Khalifa, 31, joined OnlyFans back in 2020 after departing from the adult entertainment industry, which she first joined in 2014.
Following an infamous video where she wore a hijab, her popularity on adult websites, like PornHub, skyrocketed and led to her becoming the most-searched adult actor in 2016 and 2018, though it came with extreme backlash and death threats from ISIS.
Her decision to leave the porn industry was a personal one after having admitting that she underwent ‘nine years of therapy’ to be able to make decisions again, and has consistently warned other young women about joining the industry.
Even her decision to join OnlyFans came with some trepidation, as she’d previously admitted that she was ‘afraid’ of her previous nude photos circulating the internet.
Her reported earnings in 2024 are said to be as much as $6.2 million, placing her in the top earner’s list alongside Belle Delphine, singer Iggy Azalea and YouTuber Tana Mongeau.
However, when asked about this in an interview with The New York Times, Khalifa seemed pretty gobsmacked by the estimated figures – and I guess she’d know how much she actually earns given that it’s her platform.
Mia Khalifa became the most-searched adult actor in 2016 and 2018 before she departed the industry (Instagram / miakhalifa)
Interviewer David Marchese said that the social media influencer’s ‘moneymaker’ was OnlyFans, where she’s ‘extremely popular’.
He continued: “Someone once asked you, ‘do you make $10,000 a day?’ and I don’t remember if you said yes, but I think you’re like, ‘it’s in the neighbourhood of that’.”
He also shared that he had ‘seen stories that suggested like $6 million a month’ – which visibly shook Khalifa up.
She visibly gasped and said: “Oh my God, no that’s insane.”
She continued to say: “No, that’s like-that’s like Googling someone’s net worth. That’s never accurate.”
Khalifa then confirmed that those reports ‘weren’t true’, although she didn’t disclose the actual amount she makes.
Khalifa looked shocked when told her reported earnings from OnlyFans (New York Times Podcast)
When it comes to how much she’d earned during her adult career, Khalifa debunked the misconceptions about what it’s like to work in adult entertainment and explained that she didn’t make anywhere near as much as what people have always thought.
Writing on X a few years ago, she spoke about the difficulties she’s faced and that the assumptions about the industry aren’t always right.
It might surprise you to know that Khalifa only earned $12,000 (£9,650) during her stint in the porn industry.
“People think I’m racking in millions from porn. I made a TOTAL of around $12,000 in the industry and never saw a penny again after that,” she said.
“Difficulty finding a normal job after quitting porn was… scary.”
She added: “To clarify, I was never promised ‘millions’, nor do I expect it. I’m just clarifying common misconceptions about me, and in turn, about the industry.
“I was involved in porn so briefly, but my actions spread like wildfire, and I continue to be ranked (truly baffles me) 5 years after leaving the industry.
“This is why people think I still perform.”
Some of the wealthiest earners are making absolute millions from the content subscription service, but you might be surprised to know that some of them actually have no subscription fee.
Yep, despite offering subscriptions completely free, many creators are still making the big bucks on the site.
On a free account, the content posted isn’t exclusive for subscribers and anything can be posted on the account by the creator.
Whereas on a paid account, the content is totally exclusive and therefore can’t be seen anywhere else.
One of the top earners on OnlyFans at the moment is Aussie rapper Iggy Azalea, who is reportedly raking in around $9.2 million (£7,254,706) a month, according to Tuko News.
She charges a monthly subscription fee of $20.99 (£16.50).
Instagram/@thenewclassic
Former adult actor and webcam star Mia Khalifa also charges a subscription fee at a lower $12 (£9.50), reportedly making a whopping $6.2 million (£4.89 million) a month from her posts.
However, one of the other top earners, Tana Mongeau, apparently has a totally free subscription. And yet she’s still reportedly making $3 million (£2,366,550) a month.
The same goes for Love & Hip-Hop’s Erica Mena, who is also said to have a free account on OnlyFans. She is reported to make a tidy amount around $4.49 million (£3.5 million).
Well, it turns out it’s down to creators having to go through with monetisation when it comes to making money from a free account.
While they can keep their account going without the paywall, creators can put specific posts behind a paywall as paid posts.
Joi Stokes/Getty Images
There is also the option for viewers to tip creators on their page itself, their posts and on any live streams.
Creators may often set up a live stream session with a tip goal for viewers to engage with or on free accounts, they can make it so viewers have to pay to watch the live video in the first place.
And another way these free accounts can make all that cash is by putting messages behind a paywall, so viewers have to pay to receive messages from them – or tip them in order to.
Top earner and cosplay model Belle Delphine recently revealed to Louis Theroux that the first-ever OnlyFans ‘full intercourse’ video she released ended up making her a mega £5 million.
