Former British soap star, Joshua Pascoe, has shocked the world by joining OnlyFans. Some of his fans have been aghast and clutching at pearls, but honestly? Celebrities jumping into the internet’s favorite naughty corner is practically a tradition at this point, so cool it with the shocked Pikachu face. The pipeline from mainstream entertainer to spicy internet entrepreneur is thriving, and making current (and former) celebrities some pretty decent coin. It’s not just about money— although, hi, we all have to eat somehow— but also about cutting out the studio middle man and connecting directly with fans.
Don’t know who Joshua Pascoe is? Don’t worry, I got you. Joshua Pascoe is a British actor who was born in 1995, and is best known for playing Ben Mitchell on EastEnders from 2010-2012. He appeared in over 150 episodes during his run on the British soap, and his character was that of the son of legendary soap hardman Phil Mitchell, making him a part of one of the show’s bigger families. Soap operas are HUGE in the UK, so if someone does even a short stint on a program, they can become an instantly recognizable cultural figure. Pascoe’s portrayal of Ben Mitchell was a key player in some dark storylines, including a manslaughter plot that eventually caused the character to be written out of the series. Press fast-forward, and instead of starring in Albert Square drama, Pascoe’s serving up something a little more… sock-based.
Yes, you read that correctly. Pascoe recently launched his OnlyFans account, and he offers adult content (*wink**wink**nudge**nudge*), and fetish items, including worn socks. His content allegedly includes feet photos, solo content, and yes, worn socks and underwear that his truly devoted/deviant fans can purchase for roughly £30–£50. His subscription price is around the $9.99/month mark, making him a very affordable creator for would-be subscribers, even those on a budget. As is always the case, some of his fans have criticized the move, while others are stating the obvious: dude needs to make a living. The internet has been doing what it does, and there’s some amount of pearl-clutching, but there’s also been no small amount of curiosity engaged, and wallets opened. Apparently the market for celebrity socks for the spank bank is quite healthy indeed.
How healthy? Well, I don’t want to speak on the sock market exclusively (I’m still getting foot-focused ads after my article on Benny Blanco’s dirty feet) but the point is that Pascoe isn’t alone in his presence on OnlyFans. There are plenty of Celebrity OnlyFans creators showing up for their subscribers on the platform. Bella Thorne famously made over $1 million on her first day on OnlyFans. Cardi B uses the platform to share behind-the-scenes content with fans who are willing to pay for more access. Tyga launched a page and even tried building out a competitor platform. And don’t even get me started on how Drea de Matteo has credited OnlyFans with saving her home. For celebrities, OnlyFans offers them things that traditional media just can’t. They can have direct 1:1 interactions with their fans, full creative control over their content, and they don’t have a studio executive hovering over their shoulder making sure that they stay “brand safe.” It’s like Hollywood without a middleman, and with the occasional $10 foot pic.
People love a scandal. It gives them a chance to feel like they’re somehow superior to whomever is at the center of said scandal, but here’s the deal when it comes to celebrities on OnlyFans: creators make good money there if they’re willing to do the work, fans get closer access to celebrities they love and want to directly support, everyone involved knows precisely what it is they’re signed up for. So, to Joshua Pascoe, our dear former soap villain turned digital entrepreneur: *raises Alani can* may his subscribers be plentiful, his socks sell like hotcakes, and may his journey on the internet’s favorite spicy little corner be met with consistent success.
