Bella Thorne as research is false,” Baker said in a statement he shared on Twitter. “I’m NOT attached to this project. I’m actually in development on two features that I’ve put years of research and love in to and neither of these films have anything to do with Ms. Thorne or OnlyFans.”
“Earlier this month I had a conversation with Ms. Thorne and discussed a possible collaboration in the far future that would focus on her life and circumstances leading to her joining Onlyfans,” Baker added. “On that call, I advised her team to consult with sex workers and address the way she went about this as to NOT hurt the sex work industry. This has been the extent of my involvement.”
The backlash against OnlyFans and Thorne started the moment the actress made her splashy and widely reported debut on the platform, where she raked in $1 million in her first day alone. The news caused an uproar among sex workers, who argue that the actress is taking away work from full-time performers who actually depend on the platform to make ends meet.
The latest uproar started when Thorne allegedly sent out a message promising more explicit photos of herself than subscribers got, triggering a wave of refund requests, and reportedly causing OnlyFans to change rules for all content creators on the platform, capping how much money one can charge, and slowing the payment process.
Sean Baker reiterated in his statement that he has “literally devoted my career to tell stories that remove stigma and normalize lifestyles that are under attack. I would never do anything that could possibly hurt the community. So please know that this news is not correct.”
