Bella Thorne recently sparked widespread backlash for her involvement with OnlyFans, receiving criticism across social media for her comments and actions on the platform.
Bella Thorne promotes her OnlyFans page, inviting fans to subscribe for exclusive content (Credit: OnlyFans)
While she has been in the spotlight since childhood, Bella has only recently ventured into the world of adult pictures, film, and content.
Bella Thorne: Early Life and Rise to Fame
Annabella Avery Thorne, known professionally as Bella Thorne, is an American actress, singer, and model originally from Florida.
She has a diverse ethnic background, tracing back to Cubans, Italians, Germans, and the Irish. Bella’s first language is Spanish, and she was bullied growing up for her dyslexia.
Actress Bella Thorne in a strapless Topshop pink floral-print dress at the Los Angeles premiere of “Spring Breakers” at ArcLight Hollywood on March 14, 2013, in Hollywood, California (Credit: Daniel Tanner / WENN)
Initially, Bella began acting as a child to help support her very poor family. Her father passed away in a traffic accident, and her mother was raising four children on her own. She has said that her desire to support her struggling family motivated her to pursue a career in entertainment.
Zendaya’s less successful friend is also a survivor of sexual abuse and has shared that she was abused from a young age until the age of 14
From Child Star to Award-Winning Actress: Bella Thorne’s Career Journey
This young woman has earned some accolades, like the Imagen Award, a Teen Choice Award, multiple Young Artist awards, and a Shorty Award.
Despite personal hardships, Bella’s drive to support her family helped her achieve early success in the entertainment industry.
As early as six weeks old, Bella was a baby model for Parents Magazine. Since then, she has been on numerous catalog covers and advertised for Candie’s, Gap, Diesel, Guess Jeans, and Tommy Hilfiger.
She has also graced the covers of CosmoGirl, Teen Vogue, Seventeen, and Shape and appeared in many music videos and commercials for big names like Neutrogena.
Bella Thorne attends the Autism Speaks Sixth Annual Acts of Love Celebration at The Geffen Playhouse on November 10, 2008, in Westwood, California, wearing a polka-dot blouse paired with a pearl necklace (Credit: Apega / WENN)
She appeared in minor roles on Entourage and The O.C. and then secured a recurring role on Dirty Sexy Money as Margaux Darling. Bella credits her next role, alongside Taylor Lautner and Christian Slater, in My Own Worst Enemy, as her breakthrough.
Slowly, Bella began to get more roles and gain more fame. She appeared on Season 4 of Big Love on HBO and then earned a role on the Disney Channel sitcom Shake It Up.
Bella starred opposite Zendaya in this buddy comedy about a teen dance show. The show lasted for three seasons before its cancellation.
Bella Thorne shines in a colorful sequin dress at the Los Angeles premiere of “Hannah Montana The Movie” at the El Capitan Theatre on April 2, 2009, in Hollywood, California (Credit: Apega / WENN)
Bella released her first single, “Watch Me,” with Zendaya in June 2011. She cites Destiny’s Child, Britney Spears, and Kesha as key influences and draws inspiration from various music genres. Bella’s estimated net worth is now $12 million.
Bella Thorne’s Controversial OnlyFans Debut
OnlyFans is a website where individuals can share NSFW content with their fans. This content can be free or monetized based on a subscription payment model. Celebrity stars on the platform include Corinna Kopf and Sonja Morgan.
Bella launched her OnlyFans account in August 2020 and temporarily crashed the website that day. She reportedly earned $1 million in her first 24 hours on the platform and $2 million in her first week. Nobody before Bella had made that much money on the OnlyFans subscription service.
Bella Thorne stuns in a vibrant yellow dress while posing with her sister, Kaili Thorne, who wears a bold black-and-white striped ensemble (Credit: FayesVision / WENN)
Bella quickly became one of the top three highest-earning celebrities on OnlyFans, earning over $10 million in just over a year. Shortly after Bella’s success, her older sister, Kaili Thorne, also joined the platform.
Bella’s involvement in adult content began before OnlyFans, starting with her directorial debut in the adult film Her & Him on Pornhub in August 2019. She won a Vision Award at the second annual Pornhub Awards in Los Angeles for her work.
Bella identifies as pansexual and has been in polyamorous relationships in the past.
Why Bella Thorne Faces Backlash on OnlyFans
Many criticized Bella Thorne for “gentrifying” the platform, as her presence led to changes in OnlyFans’ payment policies, including a cap on tips and extended payout periods, which negatively impacted sex workers who rely on the platform for income.
I very rarely publicly shame people directly, but damn, Bella Thorne literally messed up the lives of a MASSIVE amount of people. There’s naked pictures of her on the internet, FOR FREE but she charged $200 for pictures of her wearing lingerie.
— Sassafras (A.k.a. T Drizzle) (@hihohaihoe) August 28, 2020
The changes took place after several users asked for refunds when Bella Thorne sold them “naked” photos for $200, but the images were not actually nude.
According to Bella, these nude photo offers were fake. After this event, OnlyFans imposed $50 payment caps on pay-per-view posts and implemented holds on payments, forcing some international creators to wait 30 days to receive their funds.
Bella Thorne has been accused of gentrifying OnlyFans and for making it more difficult for sex workers to make money on the platform (Credit: MEGA / WENN)
OnlyFans denies that the changes are a result of Bella, “Transaction limits are set to help prevent overspending and to allow our users to continue to use the site safely. We value all of the feedback received since this change was implemented and we will continue to review these limits.”
Bella issued an apology, saying she only wanted to normalize sex work and that she would speak with OnlyFans about their new policies.
Bella tweeted on August 29, 2020, “I wanted to bring attention to the site, the more people on the site the more likely of a chance to normalize the stigmas, And in trying to do this I hurt you. I have risked my career a few times to remove the stigma behind sex work, porn, and the natural hatred people spew…”
Bella Thorne apologized on Twitter after receiving OnlyFans backlash (Credit: Twitter)
Many users on the site did not buy her “support.” The users dragged Bella on social media, saying that she made light of online sex work and made it into a publicity stunt for herself.
These users don’t understand why Bella, with millions in the bank already, needs to use this platform. Users who used to get paid weekly now receive a monthly paycheck. That negative financial impact trickles to 450,000 content creators on the website.
Not only did the pay frequency change, but OnlyFans changed its caps for payment limits. With a previous tip and paid post cap of $200, now reduced to $100, creators are making less money than before.
Bella Thorne and her boyfriend Benjamin Mascolo announced their engagement on March 21, 2021 (Credit: KIKA / WENN)
Creators feel like they are being “ripped off.” And whether Bella Thorne is to blame or not, the young actress has definitely come under fire for the timing of her involvement with the introduction of these new policies that seem to hurt, rather than help, many creators on the OnlyFans platform.
Shifting away from the controversy surrounding OnlyFans, Bella has long been recognized for her bold fashion choices and evolving style.
Bella Thorne’s Transition to Voice Acting: From Live-Action to Animation
Before stepping into voice acting, Bella had primarily appeared in live-action roles. Her experience playing a real person in Alvin & the Chipmunks: The Road Chip paved the way for her first animated role as Cora Veralux in Ratchet & Clank in 2016.
After playing a real, live human being in the animated “Alvin & the Chipmunks: The Road Chip,” in 2016 Bella Thorne finally got to lend her voice to an animated character: Cora Veralux of “Ratchet & Clank.”
Bella Thorne crimps her hair to promote “Ratchet and Clank” on Day 1 of WonderCon held at Los Angeles Convention Center on March 25, 2016, in Los Angeles, California (Credit: Tony Forte / WENN)
In March 2016, the then-18-year-old appeared at the 2016 WonderCon to promote “Ratchet & Clank” and talked about what she loved most about working on the computer-animated science-fiction comedy film.
Bella showed up in a full leather outfit. She paired a black leather halter top with a navy Mugler mini skirt.
Bella Thorne wears a black leather halter top with a navy leather Mugler mini skirt (Credit: Tony Forte / WENN)
The teenager capped off her outfit with a navy pair of Jimmy Choo “Abel” pumps.
Bella Thorne’s feet in navy Jimmy Choo pumps (Credit: Tony Forte / WENN)
Bella also seemed to sport a brand new tattoo: A tiny heart located on the front of her shoulder, just under her collar bone.
The 5′ 8″ actress said her favorite part about playing Cora was the opportunity to act as a tough character since she doesn’t get to play too many tough roles.
Bella Thorne poses with a Ratchet mascot as she promotes her latest animated film, “Ratchet & Clank” (Credit: Tony Forte / WENN)
While Bella isn’t much of a tomboy, the actress said she enjoyed tapping into her masculine side for the film.
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