The Sopranos alum Drea de Matteo is getting candid about her decision to turn to OnlyFans as a steady source of income.
De Matteo, 54, told People in an interview published on Friday, February 27, that she was facing foreclosure on her home after seeing a change in work as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic and the 2023 SAG-AFTRA strike. To supplement her income, she tried OnlyFans as a last-ditch effort to save her house.
“At first I was petrified,” she said. “I was like, holy s***. I just black listed myself. But all I really cared about was the implications it might pose on the kids.”
De Matteo — who shares daughters Alabama, 18, and son Waylon, 14 with ex-fiancé Shooter Jennings — recalled that her children were supportive of her decision to join the adult content platform.
‘Sopranos’ Star Drea de Matteo Says OnlyFans ‘100 Percent’ Saved Her Life
“The kids were the ones who were like, ‘Do this. Show your feet. Do selfies! J. Lo and the Kardashians are always in their bikinis online, why not you?’” she said.
De Matteo, best known for playing Adriana La Cerva on The Sopranos, also saw a financial change when she joined the app.
“I made $75k in 75 minutes and was able to pay off the lien on my house,” she claimed, sharing that her followers are “mostly Sopranos fans.”
“But I was 50 at that time. Now I’m 54. It’s like Granny Sports Illustrated! ” she continued. “But it keeps me in shape. It turns out I like prancing around in panties and high heels! It’s hard, but it’s fun.”
‘Sopranos’ Alum Drea de Matteo Joined OnlyFans to ‘Save’ Her Family
Now, de Matteo admitted that she did a full nude recently and explained it was her “first time.”
“I’d never even taken my clothes off for television, but I actually went for it, and it was fine,” de Matteo said.
In 2024, de Matteo shared that she was initially thinking of just starting a “controversial” OnlyFans podcast with Robby Staebler.
“That was what it was going to be originally,” she explained to the Daily Mail. “Like with him rubbing my feet because you have to add a little something for OnlyFans in there.”
‘The Sopranos’ Alum Drea de Matteo Launches OnlyFans Page for $15 a Month
When de Matteo eventually did launch her page in 2023, she explained that she had $10 in her bank account while caring for her ailing mother, raising two children and navigating a house flood.
“I was like, ‘Holy s***.’ In five minutes, I was able to pay back Compass Real Estate who kept the sale of my house,” she said of those initial few moments on OnlyFans. “I did it, but I didn’t want to do it. I got a lot of heat for doing it and it went f***ing viral and people went nuts.”
Despite being comfortable with her decision to be on OnlyFans, de Matteo noted that she knows not everyone will be supportive.
“Anybody that wants to condemn me and put me down, go for it,” she told the outlet. “I just hope you never find yourself in the position I was in to take care of two little kids.”
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