The Sopranos star Drea de Matteo reveals how she made $75,000 on OnlyFans after her kids told her what to show
Award winning actor turned OnlyFans model, Drea de Matteo, has shared more details about why she decided to make such a drastic career change at the age of 51.
Matteo played a major role in one of TV's most well-liked and highly regarded series, The Sopranos, where she played Adriana La Cerva, the long suffering girlfriend of aspiring mobster and writer Christopher Moltisanti.
She scored a number of major roles off the back of this gig, including as a cast member in Friends spinoff Joey as well as Sons of Anarchy and Desperate Housewives. But despite winning an Emmy for her role on Sopranos, Matteo had seen gigs start to dry up in recent years.
In a candid interview last week, the 54-year-old actor shared how the Covid Pandemic and the SAG-AFTRA strikes had caused a slump in potential gigs. With a lien on her house and little money coming in, Matteo told People that she turned to adult modeling to save her home and feed her kids.
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That is not to say that the decision was easy. Matteo said: “At first I was petrified.
“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.”
But surprisingly, considering she was 51 at the time, both her children were fully on board with her making some money by taking her clothes off. After all, why do it for a free photoshoot as many actors do, when you can make thousands doing the same on OnlyFans?
Though, at first, Matteo wanted to keep it relatively clean. She added: “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?'”
And her kids, now 18-year-old Alabama and 14-year-old Waylon, were absolutely right. Matteo said that she managed to pay off the lien on her house in just 75 minutes.
"I made $75k in 75 minutes and was able to pay off the lien on my house," Matteo shared, admitting that she believed a large amount of this cash came from 'Sopranos fans'.
Having been born in the year that the Watergate scandal broke, 1972, it would be fair to say that the actor was stunned to see the amount of interest in her semi-nude photos.
She said: “But I was 50 at that time. Now I’m 54. It’s like Granny Sports Illustrated!” Adding: “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.”
The Sopranos actor has even chosen to step up her OnlyFans game recently, deciding to shoot her first fully nude pictures for the adult site. Not that much could faze Adriana La Cerva, with Matteo adding: “I’d never even taken my clothes off for television, but I actually went for it, and it was fine."
Other celebrities who have opened up about joining OnlyFans
Jessie Cave
The Harry Potter star has spoken candidly about joining the platform to try and 'get out of debt'.
The actress and comedian explained: "The hair is the focus, but I have had things that stray into different fetishes or territories.
"Voyeurism is a big one. People like wanting... to see something where you have to pretend that you don't know you're being watched, something really mundane like getting stuff out the washing machine."
Lily Allen
Prior to her breakup with Stranger Things actor David Harbour, Allen set up her account in July 2024 and was open about making more money from feet pics than as a musician.
Speaking on her Miss Me? podcast, Allen shared: “I have a lady that comes and does my nails.
“She said that I could make a lot of money from selling foot content on OnlyFans. And I’m like, ‘Not no.’”
Denise Richards
Following in daughter Sami’s footsteps, Richards joined OnlyFans in 2022. She said: “When I joined OnlyFans, I was very concerned that I possibly could lose some jobs, but it was the opposite. I got more offers. I get roles where I'm like, the trophy wife or the sexy one."
Amanda Bynes
Bynes joined OF in April 2025 but insisted her account wouldn't contain anything 'sleazy'.
"I'm doing OnlyFans to chat with my fans through DMs. I won't be posting any sleazy content. Excited to join," Bynes wrote on her Instagram Story.
Topics: Drea de Matteo, OnlyFans, Film and TV
William Morgan