Fears advertisers may boycott Married At First Sight over OnlyFans porn stigma

It started out as a fly-on-the-wall social experiment to help Aussie singles find love. 

But Married At First Sight has devolved into a launching pad for influencers and sex workers in recent years, with many former stars turning to escorting and the porn industry to monetise their fame.

The Channel Nine series is now so mired in sex and scandal that there are fears the network may have trouble finding advertisers and brand partners for the upcoming tenth season.

‘The ratings may be great but many big brands don’t want to go near Married At First Sight as it’s too controversial and doesn’t align with their values as a business,’ a source told Yahoo Lifestyle.

‘The growing, and highly publicised, trend of past participants turning to porn and sex work is one of the main reasons many family-friendly brands are staying clear.’

However, Nine denied this in a statement to Daily Mail Australia, saying on Friday: ‘Nine rejects the utterly baseless claims made by Yahoo Lifestyle.’

While it’s not unusual these days for models and reality TV participants to use OnlyFans for extra cash, the stars from MAFS have taken things to a whole new level.

Instead of the usual Playboy-esque nudes and lingerie photos that most models sell on OnlyFans, many of Married At First Sight’s former brides and grooms are doing hardcore pornography.

One bride in particular, who cannot be named, performed a taboo solo act using three sex toys for her subscribers.

Meanwhile, Jackson Lonie and Olivia Frazer, who appeared on the most recent season of MAFS, began filming sex scenes together shortly after getting off the show.

The couple has since split, but are still operating their separate accounts. 

Olivia claims to be earning six figures selling explicit videos of herself, and has stated multiple times she will never return to her former job as a teacher.

Despite speculation the cast’s post-show porn careers are harming the franchise, some PR experts believe the OnlyFans connection may actually appeal to younger, more progressive viewers.

Sophie Taeuber, who runs PR firm Hulu Media and hosts the influencer-focused podcast Outspoken, says there may still be plenty of brands willing to work with MAFS.

‘I think it really comes down to who the brand is, its target market and whether it is a good brand alignment,’ she said.

‘Just recently we’ve seen the success that activewear brand Stax has had collaborating with TikToker and OnlyFans star Anna Paul.’

‘Millennials and Gen Z-ers are far more progressive and open-minded when it comes to sex work than older generations,’ she continued.

Ms Taeuber also pointed out that Domenica Calarco was widely supported by viewers after her OnlyFans account became a major storyline on the show this year. 

‘The overwhelming reaction from the public was that they were appalled by the slut-shaming that went on. I think audiences are more progressive and wouldn’t judge brands for wanting to support or advertise on the show,’ she said.

‘If Nine is struggling to attract advertisers over concerns that the show is no longer viewed as “family friendly”, it may be wise to adjust its time slot.’

However, her earnings are nothing compared to Jessika Power – arguably the biggest OnlyFans star to come from Married At First Sight.

The 30-year-old now rakes in about $100,000 per month, which doesn’t even include the extra money she makes promoting vibrators and weight-loss products on Instagram.

The blonde beauty now flies first class around the world and buys designer clothes from brands like Fendi and Givenchy. 

‘I do my OnlyFans because honestly it brings in a fabulous income. It is ridiculous the amount of money I have earned in the last four months. It allows me to be a provider for my family,’ she previously told the Daily Telegraph. 

One of OnlyFans’ most surprising success stories is grandmother Mishel Karen. 

The season seven bride, 51, has earned a reputation for performing outrageous sex acts that many younger reality stars are unwilling to do. 

This includes filming a lesbian threesome and engaging in 12-person bisexual orgy.

She also sells her used socks and panties on the site to the highest bidder, and has done many other things that Daily Mail Australia is unable to print. 

Now a fully fledged porn star, the grandmother was one of the star attractions at Brisbane Sexpo in July.

Speaking to Daily Mail Australia at the event, Mishel revealed she’d made ‘hundreds of thousands of dollars’ in just over a year doing porn.

‘I’ve never been as financially stable as I am now,’ she said.

‘I’ve never really had a lot of money and this is okay money and it just actually helps life. It just makes life easier.’

Mishel’s success in the adult industry is eclipsed only by her former co-star Hayley Vernon.

In addition to being crowned Australia’s Best New Porn Star at The Adult Industry Choice Awards, Hayley is now working as a $1,000-per-hour escort.

‘I’m in the adult industry; I have sex for a living. I have top-tier customers wanting the experience and I, on the other hand, need men to film with,’ she explained.

‘The reality is, it goes hand in hand with what I do [on OnlyFans],’ she added.

Hayley, who has made a staggering $1.3million selling raunchy content on the adult website, said she was proud of her work in the industry.

‘Am I ashamed? F**k no. I’m absolutely killing it and would like to thank you [the media] for the free publicity,’ she added.

In a previous interview about her adult career, Hayley admitted she had to turn to hardcore pornography in order to keep the money coming in.

‘[It’s] hard to then keep people paying each month, unless you’re willing to push boundaries,’ she said.

Hayley revealed that while her public persona from the Channel Nine reality series initially generated curiosity, that soon wore thin.

Eventually, she evolved from lingerie and topless shots to hardcore porn.

Some Married At First Sight stars were already on OnlyFans before they even joined the show, including Domenica Calarco.

Domenica’s OnlyFans career became a major storyline on the latest season, and the outspoken bride has now started spruiking sex toys on social media to her half-a-million Instagram followers.

Other brides to join OnlyFans include Ines Basic, Stacey Hampton, Tamara Joy, Jaimie Gardner, Booka Nile, Jessica Seracino, Vanessa Romito, Ashley Irvin, Susie Bradley and more. 

Married At First Sight’s first-ever lesbian bride Amanda Micallef also performs on the website in a ‘dominant’ role.

‘I’m here to explore the fantasies for the married, bi-curious or lesbian submissive woman,’ she wrote in her profile. 

The men are now getting in on the act too, with Daniel Holmes and Mitch Eynaud recently signing up.

In the last few years, viewers have started making official complaints to the Australian TV watchdog about Married At First Sight’s raunchy storylines.

The Australian Commercial Media Authority told the Herald Sun: ‘Most of the contacts referred to allegations of inappropriate sexual content or treatment of participants.’

The most recent season featured a nude photo row, a cheating scandal, a physical altercation, as well as emotional abuse between couples.

Season 10 of MAFS is currently being filmed in Sydney, and the cast is shaping up to be the most outrageous yet. 

One groom, Harrison Boon, is a former stripper, while one bride is rumoured to have been an OnlyFans performer prior to signing up for the series.