Australian mother who did OnlyFans says she faced backlash and found a new path in the adult industry

An Australian mother who worked as an OnlyFans creator says she faced relentless judgment from people who accused her of being a bad mother, with some reporting her to authorities.

Lucy Banks, 34, quit her job in corporate banking and started selling racy images and videos on OnlyFans after separating from her husband in 2019. She says the pivot allowed her to stay at home and be present for her two children, tailoring her work around their schooling. Yet she learned quickly that not everyone kept such personal matters private, and that some in her life watched and, in some cases, reported her to authorities simply for pursuing a different path.

People from Banks’ real life would subscribe to her content and be “weird with me,” she said, even after she had tried to compartmentalize her adult work from her family life. She recounted that others would share supposedly intimate facts about her life to intimidate her, and she watched as screenshots of her content circulated among acquaintances. Banks notes that the attention went beyond the online sphere: some individuals allegedly contacted her children’s school, the police, and even child-protection authorities, spurring a sense of overwhelm and mistrust she had not anticipated.

"Becoming a sex worker enabled me to stay at home and be around for my kids. I could structure my work around when they were at school," Banks told News.com.au. "As much as being accused of being a bad mother really stung, it was awful, I quickly snapped out of it. I’m an exceptional mother. Anyone who is in my network, and who actually knows me, will tell you, I would do anything for my kids."

The police encounter underscored the stigma around her choice. Banks said a police officer later told her he had received five complaints about her, but that she was not under suspicion. The episode highlighted how judgments about parenting can extend into law enforcement, she said, regardless of a parent’s intentions or the stability they provide for their children.

In all, Banks earned more than $1.5 million over four years on OnlyFans. The income helped finance a broader pivot: she founded Million Billion Media, described as the first PR and marketing agency for the adult industry. This year, her company acquired the Adult Industry Choice Awards, a gala event recognizing leaders and newcomers in the field. Banks described the industry as surprisingly wholesome and said the awards platform helps legitimize a sector that many outsiders still view through a prurient lens.

Despite ongoing curiosity about how her children feel about her past work, Banks said her kids are typical adolescents who focus on homework, sports, and meals. They attend private schools, enjoy activities, and benefit from a stable home life made possible in part by her earnings. She emphasized that the family’s security and consistency were central to her decision to pursue and sustain work that allowed her to be a present parent while building financial independence.

"If I stayed in banking and had my kids in daycare every day 6 a.m. to 6 p.m., people would have judged. If I lived off Centrelink and child support, people would have judged. If I didn’t work at all and stopped providing for my children, people would have judged. So I went for the option that had the potential to set us up financially, while enabling me to be a present parent," she said.

Banks remains connected to the industry and continues to work in related ventures, but she says she has pulled back from the intensity of production as her company and other projects scale. The family’s current life, she said, is secure and quiet, a balance she views as the outcome of pursuing work that made financial and logistical sense for them. The broader point, she added, is that parenting choices—particularly for women—should be judged on context and outcomes rather than assumptions about morality or propriety.

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Banks’ story has drawn attention to the scrutiny faced by people who pursue nontraditional paths to support their families. While her experiences reflect a specific intersection of parenting, sex work, and media attention, her stated aim is to provide stability and opportunity for her children while engaging in a field she describes as complex and multifaceted. The narrative underscores a wider conversation about gender, labor, and the ways communities react to women who redefine conventional roles in the pursuit of financial security and parental presence.

The account, drawn from interviews and reports surrounding Banks’ experiences, illustrates how personal life choices can become public discourse, prompting questions about privacy, judgment, and the boundaries of parental responsibility in the digital age. Banks says she hopes her story will encourage more nuanced conversations about how families navigate financial pressures, stigma, and the evolving landscape of adult-industry entrepreneurship in Australia and beyond.