'Sopranos' Star Drea De Matteo Earned So Much On OnlyFans In Just 5 Minutes, Enough To Pay Off Mortgage
"Sopranos" star Drea de Matteo has revealed that OnlyFans "saved" her life.
In an interview with the Daily Mail, the 52-year-old actress claimed that she was able to pay off her mortgage debt with the money she made within five minutes of joining the subscription service last year and posting racy photos of herself.
De Matteo, who starred as Adriana La Cerva on "The Sopranos," said she initially did not want to join OnlyFans but was forced to do so out of sheer necessity because she had run out of money and was about to lose her house.
"It saved us," she told the outlet. "OnlyFans saved my life, 100%. I can't believe I'm saying that, but it really did save us."
De Matteo had gone through the forbearance process to help with her mortgage repayments but could not pay back collectors because she allegedly had just $10 left in her bank account.
The "Sons of Anarchy" alum said she had been unable to book acting gigs in Hollywood after she refused to get vaccinated for COVID-19 during the pandemic.
During this period, de Matteo said she lost one of her moms, while her other mother, who had dementia, could no longer afford a caregiver.
But the "Shades of Blue" actress was eventually able to get back on track financially thanks to OnlyFans.
Drea de Matteo attends the 2019 MTV Video Music Awards at Prudential Center on August 26, 2019 in Newark, New Jersey.
"I kept putting more pictures up," she told the outlet. "I was like, holy s**t. In five minutes, I was able to pay back [C]ompass real estate, who kept the sale of my house."
While she was initially reluctant to join the platform, de Matteo said she now enjoys posting risqué photos and has no plans of stopping anytime soon.
"I got a lot of heat for doing it, and it went f*****g viral, and people went nuts," the actress recalled.
De Matteo added, "It feels good to see those photos."
According to de Matteo, the "best part" about being an OnlyFans model was that she could be "heavier" and get to eat and bulk up to look good in photos.
"I don't look good in the pictures if I'm skinny," she explained.
De Matteo also called out critics of her choice to join OnlyFans, saying, "Anybody that wants to condemn me and put me down, go for it. I just hope you never find yourself in the position I was in to take care of two little kids."
In addition to paying off her mortgage, de Matteo has used her earnings to launch a streetwear brand called Ultrafree.
She said it was inspired by her "hype beast" son Waylon, 12, and focused on clothing that makes "freedom cool again."
Actress Drea de Matteo speaks onstage during the 'Shades of Blue' panel discussion at the NBCUniversal portion of the 2015 Winter TCA Tour at Langham Hotel on January 13, 2016 in Pasadena, California.
Last year, de Matteo told Fox News that her son and her daughter Alabama Gypsyrose, 15 -- both of whom she shares with ex Shooter Jennings -- supported her decision to join OnlyFans after allegedly being dropped by her agent over her refusal to comply with COVID vaccine mandates.
"My kids were the ones that were like, 'Do it.' She'll [Alabama] edit the pictures, too, because they want certain things that we haven't been able to do," she explained.
According to de Matteo, her motivation when it came to taking acting jobs was not to stay in Hollywood but rather to "feed [her] family."
"So, when people make nasty comments about why I would have done that, my response is, 'Damn straight, I hope you're never in the f*****g position I'm in. I take care of an entire family and a lot of other people who depend on me,'" she told Fox News.
