{"id":46693,"date":"2026-08-15T13:23:26","date_gmt":"2026-08-15T08:23:26","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/?p=46693"},"modified":"2026-08-15T13:23:26","modified_gmt":"2026-08-15T08:23:26","slug":"sopranos-star-drea-de-matteo-says-onlyfans-became-political-statement-after-financial-struggles","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/?p=46693","title":{"rendered":"&#8216;Sopranos&#8217; star Drea de Matteo says OnlyFans became \u2018political statement\u2019 after financial struggles"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><script>\r\n  atOptions = {\r\n    'key' : '644b717812d811d6a1c1fc5b6ccd6fa6',\r\n    'format' : 'iframe',\r\n    'height' : 90,\r\n    'width' : 728,\r\n    'params' : {}\r\n  };\r\n<\/script>\r\n<script src=\"https:\/\/www.highperformanceformat.com\/644b717812d811d6a1c1fc5b6ccd6fa6\/invoke.js\"><\/script>\r\n<br \/>\n<br \/><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/nypost.com\/wp-content%2Fuploads%2Fsites%2F2%2F2026%2F08%2Fnewspress-collage-rfkb0995k-1786780374551.jpg?quality%3D90%26strip%3Dall\" \/><\/p>\n<div>\n<aside class=\"single__inline-module alignleft wp-block-nypost-editor-partner-article-links\">\n<\/aside>\n<p>\u201cSopranos\u201d star\u00a0Drea de Matteo\u00a0is reflecting on how joining OnlyFans became not only a financial lifeline when she was facing the loss of her home but also an act of defiance against Hollywood.<\/p>\n<p>The 54-year-old actress has previously shared how <a href=\"https:\/\/nypost.com\/2023\/08\/24\/sopranos-star-drea-de-matteo-reveals-jaw-dropping-onlyfans-account-beautiful\/\">launching an account<\/a> on the subscription-based social media platform, which is primarily known for adult content, <a href=\"https:\/\/nypost.com\/2024\/02\/27\/entertainment\/sopranos-drea-de-matteo-onlyfans-paid-off-mortgage-in-5-minutes\/\">gave her the ability to financially save her home<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>During an appearance Wednesday on Jamie Kennedy\u2019s\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=Z8DT4sUlLmo\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">\u201cHate to Break It to Ya\u201d<\/a>\u00a0podcast, de Matteo explained that the platform gave her a way to make a living without relying on the entertainment industry after she became increasingly alienated from Hollywood over her political views and opposition to COVID-19 vaccine mandates.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cIn some ways, the OnlyFans page was almost like a political statement on my part in a way,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cOh yeah, get back at the system,\u201d Kennedy interjected.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cIt was like, \u2018F\u2014 you,&#8217;\u201d she said. \u201c\u2018I don\u2019t need to work for your f\u2014ing corporation.&#8217;\u201d<\/p>\n<p>De Matteo said the <a href=\"https:\/\/pagesix.com\/2024\/02\/27\/entertainment\/sopranos-star-drea-de-matteo-paid-off-her-mortgage-debt-with-money-she-made-on-onlyfans\/\">income she received from OnlyFans<\/a> gave her the financial freedom to successfully fund her own entrepreneurial ventures, including her clothing line Ultrafree and her \u201cUltrafree\u201d podcast.<\/p>\n<figure class=\"nyp-slideshow-modal-image wp-block-image aligncenter size-large\"><figcaption>Drea de Matteo revealed her OnlyFans account was a \u201cpolitical statement\u201d and a financial lifeline after she was alienated from Hollywood. <span class=\"credit\">Instagram \/ @dreadematteo<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>\u201cYou launched your OnlyFans to be free,\u201d Kennedy said.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cYes, I did,\u201d she replied.<\/p>\n<p>Despite her success on \u201cThe Sopranos,\u201d she said she was never as financially secure as people assumed. The actress told Kennedy she had never been particularly career-driven and would often return to acting only when she needed the income.<\/p>\n<figure class=\"nyp-slideshow-modal-image wp-block-image aligncenter size-large\"><figcaption>The \u201cSopranos\u201d star launched OnlyFans to save her home from foreclosure and pay off a $75,000 lien in 75 minutes. <span class=\"credit\">Instagram \/ @dreadematteo<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>\u201cI had enough to survive,\u201d she said. \u201cI would always go back to work when I knew I needed to put aside a chunk of money for the mortgage.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI was not \u2014 people think I\u2019m made of f\u2014ing money,\u201d de Matteo continued. \u201cEveryone sees me coming, they\u2019re like, \u2018Here comes that rich b\u2014- from \u201cThe Sopranos.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cAnd it\u2019s like, no, I\u2019m not at all. In fact, you know, I live a pretty f\u2014ing normal life. I had to do that [OnlyFans] page to get a lien off my house after foreclosure.\u201d<\/p>\n<figure class=\"nyp-slideshow-modal-image wp-block-image aligncenter size-large\"><figcaption>Drea de Matteo is seen at a farmers market on July 26, 2026 in Los Angeles, California. <span class=\"credit\">GC Images<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>She said her ability to work <a href=\"https:\/\/pagesix.com\/2024\/02\/27\/entertainment\/sopranos-star-drea-de-matteo-paid-off-her-mortgage-debt-with-money-she-made-on-onlyfans\/\">became further limited during the\u00a0COVID-19 pandemic<\/a>, when she declined roles she could not take without being vaccinated. She recalled that her agent eventually dropped her after determining there was little work the agency could secure for her if she remained unvaccinated.<\/p>\n<p>The decline in acting income compounded her financial troubles. She said she took a mortgage forbearance during the pandemic, temporarily pausing payments on her home, but later began receiving foreclosure notices. Although she was ultimately able to resolve the foreclosure, she said she was left with a lien on the property.<\/p>\n<p>In August 2023, de Matteo announced on Instagram that she had created an OnlyFans account, sharing a nude photo and saying she would be charging viewers $15 a month for exclusive content.<\/p>\n<figure class=\"nyp-slideshow-modal-image wp-block-image aligncenter size-large\"><figcaption>Michael Imperioli and Drea De Matteo \u2014 Christopher and Adriana \u2014 in \u201cThe Sopranos.\u201d <span class=\"credit\">Getty Images<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>While speaking with Kennedy, she recalled that she immediately received a financial windfall after launching her OnlyFans page.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI put a picture up, and, within 75 minutes, the lien was paid,\u201d she said. \u201cSo, that was why I kept the OnlyFans.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cA picture. What type of picture?\u201d Kennedy asked.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cA picture of me in a bikini,\u201d she replied.<\/p>\n<figure class=\"nyp-slideshow-modal-image wp-block-image aligncenter size-large\"><figcaption>De Matteo clarified her son, then 13, edited a single photo of her dressed as a superhero on her OnlyFans account. <span class=\"credit\">Getty Images<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>Later in the conversation, when Kennedy asked about the amount of the lien, de Matteo told him, \u201cThat was $75,000.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI needed more money than that, but that was just for the lien,\u201d she added.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cDid you pay your house off?\u201d Kennedy asked, to which she replied, \u201cNo, no.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cSo, were you making like a hundred G\u2019s a month?\u201d he asked.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cUm, I think sometimes I might have,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n<p>However, she said earning money from posting photos was not the original reason she created the account.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cHonestly, we were going to use the Only Fans platform to start a podcast because I was afraid that I\u2019d be censored too much to talk about stuff, you know, just out there in the world,\u201d she told Kennedy.<\/p>\n<aside class=\"single__inline-module alignright\">\n\t<\/aside>\n<p>She explained that she initially set up the page as a \u201cplaceholder\u201d for the podcast before her financial situation led her to use the platform differently.<\/p>\n<p>The actress also pushed back on assumptions about the type of content she shares on the platform.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI only got naked once,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n<p>She explained that the photo she posted was tied to the launch of her podcast and intended as a protest against geoengineering.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cSo, I painted my whole body in protest art and nobody would touch it because it said \u2018stop geoengineering,\u2019\u201d she said<\/p>\n<p>She explained that she believes many of her subscribers are drawn to her page because of her role as Adriana La Cerva, her character on \u201cThe Sopranos.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThe OnlyFans thing, I always say, it\u2019s Adriana\u2019s fan page because people love her,\u201d she said. \u201cI mean, I\u2019ve done a lot of other TV shows, but that\u2019s the TV show people really love. So, you want to see more Adriana, go there, and that\u2019s where I am.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>During her appearance on the podcast, de Matteo also clarified\u00a0previous remarks\u00a0she had made about her <a href=\"https:\/\/nypost.com\/2024\/07\/19\/entertainment\/sopranos-star-drea-de-matteos-son-13-edits-her-onlyfans-photos\/\">teenage son\u2019s involvement with helping create content for her page<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>In 2024, she made headlines after appearing on \u201cNot Today, Pal,\u201d the podcast hosted by her former \u201cSopranos\u201d co-stars Robert Iler and Jamie-Lynn Sigler.<\/p>\n<p>During the appearance, Iler told her that her then-13-year-old son had said he edited her OnlyFans photos, which she appeared to confirm.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cOh yeah. He\u2019s like, \u2018So, what do you want me to do with the bikini line here?\u2019\u201d she said at the time.<\/p>\n<p>De Matteo shares\u00a0two children\u00a0with her ex, Shooter Jennings.<\/p>\n<p>She told Kennedy that the exchange was taken out of context, explaining that her son had edited a single photo of her dressed as a superhero.<\/p>\n<p>Later in the interview, she was more emphatic about what she said was her son\u2019s limited involvement, saying he \u201chas nothing to do with the OnlyFans page.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cHowever, you know, as it was being launched and stuff, they were included in every f\u2014ing step of what I did,\u201d she said of her children. \u201cThey knew what pictures were going up in the beginning.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>De Matteo said both of her children were aware of what she planned to post and that she would ask them whether they were comfortable with it. However, the \u201cSons of Anarchy\u201d actress maintained that her son did not regularly edit content for the account.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cHe can edit anything,\u201d she said. \u201cSo, no, he\u2019s not editing OnlyFans content. He edited one f\u2014ing picture of his mother as a superhero and that\u2019s it.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>She said the attention surrounding the story ultimately took a toll on her son, who she said was teased by classmates over the reports.<\/p>\n<p>The actress said the controversy also affected her relationship with her son as she tried to help him navigate the backlash.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhat\u2019s f\u2014ed up about that entire thing is it caused such a strain, like even between he and I, because I have to be the person to coach him through all these, like, kind of adverse events, but I\u2019m the f\u2014ing reason for it in this particular instance,\u201d de Matteo said.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>\u201cSo, it was really f\u2014ing hard.\u201d<a href=\"https:\/\/eb2.3lift.com\/pass?tl_clickthrough=true&amp;redir=https%3A%2F%2Frtb-us-west.linkedin.com%2Flax%2Fclk%3Ftrk%3Dcomp_CwEAAAGgBFrrztXrTn5XghBUrR-yeCskFgkp9hYQeacyKx5qZp7VIWdMziGhrqKFekS6tdFz9DQPpqAdc5aY3UxpPumTYK7wUp54VdO8t-L-igqQPGkaN0Uv1k6TWhVOKOz6_yKMRQ3wSbVfp-nw-zPRStwaDWoEyIn1oAXLx_wQHLXd208yQHygKN6_H2xL2_HHnqi2zXmBimMJgGBFSWr8r4wjFzRm4HhYPjj2GHjZFUbjMTS7bpNA0nzjHXfnVyxu5UDEJ-FRB6FcIivVtofmMOA5LNgwKrgSMA7mOaz14aU2x6tSbyrQ4HKDMsCRLd0vXmN6FEO3HkjmUpoN-3yKqf4bct95yikyZyxxtoym1d6JxdzRSvgSv8U0M6Z8S7RN1MyvCVSLzdPiV8kL--XxRj839yt4vuEG7wW2_V-uihUIb2mx0zQV6Jfsq5Kr4rOGqzwAyvyKjZc0aCZD-kmvmvj-vRhdnk1qC0gZrYWwkMyFniJRHvKnfTpnqhf9ict6wI1umq-KdXKndj3Eiz7Np1xAjMBKlV2ucnO3PodfEuJLoCap2hsV7Jc_07nvkkQOgo4FU2zEA2Q6bcmMtTXHPistEoLv3B9LfJRN_n6CmTtdsEV9qEY8A1_7uvwiiVsHY-swXu5Bdgpx-VyNh_dEymVHBWu1JWSD6Acuidv3l9AfuxeCVWBiajV4AHNrx3Fx4EqPmcBaVaBpXw8R5xA4L8JHwbJ_JyTyTQx5LVihzeJZxIwzQ4GQ8Al3K7lKkWC0j-Yacui8XlZEjopxsptQnVpBOWh5LNh6N5waqzp3xuozLlfUL6_RFFm-W4FzcA8OzWPNMfiDtqXctllf-_AYiWl8mudZA7Vs5rzFos5-aKwdSc_LJb3srrD8nOPCxVXnIka5IkKpJhF77w%26action%3Dclick%26laxrid%3D3ccdd538-5cbd-4e0e-8313-5f896ce8401b%26laxbid%3D2%26eid%3D3%26wpub%3Dfoxnews.com%26crtype%3Dvid%26laxerid%3D1970983992184760952848-74%26pid%3D541%26adfmt%3D6%26wp%3D%24%7BTL_AUCTION_PRICE%7D%26urle%3DCwEAAAGgBFrr0RrN_Q4W93yfjXPIocn-pU69Y6wZRlU63AW2uRBqV5Sxklr2DpWWwrm4jS-PkliwveyDQALVuxBnhphxdG0gP2sJ1XCpPSGermRcdbXaTtH-YQJbPALXK9FDS6P0Ywph3BJEtZ3XV05mw4DayxhN_nwt-OWHmevzjGbj6kRneUhIt4PnmU-BSiP4FTvMFoXX9HOsfEP6miJx8gw2BfugbEGp5JWhruPXjSbmSiKU%26urlhash%3D2Otf&amp;pr=0.258&amp;bc=0.376&amp;aid=19709839921847609528480&amp;bmid=6250&amp;biid=7314&amp;sid=66552&amp;brid=3962&amp;adid=1535357686&amp;crid=417219566&amp;ts=1786779462&amp;bcud=376&amp;ss=12&amp;dmp_ids=CnVodHRwczovL3d3dy5mb3huZXdzLmNvbS9lbnRlcnRhaW5tZW50L2RyZWEtZGUtbWF0dGVvLW9ubHlmYW5zLXBvbGl0aWNhbC1zdGF0ZW1lbnQtZmluYW5jaWFsLXN0cnVnZ2xlcy10aHJlYXRlbmVkLWhvbWUSOAoDbHJtEjFYWTI2OTA4NzJmSHFfWG9pbS1XdkVTOVhLcEVaRnI5WUtHWTEzbHpqNVNrS1pXWjk0EiAKB3RsdWlkLTESFTkzNjA1NTA3MTQyNzkwMjQ0NjEyNhoDYjQyIAA&amp;dcr=2&amp;cb=23406\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\"\/><\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<script async=\"async\" data-cfasync=\"false\" src=\"https:\/\/pl30214220.effectivecpmnetwork.com\/9ab3d4df8a7e1a6171e16ddbf732cc19\/invoke.js\"><\/script>\r\n<div id=\"container-9ab3d4df8a7e1a6171e16ddbf732cc19\"><\/div>\r\n\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>\u201cSopranos\u201d star\u00a0Drea de Matteo\u00a0is reflecting on how joining OnlyFans became not only a financial lifeline when she was facing the loss of her home but also an act of defiance against Hollywood. The 54-year-old actress has previously shared how launching an account on the subscription-based social media platform, which is primarily known for adult content,&#8230;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":46694,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/pagesix.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2026\/08\/newspress-collage-rfkb0995k-1786780374551.jpg?quality=75&strip=all&1786766033&w=1200","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[6],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-46693","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-pics-news"],"brizy_media":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/46693","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=46693"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/46693\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/46694"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=46693"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=46693"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=46693"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}