The Bachelor’s Jimmy Nicholson and Holly Kingston have been at the centre of an OnlyFans scandal, after sharing their controversial views on the platform.
Last week, the pair took to Instagram to share their opinion on the rising trend of reality TV stars turning to the adult content site to make money.
The couple announced that they had no plans to join and “sell nudes online” on the platform, with Jimmy adding that he would rather see TV personalities start charities or use their platforms to set an example for younger Australians.
Their comments sparked a huge wave of debate online, prompting the winning Bachelor couple to share an official joint statement last night.
“You may have seen a post we shared this week talking about OnlyFans. Like almost everything online in 2022, it was met with strong reactions. We want to share some subsequent thoughts,” the two penned.
“Over the last year, we have received literally hundreds of messages that have assumed that, because we met on a reality TV show, we would be setting up an OnlyFans account. We will not be. We have no issue with someone who freely and legally works in the sex industry, whether it is on OnlyFans or elsewhere.
“However, like most of the people who have reached out to us, we don’t believe it is the best way to promote male/female empowerment to young people. That’s just our opinion,” they said.
Holly and Jimmy went on to claim that since making those comments they have been “subjected to abusive messages, character assassinations, cancellation attempts, death threats and a gross invasion of the basic human right to feel safe in our own home”.
“We understand that social media can be a very powerful and an equally unpleasant place. We have enjoyed opening up our lives on social media and connecting with lovely people from all over the world. We get that not everyone will agree with us or like us. But it is such a sad reflection on the public conversation in Australia today that disagreement can morph into hatred so readily.
“We believe that being ‘progressive and open-minded’ doesn’t mean you have the same, narrow worldview as other people who call themselves ‘progressive and open-minded’. It means you are willing to tolerate views that are different to your own.
“It is not acceptable to bully, harass or threaten anyone (online or in the ‘real world’) whether you disagree with them or not. Furthermore, if you have a public profile, we believe it is especially important to encourage a constructive non-biased discussion rather than an attack.”
They went on to add that there have been “plenty of people who have kindly agreed with us, and plenty who have kindly and respectfully disagreed with us.”
“It’s a shame that social media sometimes doesn’t produce an environment that is conducive to open and informed debate. We won’t be bullied into submission, we will continue to stand up for issues we believe in.”
“We are not against OnlyFans. We are against a toxic trend that says it is OK to bully or ‘cancel’ people you disagree with just because they have a different opinion to you. We think that is the real threat to empowering people in our society.
“This is the last we’ll say on the matter. After a toxic few days, we will now continue to focus on the important things in life – our love for each other, our INCREDIBLE family & friends and those who continue to support our journey,” they concluded.
A growing number of reality stars have addressed Holly and Jimmy’s comments over the past week, with some like Abbie Chatfield slamming the Bachelor couple.
Calling the message Holly and Jimmy shared “sex work shaming”, “very problematic” and “misogynistic” she revealed that she messaged Holly within moments of their original comments being uploaded.
“I messaged her explaining what was wrong with it in the hopes that a private message from me, someone who has hung out with them before, would then cause them to sit and think about what they posted and maybe post an apology,” Abbie said.
She shared a screenshot of the message she sent to Holly, where she called the couple’s comments “the opposite of progressive” and encouraged them to stop “shaming marginalised communities”.
However, others like Cyrell Paule shared their support for the couple, with the former Married At First Sight bride saying she didn’t know “why they are getting hate for it.”
“I completely agree. It’s your body. And your choice. But c’mon … I think there are better ways of ‘empowering’ one another… They aren’t hating on your career choice or how you’re making money,” she said.
Jules Robinson and her husband Cam Merchant, also from Married At First Sight, both shared their love for Jimmy and Holly in the comments under their statement.
WATCH: Abbie Chatfield’s surprising call with Jimmy Nicholson
This article first appeared on our sister site, New Idea.
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