By Daniela LaFave

Copyright laweekly

Annie Knight is used to headlines that make jaws drop: “583-Man Challenge.” “The Virginity Project.” “Sleeping With 300 Men in a Year.” But the Australian OnlyFans star insists there’s more to the numbers than shock value. Behind the viral content is a woman turning stigma into strategy—and building an empire in the process.

“I went viral in 2023 for sleeping with 300 guys in a year,” Knight recalls. “Then I pushed it—365, 600, 1000. People think it’s just outrageous, but I saw it as showing real sex. If a guy came in 20 seconds or couldn’t get hard, I kept those videos. Because that’s real. That’s what people relate to.”

Her latest project, the “500 Virgin Challenge,” has been called everything from exploitative to revolutionary. For Knight, it’s about education. “I message them for weeks beforehand so they’re comfortable. When they arrive, I walk them through kissing, foreplay, how to make a woman feel good. It’s not about me—it’s about giving them confidence for the future,” she explains

The men, she says, aren’t the angry caricatures the internet imagines. “They’re so diverse. I’ve had 18-year-old virgins. I’ve had an 83-year-old widower. On challenge day, guys were literally high-fiving me mid-sex, saying it was the best day of their lives. That’s the energy we created.”

Criticism has followed her every move—especially from those who claim she’s undermining feminism. Knight isn’t having it. “People say porn is anti-feminist. But taking away a woman’s choice to do sex work? That’s the least feminist thing I’ve ever heard,” she says. “Sex work will always exist. The question is whether we make it safer, or push it into the shadows where exploitation actually happens.”

She’s particularly blunt about the hypocrisy in how society treats young men versus women. “Eighteen-year-old girls enter porn every day and no one cares. But the second I work with 18-year-old men—legally, consensually—suddenly everyone’s panicking about their futures. That double standard says it all.”

What her critics often miss is Knight’s business prowess. A former marketing professional, she knows exactly how to package her content. “Every video, every post, every story—I’m strategic. I rage-bait on purpose. People think I’m dumb, but they’re doing exactly what I want,” she says.

That strategy has bought her more than headlines. She’s parlayed OnlyFans income into real estate, with multiple properties and a dream home she shares with her fiancé, Henry. “OnlyFans could disappear tomorrow. That’s why I invest. I want security beyond this,” Knight explains

Her boldness comes from a place of reclamation. At 16, Knight endured a traumatic encounter that left her shamed and ostracized. For years, sex felt like something done to her, not for her. “I didn’t enjoy it. I didn’t feel in control,” she says. “OnlyFans gave me a chance to flip the script. Now I decide what happens, who it happens with, and how it’s shared.”

That empowerment, she believes, translates into her work with virgins. “I want their first times to be positive, respectful, consensual. I don’t want anyone else to walk away feeling ashamed like I once did,” she says.

The “challenge era” may be winding down as OnlyFans has tightened rules around working with non-creators, but Knight is already thinking ahead. Brand deals, mentorship programs for women in the industry, and broader media projects are all on her radar. “This isn’t just porn. It’s business. And I want to help other creators succeed, too,” she says

For Knight, the numbers were always just the hook. The real story is her refusal to be boxed in by shame or societal double standards. “I’m not here to play nice,” she says with a grin. “I’m here to change the conversation.”