Maitland Ward Slams OnlyFans' 'Cowardly' Move to Ban Sexually Explicit Content
Former Boy Meets World actress turned adult film star Maitland Ward has slammed OnlyFans for its [...]
Former Boy Meets World actress turned adult film star Maitland Ward has slammed OnlyFans for its "cowardly" move banning sexually explicit content. Speaking to TMZ on Tuesday, Ward told the outlet that her own OnlyFans page has been doing very well, pulling in six-figure revenue each month. She lashed out at the company for announcing their plan to ban pornographic content in October, calling them cowards for allowing banks to pressure them into the situation.
This week, OnlyFans CEO Tim Stokely revealed exactly why OnlyFans made the decision to crackdown on sexually explicit pictures and videos. In an interview with the Financial Times, Stokely placed the blame on financial institutions that do not want their business connected to sex work. "The change in policy, we had no choice — the short answer is banks," Stokely said. Stokely went on to explain that banking corporations such as JP Morgan Chase, Bank of New York Mellon and the U.K.'s Metro Bank "cite reputational risk and refuse our business."
Dear Sex Workers,
The OnlyFans community would not be what it is today without you.
The policy change was necessary to secure banking and payment services to support you.
We are working around the clock to come up with solutions.#SexWorkIsWork
— OnlyFans (@OnlyFans) August 21, 2021
"We pay over 1 million creators over $300 million every month, and making sure that these funds get to creators involves using the banking sector," Stokely told the outlet. The problem, he said, is that the banks refuse to process transactions related to sex work, which OnlyFans has come to be known for. Stokely explained that this causes OnlyFans to have a difficult time paying the content creators that use their platform.
It seems that Ward and other OnlyFans creators have had their voices heard, however. On Wednesday, the company announced that it was reversing its previously announced ban. Thank you to everyone for making your voices heard," OnlyFans tweeted. "We have secured assurances necessary to support our diverse creator community and have suspended the planned October 1 policy change."
The company added, "OnlyFans stands for inclusion and we will continue to provide a home for all creators." In a separate statement issued to PEOPLE, an OnlyFans spokesperson reiterated the news in the company's public announcement. "The proposed October 1, 2021 changes are no longer required due to banking partners' assurances that OnlyFans can support all genres of creators," they said.