OnlyFans News: Feb 16 - Feb 22, 2026

This week was dominated by two seismic stories: OpenAI clearing the internal decks for ChatGPT's "Adult Mode" (including firing the VP who opposed it), and Hollywood going nuclear on ByteDance over Seedance 2.0's brazen copyright theft. Both have direct implications for how agencies create, monetize, and protect AI-generated content. Meanwhile, the creator economy's structural shift toward diversified revenue models continued at pace, and Latin America quietly cemented itself as the next major talent pipeline for OF agencies.

1. OpenAI Fires VP Who Opposed ChatGPT "Adult Mode" — Launch Imminent

The biggest AI story for our industry this week: OpenAI fired Ryan Beiermeister, its VP of Product Policy, in January after she raised concerns about the planned "Adult Mode" for ChatGPT. The Wall Street Journal reported that Beiermeister was terminated following a sexual discrimination allegation by a male colleague — an allegation she calls "absolutely false." OpenAI claims the firing was unrelated to her policy objections. Regardless, the path is now clear. Adult Mode is confirmed for Q1 2026 — meaning it could drop any week now. The feature will permit NSFW text generation including erotica, customizable AI personalities, and more open conversations about sexuality for age-verified adults. For agencies running AI chatting operations, this is the single most important development of the year. Once ChatGPT officially supports adult conversations, expect a flood of new tools, integrations, and workflows built on top of it. Start planning your ChatGPT-powered DM automation stack now.

Sources: TechCrunch, Electronics Weekly, Newsweek

2. Hollywood Declares War on Seedance 2.0 — Copyright Chaos Creates Both Risk and Opportunity

ByteDance's Seedance 2.0 AI video model launched this week and immediately went viral with hyper-realistic AI-generated clips of Hollywood characters and celebrities. Disney, Paramount, Warner Bros., Netflix, and Sony all fired off cease-and-desist letters within days. The MPA called copyright infringement "a feature, not a bug" of Seedance. ByteDance responded with promises to add guardrails, but Netflix gave them just three days to comply. The key detail: Seedance produces near-cinematic quality video from prompts, with voice and picture combined. For agencies, this is a double-edged sword. The tool itself is insanely powerful for content creation — but using it to generate content featuring real people or copyrighted characters is now firmly in legal crosshairs. Stick to original AI characters and you're fine. Push the IP boundary and you're painting a target on your back.

Sources: Axios, Deadline, The Hollywood Reporter

3. MrBeast Buys Fintech App Step — Creator-to-Conglomerate Pipeline Accelerates

Beast Industries acquired Step, a Gen Z-focused banking app with 7 million users, on February 9. No financial terms were disclosed, but Beast Industries was valued at $5.2 billion in 2024. The move signals something bigger than one YouTuber buying a fintech: the creator-as-holding-company model is now real. MrBeast's chocolate brand Feastables already outearns his YouTube channel and Amazon show. Why this matters for OF agencies: the playbook of building diversified revenue around an audience — not just one platform — is exactly what top agencies should be exploring for their creators. Merch, courses, apps, brand licensing. If your creators' income is 100% OF, you're leaving money on the table.

Sources: TechCrunch, CNBC

4. OnlyFans LATAM Boom Goes Mainstream — Medellín Agencies Get Spotlight

The Rio Times published a deep-dive this week confirming what agencies on the ground already know: Latin America now accounts for nearly 10% of OnlyFans' global traffic. Mexico ranks in the global top five for platform usage. In Medellín, Colombia, professional agencies now manage OF creators "the way talent firms manage actors" — organizing shoots, marketing, and fan communications. The median creator earns $150-180/month after fees, which is modest globally but significant in economies where inflation has crushed wages. For agencies looking to scale, LATAM remains the highest-ROI talent pipeline: lower content production costs, massive social media followings among Latina creators, and a professional agency infrastructure that's already built out. Mobile access runs above 89% in Brazil and Mexico, with Instagram and X serving as primary funnels.

Sources: The Rio Times

5. Creator Economy "AI Slop" Debate Reaches Boiling Point

TechCrunch's Equity podcast dedicated its February 22 episode to a question increasingly relevant to our space: can creators survive in a flood of AI-generated content? The discussion was triggered by MrBeast's Step acquisition and the Seedance copyright chaos. A key insight: even MrBeast's media business was losing money in 2024 — his chocolate brand Feastables was the profit driver. The ad-revenue model has "reached a saturation point." For OF agencies, the takeaway is clear: authenticity and direct fan relationships are your moat against AI slop. Agencies that use AI to enhance real creator relationships (faster DMs, better content scheduling, voice notes) will win. Agencies that try to replace the creator entirely with AI face a commoditization death spiral.

Sources: TechCrunch, Yahoo Finance

6. OnlyFans $7.22B Revenue Figures Draw Fresh Attention — Earnings Inequality in Focus

Multiple outlets circulated updated OnlyFans statistics this week showing the platform posted $7.22 billion in gross revenue for 2024, up 9% year-on-year. The platform now hosts 4.63 million creators and 377.5 million user accounts. But the inequality numbers are sobering: the average creator earns just $131/month after fees, while the top 1% earns an estimated $49,000/year. The top 0.1% takes home roughly 15x that. Americans spent $2.63 billion on OF in 2025, with California leading at $350M+ and Texas at $248M. For agencies, the strategic implication is simple: mid-tier is the kill zone. Either you're operating at scale with multiple models, or you're intensely focused on whale management for top-tier creators. The middle doesn't pay.

Sources: OFStats, Rochester First / Nexstar

7. OpenAI's Internal "Civil War" Over Adult Content — Advisory Council Pushed Back

Adding more context to the Beiermeister firing: Dataconomy and Benzinga reported this week that OpenAI's internal "well-being and AI" advisory council had asked the company to reconsider the Adult Mode rollout. Multiple employees beyond Beiermeister reportedly raised concerns about emotional dependency risks and inadequate child-safety measures. CEO Sam Altman has doubled down, framing the feature as treating "adult users like adults" and stating OpenAI isn't "moral police." Meanwhile, OpenAI forecasts a $14 billion loss in 2026 — the adult feature could be a significant engagement and revenue driver. Polymarket odds of an OpenAI IPO this year dropped from 60% to 47% amid the controversy. The internal tension suggests the feature may launch with more restrictions than initially expected — plan for a phased rollout, not a floodgate.

Sources: Dataconomy, Benzinga

8. OnlyFans Sale Talks Still Alive — Architect Capital Eyeing IPO by 2028

While the Bloomberg report on Architect Capital's exclusive talks to buy a 60% stake in OnlyFans broke in early February, the story continued to circulate and gain commentary this week. The key numbers: $3.5 billion equity value, approximately $5.5 billion enterprise value including debt. Architect Capital reportedly sees an IPO path by 2028, with internal projections showing annual net revenue of ~$1.6 billion. A previous round of sale discussions at $8 billion fell through in 2025. For agencies: if this deal closes, expect tighter compliance, more platform investment in creator tools, and potentially new financial services for creators as Architect focuses on expanding the platform's financial infrastructure.

Sources: Bloomberg, TechFundingNews

9. AI Chatting Stack Update: DeepSex Model + ElevenLabs Workflow Gaining Traction

A detailed technical walkthrough published on Medium this week laid out the current best-practice stack for adult AI chatting operations: DeepSex (a DeepSeek derivative fine-tuned for adult content, 14B parameters) paired with ElevenLabs for voice output. The model fits on a single A100 GPU, runs fast, and costs roughly $5/hour on RunPod. For non-English markets, ElevenLabs remains the quality leader across languages. The author noted that mainstream models like OpenAI and DeepSeek "shut down your attempts at adult conversation faster than a parental control app" — making purpose-built uncensored models the only viable option for now. If you're running AI chatting and haven't evaluated DeepSex + ElevenLabs, you're likely overpaying for a worse experience. This stack is becoming the default for serious agencies.

Sources: Medium / Innova Technology

10. Seedance Copyright Fallout Sets Precedent for AI-Generated Creator Content

The Seedance saga isn't just about Hollywood. The MPA's letter explicitly stated that copyright infringement in Seedance is "systemic" and built into the model's training data. Warner Bros. accused ByteDance of a deliberate playbook: infringe first for marketing virality, then add guardrails after legal threats. This sets a precedent that directly affects AI content agencies. If you're generating AI video content of characters, scenes, or styles clearly derived from copyrighted works, the legal landscape just got significantly more hostile. ByteDance was told to remove all copyrighted content from training datasets entirely. The message: "move fast and break IP" is no longer a viable strategy. Build your AI characters from scratch, document your training data, and keep records.

Sources: Variety, Deadline

11. X Formally Permits AI-Generated Adult Content — Traffic Channel Expanding

Though the initial policy update happened in early February, the implications continued to play out this week as more creators and agencies tested the boundaries. X now formally permits consensually-produced AI-generated NSFW content with clear labeling. The policy states users should be able to "create, distribute, and consume material related to sexual themes as long as it is consensually produced." This opens X as a legitimate distribution and traffic channel for AI-generated adult content — something that was previously in a gray zone. For traffic managers: X is now the most permissive major social platform for adult-adjacent content. Test AI-generated promotional content on X profiles, use it as a funnel, and track conversion rates against your current channels.

Sources: AI News

12. Creator Economy Diversification Isn't Optional — It's Survival

Between MrBeast's fintech play and TechCrunch's "AI slop" analysis, one theme hammered home this week: ad revenue and single-platform dependency are dead-end strategies. Beast Industries' Feastables brand is more profitable than the YouTube channel itself. The leaked pitch deck showed plans for Beast Mobile (a cell phone MVNO), financial services, and more. Industry experts quoted across multiple outlets said "scale is losing leverage" and "discovery is breaking" as algorithms stop rewarding size alone. For OF agencies, the parallel is direct: your creators need revenue streams beyond subscriptions. PPV optimization, tip menu engineering, merch, Telegram communities, AI-powered upsells — diversification is the play for 2026.

Sources: TechCrunch, Banking Dive

Top Discussed On Reddit This Week

1. Reddit, Facebook & Pornhub: Creators Ditching IG/TikTok Report Better Conversion Rates
   

   Multiple threads this week revealed creators finding stronger ROI outside mainstream social platforms. One creator shared a detailed subreddit list for the MILF/mature niche that got nearly 100 upvotes. Meanwhile, a top creator reported her Facebook page is outconverting her Instagram with half the followers, calling it her favorite promo channel. Key tactics shared: building owned subreddits, using Pornhub as a funnel, mining commenters' post histories to find new niche subs, and cross-posting IG reels to FB pages for a completely different (and higher-spending) demographic. Several creators confirmed they've dropped IG entirely after bans with no appeal response, pivoting to Reddit-only strategies with strong results.

   ⬆️ 25+ Upvotes 💬 41+ Comments (combined threads)

2. Hot Take: Instagram Isn't Dead for OF Promo — You're Just Using It Wrong
   

   A top 1% creator sparked a 93-comment debate arguing that Instagram still works if you stop treating it like an OnlyFans billboard. Her approach: 4-6 reels per day, personality-driven SFW content, and never leading with sex appeal. Critics pushed back hard, noting account bans with zero warning and the reality that what works for one body type or niche may not transfer. The most upvoted rebuttal: "Top earners underestimate the power of their unique offer — another person might use your exact system and it won't work." A related thread on standing out without over-exposure reinforced the shift toward personality-first content, with creators confirming that humor and authenticity build more loyal (and higher-spending) audiences than thirst traps.

   ⬆️ 113 Upvotes 💬 131 Comments (combined threads)

3. ManyVids Suspending Creators for Speaking Out — Platform Risk Is Real
   

   ManyVids is temporarily suspending accounts of creators who publicly criticize the platform, and reportedly accused some of being "paid agitators" in Instagram comments. The community reaction was swift and damning. Creators are being warned to diversify off ManyVids immediately. This follows what users describe as a pattern of deteriorating platform behavior under current leadership. For agencies managing multi-platform distribution, this is a concrete reminder that platform dependency is an operational risk — especially on smaller sites where one policy shift can nuke revenue overnight.

   ⬆️ 89 Upvotes 💬 24 Comments

4. Top Creator Raises Red Flags About Hidden App's Direction
   

   A sub-1% OF creator shared early concerns about Hidden, the buzzy new creator discovery app. The issues: explicit content flooding the feed in a race-to-the-bottom dynamic similar to Fansly's FYP, creators giving away paywalled content for free to compete for visibility, and a "fan meetup" popup feature that raised immediate safety concerns. Community consensus: promising concept, but the free content spiral and lack of clear monetization guardrails could make it another promotional time sink rather than a real revenue channel. Agencies evaluating new platforms should watch this space carefully.

   ⬆️ 38 Upvotes 💬 30 Comments

5. Creator Burnout Epidemic: Even $30K/Month Earners Are Breaking Down
   

   A creator earning $30K/month posted about spiraling into burnout, unable to produce content despite knowing the income cliff is coming. The thread pulled in 53 comments of raw honesty. Parallel discussions surfaced across both subreddits: a creator searching for spaces where people openly hate the job, another feeling lost after years of sex work, and a thread on killing people-pleasing tendencies to survive. The top practical advice across all threads: batch content ruthlessly, schedule actual days off, and accept that subscriber churn is normal. For agencies, this is a retention and talent management signal — your highest earners may be closest to quitting.

   ⬆️ 157 Upvotes 💬 136 Comments (combined threads)

Top Discussed On X/Twitter This Week

1. Turkey Issues Arrest Warrants for 25 OnlyFans Creators in Obscenity Crackdown
   

   Turkey's new Interior Minister made OnlyFans his first enforcement target, with 25 creators named in arrest warrants under obscenity laws. Some are already detained, others reportedly abroad. The story dominated Turkish social media with nationalist accounts praising the action while critics called it a massive privacy violation and government overreach. This is the most aggressive state-level move against OnlyFans creators to date, and a wake-up call for agencies operating internationally or managing creators in restrictive jurisdictions.

   👍 10,849 Likes 💬 755 Comments (combined tweets)

2. OnlyFans Creator Named the Highest-Earning Job in the United States
   

   A viral infographic listing the highest-earning jobs by country placed "OnlyFans creator" at the top for the US, outranking tech executives and surgeons. The post exploded with 19K likes and nearly 800 replies, splitting between people validating the adult creator economy and those dismissing the claim as survivorship bias. Regardless of methodology debates, the cultural signal is clear: OnlyFans has entered mainstream economic conversation, which shifts how agencies can position creator careers and recruit talent.

   👍 19,048 Likes 💬 787 Comments

3. Sweden's "Punish the Buyer, Not the Creator" Model Enters Global OnlyFans Debate
   

   Amid Turkey's crackdown, journalist Nevsin Mengu's advocacy for Sweden's buyer-punishment model went viral across multiple accounts, generating over 1,500 replies combined. The argument: criminalizing creators is ineffective and unjust — regulation should target demand, not supply. This policy framework discussion matters for the entire industry. As more countries consider adult content regulation, the Swedish model vs. outright bans debate will shape where creators can safely operate and where agencies face legal exposure.

   👍 6,722 Likes 💬 1,538 Comments (combined tweets)

4. Global OnlyFans Creator Distribution: US Leads With 1.1M Creators
   

   A data breakdown of the top 20 countries by OnlyFans creator count circulated widely, with the US leading at approximately 1.1 million creators. While the stat itself isn't new, it gained fresh traction in the context of Turkey's arrests and the "highest-earning job" debate. For traffic managers, this is market saturation data — the US remains the most competitive creator market by a massive margin, reinforcing why geo-targeted traffic strategies and underserved regional niches continue to be the edge play.

   👍 735 Likes 💬 78 Comments

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