A Perth woman has revealed she dumped her boyfriend for subscribing to a popular porn star’s OnlyFans account, stating it’s the same as “cheating” – and it turns out, she’s not alone in that view.
New data has revealed most Australians believe that if their partner looks at explicit videos and photos shared by adult content creators on the popular subscription site, then it’s akin to straying from their relationship.
The divide over what constitutes the ultimate relationship betrayal was uncovered in the results of news.com.au’s Great Aussie Debate, a 50 question survey that delves into what Australians really think about the hot topics of 2025.
Over two weeks, more than 54,000 Australians took part in the survey, revealing their thoughts on everything from the cost of living and homeownership, to electric vehicles and going shoeless in supermarkets.
No subject was off the table, including attitudes towards the pay-for-view platform massively occupied by sex workers, that has boomed in recent years.
What emerged in the findings was that, with certain caveats, the vast majority of people consider it cheating if their other-half has a subscription to view X-rated content on OnlyFans.
Of those surveyed, 50 percent said it was “definitely” cheating, while another 42 percent said it “depends on the type of interactions” being had with the creator, showing that perceptions of a partner’s “cheating” are highly subjective and depend heavily on individual values and relationship context.
Only 8 percent of people consider using OnlyFans a “normal” part of a relationship.
Maddi Miller, an OnlyFans star earning USD $19,272 every month, said that, despite her highly lucrative salary as a sex worker, she draws a line in her own relationships.
“Trust is so important, which is why I had to end it with an ex after I caught him looking at naked photos of other women while in bed with me,” she told news.com.au.
“If my ex had maybe asked to watch some content together, or he had expressed that he was curious, then we could have had a conversation about it.
“But the fact that he was deliberately looking at porn created by people I knew was not okay.”
“It was a huge breach of my trust. I wouldn’t be asking his mates for nudes. It’s the same thing. It’s betrayal.”
The 20-year-old, who lives in a small mining town in Western Australia, said her former boyfriend tried to cover his tracks and lied about his OnlyFans consumption.
“I only found out because saw it on his phone one night over his shoulder,” she explained.
“He tried to cover it up, and said his mate sent him a link that he opened it without knowing what it was.”
“But once I investigated further, I could see in his emails that he had subscribed to multiple women that I knew. The timestamps on the emails showed that he had been laying in bed next to me while he did it.”
Ms. Miller described the act of “betrayal” as extremely damaging, stating it created a lot of self-doubt that still feeds into her relationships today.
“Being young and having financial independence is great but it often attracts men who don’t have the best intentions,” she said.
“And like this circumstance, they think it’s okay to push boundaries that we’ve set in place.”
“Like it’s owed to them because I do OnlyFans. But it’s a job for me. It doesn’t mean he can go and do whatever he wants.”
Much like Ms. Miller’s experience, the Great Aussie Debate findings reflect the complexity of the modern relationship issue, with a stark difference between male and female attitudes to OnlyFans.
The vast majority of women surveyed (61.3 percent) believe their partners subscribing to OnlyFans is definitely cheating.
In contrast, 46.1 percent of men quizzed stated it depends on the interaction, while only 35.5 percent of female respondents felt the same way.
The findings demonstrate the complexity of defining infidelity in the digital age, says Lucy Banks, a sex worker and owner of “spicy” talent agency, Million Billion Media.
“I’ve been in the OnlyFans sphere since before Covid and have seen it evolve from a side hustle that everyone seemed unsure about, to a full blown machine that has transformed the entire adult industry,” she told news.com.au.
“Along with that, society and relationships have also evolved, meaning the level of transparency, emotional intelligence, and communication required to maintain a healthy relationship is now much higher.”
“Is it cheating if your partner subscribes to someone on OnlyFans? It really depends on the relationship.”
“As someone who not only makes content but also works with other women in the industry, the pattern I see consistently, regardless of age, gender, or content type, is that the strongest relationships are the ones built on trust, open dialogue, and mutual respect.”
When news.com.au hit the streets, everyday Aussies echoed the data, showing men and women were divided on what constitutes cheating on OnlyFans.
One activewear-clad woman said it was cheating, but it depended on what sort of explicit content her partner was watching.
While her friend, who was also dressed head-to-toe in figure-hugging workout gear agreed, stating “how much money” was being spent also played into it.
“If you’re paying for something, interacting and have a particular person of interest, that’s definitely cheating,” she said.
Meanwhile two blokes who were asked “is subscribing to OnlyFans cheating?” said they didn’t think it was akin to having an affair.
However one described it as a “dog act” as it crossed a line in a relationship.
“If I was with someone for say five years, I’d be like, ‘what’s going on here?’,” he reasoned.
“That would be a big fight. Whereas with someone new? Bye.”
