Emily Brown
The Missouri teacher who resigned after school officials discovered her OnlyFans page has explained why she joined the subscription-based platform in the first place.
Brianna Coppage was in her second year of teaching at St. Clair High School in Franklin County when word got out about her posting adult content to an OnlyFans account.
Announcing that the district was aware the employee 'may have posted inappropriate media on one or more internet sites', Superintendent Kyle Kruse confirmed an investigation would take place.
Coppage admitted after the investigation began that she was 'probably never going to teach again', but she's now spoken out about why she decided to start the account and earn some extra money.
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In an interview with The Messenger, the 28-year-old explained that she joined OnlyFans in the summer before her second year of teaching, after hearing on social media about how much people earned by sharing content to the site.
"Everything is expensive right now and the state of teacher pay in Missouri is almost last in the United States," she pointed out.
With two university degrees leaving her with 'a lot of student debt', Coppage recalled: "I just thought, 'Hey, this might end up helping with some bills or with getting extra money'."
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The former teacher said she earned about $42,000 last year through teaching, leaving her wondering if she 'ever would have been able to pay [the bills] off'.
By joining OnlyFans, she began to rake in another $8,000 each month.
While her work on the platform started out as a side-hustle, Coppage has decided to dedicate more time to it after the school district placed her on leave.
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Though Coppage loved teaching, she decided to resign from the job with the knowledge that she might struggle to get another teaching gig in the future.
“It's just not really an option for me anymore," she said. "Having your face and your name plastered all around the world doesn't come with, I guess, a good image for a school to want to hire you."
The former teacher previously stuck up for herself as the investigation got underway, saying: "There is this expectation that teachers should be the moral leaders of students, and I do not disagree with that.
"I taught the curriculum. I taught students reading and writing, and I didn’t guide them on my thoughts or beliefs."
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With the job now behind her, Coppage hopes to make more money in the future by spending more time on OnlyFans, with her account having seen a boost recently after her story made headlines.