When Lily Phillips sat down with Stacey Dooley for a new documentary, we were all shocked to see the parents of the OnlyFans star give a very candid interview about their daughter’s career. They, and Lily, got emotional over what she does for work, and it really put a mirror to the reality of the industry.
“You could have everything you want, Lily, if you gave it all up now,” they said to their daughter. It was was a plea for her to stop. Sex work is taboo. That’s the reality of it. But in the last year, OnlyFans and sex workers such as Lily Phillips and Bonnie Blue have made the industry so much more public, and accessible for everyone else.
You no longer need to open an Incognito window and search for porn. You can subscribe to OnlyFans, which is literally the norm now, or just go on TikTok to follow what Bonnie is up to on her Bang Bus. If you’re a porn star or OnlyFans creator these days, you’re a celeb. So the parents of these creators know every knows their child. So what is that like?
‘Did I do something wrong?’
Picture via Molly Little
Molly Little was 19, homeless and living in a shelter with her mother and father when she first started doing work on OnlyFans. “Even though I was young, sex work was something that gave me empowerment. I wanted to capitalise on that,” Molly told The Tab. She said she’s now making six figures a month.
Despite this, her mother Carol told Metro this isn’t the career she would want for her daughter. “I don’t think any parent would want this for their child — it’s not a choice parents even think of,” she said. “I thought she’d be a scientist or a doctor — she’s really, really smart. I can want what I want for her, but it’s not up to me.”
She added: “I judged myself thinking, ‘did I do something wrong?’. But when I met other sex workers, I realised they’re just good normal people — they aren’t desperate.”
Carol added sex workers “need love and understanding” but she still doesn’t want to know the exacts of what her daughter does every day. Unfortunately, the rest of Molly’s family don’t think the same.
“The family knows, and a lot of them won’t speak to Molly anymore; others in the family do talk to her but don’t agree with her line of work,’ Carol said. “It’s sad because they’re the ones missing out — she’s a beautiful person. I understand it a little, it’s something I still deal with too, but what she’s doing is just her job, it’s not her.”
‘If there was anything we could do to make her stop, we’d do it overnight’
via BBC
In an episode of Stacey Dooley Sleeps Over, Lily Phillips talked with her parents about her OnlyFans career. Her mum and dad shared their true feelings about it.
“We’ve known for years she’s done OnlyFans and I thought it was just posing in swimwear and lingerie,” her dad Lindsay admitted. Her mum added: “When she said she was doing OnlyFans, we stood back because we want to continue our relationship with our daughter. We were pretty open with it, but when it went to the next step, we were like ‘no, no.’”
Lily’s father said he would do anything do make Lily stop, and said he gets constant messages and calls from strangers saying “I hope your daughter dies.” At this point, Lily and her parents broke down in tears.
He added: “If there’s anything we could do to change her profession, we’d do it overnight … It’s the ‘degradingness’ of it and making sure that she’s safe.
“Sometimes we think have we done anything wrong with her upbringing, well as far as I’m concerned we’ve had nothing but nice times and love … Is it money? Because if it was money, we’d sell our house. You could have everything you want Lily if you gave it all up now.”
‘I found a website where all my daughter’s photos had leaked’
Speaking in a Reddit thread, one father said he had the “worst day of his life” when he was sent a website, and soon found out it was where all of his daughter’s OnlyFans photos had been leaked. “I want to be a supportive father, but I’ve always struggled justifying it,” he said. “This was the final straw. I’m going to have to beg her to stop.”
On the flip side, Bonnie Blue has said both her parents support her career
via YouTube
As she would, Bonnie Blue has always been firm that her parents love her career. She told Femail: “My dad’s got my business card in the back of his phone case. He takes it to the pub with his friends.” She later added that he’s “proud” and has been able to enjoy freebies and the money from her career.
Bonnie Blue’s mother is also proud of her daughter. She appeared in the Bonnie Blue: 1000 Men and Me documentary, and even at a screening with press to cheer on Bonnie.
Her mother Sarah did admit she found out about Bonnie’s career when she saw a leaked video of her, and added: “It was just a shock because it’s something I never thought she would do. If she’s happy, then I’m happy. She’s safe, making lots of money.”
‘As long as she’s not going down the Bonnie Blue avenue — that’s disgusting’
Picture via Lily Jade
23-year-old Lily Jade has been doing OnlyFans for just under a year, and her parents are supportive – under one strict rule. “Lily always had in her mind she was going to be famous, no matter the avenue she went down to get there,” her mother Jen told Metro. “We always knew she’d do something in modelling or TV — anything on the internet to make herself known. If that’s what she wants to do, she’s happy to do it, and she’s self-sufficient, we’re very supportive.”
But there is one thing her dad Adam wants none of. He said: “As long as she’s not going down the Bonnie Blue avenue — that’s disgusting. I wouldn’t want Lily to go into hardcore porn, but OnlyFans is a subscription, and she doesn’t have to meet people.
“I don’t know how we’re meant to have problems with her work, because then we just become unsupportive, horrible parents.”
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