Piper Rockelle has set the internet ablaze after launching an OnlyFans account on New Year’s Day — just months after turning 18.
The move shocked many, but what really turned heads was her staggering claim that she made $3.4 million in the first 24 hours, per the Mirror.
Rockelle, who began her YouTube career at just eight years old, cultivated a massive following with her reality-style videos chronicling teen drama, friendships, and young love.
Her self-titled channel now boasts over 12 million subscribers, while her TikTok and Instagram accounts pull in 18 million and 6.6 million followers respectively.
But after a countdown teaser on social media, the former child star flipped the switch on a new chapter — one many weren’t expecting.
The first hour brought over $1 million
Leading up to the drop, Rockelle’s X bio read: “the link drops January 1st,” and anticipation clearly paid off — in dollars.
In a since-deleted post, she shared that she made $1.4 million in just one hour. Later, she posted a breakdown of her alleged earnings from the first full day: $2 million from subscriptions, $170,000 from tips, and the rest from paid messages.
She captioned her celebratory update with: “My first day! Forever grateful. What should my first purchase be?”
Screenshots of the earnings breakdown put the total at around $2.9 million, though Rockelle later claimed she hit $3.4 million in a full 24-hour stretch.
Either way, the massive payout sent shockwaves across social media — and not everyone was impressed.
Backlash and concern flood the comments
The internet quickly erupted with fierce debate over who was subscribing to Rockelle’s OnlyFans account and what her rapid success really says about the online culture that helped raise her.
“You’re a victim of predatory capitalism,” one user wrote bluntly.
“Extremely disturbing folk that watch child youtubers and spend money on OFs subs as soon as they turn legal age,” another person commented.
A separate user added: “Just imagine how much of her audience were waiting since she was a literal child?”
“All the weird men in here happy but what about when she was 17, y’all nasty asses was just waiting for her to be freshly of age,” one person said on an earlier countdown post.
The criticisms piled up, with another X user posting: “This whole situation is so gross. All the men waiting for her to be legal? Yuck. After everything that was shown in the documentary I'm so concerned for her.”
But not everyone was dismayed. Some praised the 18-year-old for her financial power move, seeing it as an eye-opening display of influence and independence in the digital age.
Netflix doc revealed troubling past allegations
Rockelle’s career hasn’t been without controversy.
Her time in the spotlight was featured in the 2025 Netflix documentary Bad Influence: The Dark Side of Kidfluencing, which pulled back the curtain on child influencer culture.
The doc highlighted the chaotic rise of the “Piper Squad” — a group of teen YouTubers Rockelle helped form — and the serious allegations surrounding her management.
At the heart of the documentary was Rockelle’s mother, Tiffany Smith, who managed her daughter’s career. In 2022, 11 former members of the Squad filed a civil lawsuit against Smith and her associate, Hunter Hill, alleging emotional, verbal, physical, and even sexual abuse.
While Smith denied all claims, the case was ultimately settled for $2.5 million in October 2024, with no admission of guilt. Rockelle herself did not appear in the documentary, though her story remained central to the series.
Since becoming a legal adult, Rockelle told Teen Vogue she intends to transfer ownership of Piper Rockelle Inc from her mother to herself — a clear move toward autonomy after years under the spotlight.