Drea de Matteo has opened up about turning to OnlyFans, revealing that her work on the platform ‘saved her life’.
The actress has been on the small screen for decades, and is most known for her stints in the Sopranos and Desperate Housewives.
However, work dried up during the global pandemic when the 52-year-old refused to have the Covid vaccine, and she was left with just $10 in her bank account.
She almost lost her home before pivoting to the adult subscription platform, but was able to change her situation in just a few minutes – quickly making enough money to pay her mortgage, and start her own clothing company.
‘It saved us,’ the star told DailyMail.com of her efforts. ‘OnlyFans saved my life, 100 per cent. I can’t believe I’m saying that, but it really did save us.
‘Anybody that wants to condemn me and put me down, go for it. I just hope you never find yourself in the position I was in to take care of two little kids.
‘It saved my home of many years that was very important to us. And beyond all that, it has given me enough money to start up and finance ULTRAFREE.’
At the time of writing, Drea charges $15 a month to access her uploads – she has posted 169 times and has nearly 120,000 likes on her page.
The Sons of Anarchy star explained that she was in dire straits before signing up to OnlyFans, and sought help for her mortgage repayments – but was trying to sell her home ‘before they took it’.
She also lost her mom, while her other mother suffered with dementia, and needed to pay her caregivers.
Keeping tight-lipped about the amount she has made so far, she shared that her fortunes changed ‘in five minutes’, leading her to post more pictures and footage.
However, Drea said that the original idea behind her page was very different, as she originally wanted to host a podcast with her partner, Robby Staebler.
‘I did it, but I didn’t want to do it,’ she added. ‘I mean, the original premise to open the OnlyFans was Robby and I were going to do a podcast on there that was controversial. We wanted to put it behind a paywall so to not be destroyed in the media for it.
‘That was what it was going to be originally – with him rubbing my feet because you have to add a little something for OnlyFans in there.’
Drea previously addressed her decision to appear on the adult platform, insisting that she isn’t fussed about any criticism that comes her way.
During an appearance on Fox News last year, she vowed: ‘I just don’t care [about the criticism]. I’d rather save my family than save face. I know some people have said some nasty things about me.
‘But, you know, the way we see it is, in this house is mommy’s a warrior, not accepting defeat.’
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