Drea de Matteo’s Journey with OnlyFans

Drea de Matteo, known for her role in ‘The Sopranos,’ recently shared how creating an OnlyFans account not only saved her financially but also served as a rebellious act against Hollywood. At 54, the actress had previously explained that this subscription-based platform, often associated with adult content, helped her secure her home when she was facing possible foreclosure.

During a recent guest appearance on the Jamie Kennedy show, de Matteo elaborated that working on OnlyFans allowed her to achieve financial independence from the entertainment industry, particularly after drifting away from Hollywood due to her political views and her stance against mandatory COVID-19 vaccinations.

“In a way, the OnlyFans page was kind of a political statement on my part,” she noted. This sentiment resonated with Kennedy, who acknowledged the struggle against traditional systems. De Matteo recounted feeling empowered by the notion of not needing to rely on what she described as a “shitty company.”

The revenue she earned from OnlyFans facilitated her ability to pursue her entrepreneurial dreams, including launching her clothing line, Ultrafree, as well as her podcast of the same name. When Kennedy remarked on her decision to join the platform, she affirmed, “Yes, I did it to be free.”

Despite her fame from ‘The Sopranos,’ de Matteo revealed she wasn’t as financially sound as many assumed. She admitted to not actively seeking roles in acting, only returning to work when necessary to cover living expenses. “It was enough to survive,” she reflected. “Whenever I found out I had to put a lot of money aside for a mortgage, I would go back to work.”

She emphasized that although she was perceived as wealthy, that reality was quite different. “People think I’m made of money,” she explained, sharing how she lived a rather ordinary life, particularly when factoring in challenges during the pandemic. She chose to refuse roles that required vaccination, which led to limited opportunities for work and eventually resulted in her termination from her agency.

During the pandemic, a decrease in her acting income compounded her issues. She took a hiatus on her mortgage payments, which resulted in foreclosure notices, though this situation was later resolved, leaving a lien on her property.

In August 2023, de Matteo announced her OnlyFans account, where she set a subscription fee of $15 per month. Notably, shortly after launching the account, she experienced a significant financial boost. “I posted a photo and the lien was paid within 75 minutes,” she recalled, explaining that it was a bikini photo that generated surprising income.

However, she mentioned that making money wasn’t her primary intention with the account. Initially, de Matteo created the OnlyFans page as a “placeholder” for her podcast due to fears of censorship. She also indicated that she had only been naked once for the purpose of raising awareness about geoengineering—adorned in protest art. “So I painted protest art all over my body,” she recalled.

De Matteo believes many subscribers are drawn to her content because of her iconic role as Adriana La Cerva on ‘The Sopranos.’ “OnlyFans, as I always say, is Adriana’s fan page,” she said, hinting at the enduring affection fans have for her character.

During her podcast discussion, she also addressed prior comments about her teenage son aiding her in generating content for her OnlyFans page, noting those statements had been misinterpreted. While he did help edit one costume photo of her, he has no regular involvement in managing her account’s content.

She clarified that both of her children were kept informed about her posts, but that the specific editing instance was quite limited. This incident sparked some teasing from fellow classmates towards her son, causing concern for de Matteo and challenging their relationship momentarily. “It caused so much tension even between him and me,” she admitted. “I’m the one who has to guide him through all these adverse events, but in this particular instance, I’m the cause of it,” she reflected, making clear how complex the situation has been for both of them.