Michigan candidate previously sold access to explicit content online

Lansing – Angela Jones, a Democrat who is running for the Michigan State House this fall, says she has been open about the fact that she previously sold sexually explicit images and videos of herself on the website OnlyFans, a detail that has gained traction in recent days her race has become a topic of discussion.

“My district knows about this, and those who support me do not see it as an obstacle to me properly representing their voices,” Jones said in response to questions from The Detroit News. “I don’t pretend to be a perfect person while hiding the skeletons in my closet like most of you politicians that they’ve had enough of.

“This is a testament to my transparency and how I believe our government and government officials should be transparent.”

Jones, of Niles in southwestern Michigan, runs a photography business and is challenging incumbent state Rep. Brad Paquette, a Republican from Berrien Springs.

On Monday, eight days before Election Day, Paquette, a former teacher, took to social media to criticize the American Federation of Teachers of Michigan for Endorse Jonessaying the union group was supporting an “online sex worker” instead of him.

Paquette included in his post the image of a 2022 online promotion of explicit videos featuring Jones.

OnlyFans allows people to sell content, including sexual photos and videos, to subscribers who pay for access.

“We come from very different backgrounds, as I was a public school teacher, and she has been outspoken about doing online sex work until last year,” Paquette added in another social media post on Friday.

“I don’t want to focus on her,” Paquette said of Jones in an interview with The Detroit News. “She’s a nice person.”

His criticism was directed at the union, Paquette claimed. The American Federation of Teachers did not respond to a request for comment from The News.

Jones said her work on OnlyFans included explicit images and videos of herself and her husband, with access sold to consenting adults. At her peak on the website, she was in the top 0.02% of creators in the world and had more than 8,000 subscribers, she said. She operated under the name Anji Monique. She made “over $100,000 in my first few months,” she said.

Jones offered the sales in 2022, she said. But in November 2022, her sales dropped because someone leaked her subscriber-targeted content online in July 2022, she said. In April 2023, she deleted her explicit videos from OnlyFans, she said.

“OnlyFans had a unique platform that allowed users to purchase custom content and message directly to their favorite content creators,” Jones said. ‘I think we can all recognize, to some extent, that men exploit women.

“Many of you dating sites are men looking for women for free sex/sexual favors or just for conversation because they are bored or need an ego lift. At least with OnlyFans there was a wall of protection (there was never the expectation that I’d have sex with one of my subscribers) and I got paid to talk to them about everything from their day at work;

“But the biggest benefit for OnlyFans was that I had control over my content and I had permission over who could access it,” Jones added.

Paquette had referenced images of Jones on Google, but those images had been stolen from her platform without her consent, which was illegal, Jones said.

In a statement on Facebook Friday, Jones said Paquette had jeopardized her safety by posting her photo in an attempt to “discredit both a union and me simply because he was not receiving support.”

According to Jones’ campaign website, her platform includes protecting workers’ rights, agriculture and equality.

“I see how partisan politics is tearing our communities apart and I want to end that and bridge the gap to reunite and heal our communities,” Jones’ website says.

Paquette is a big favorite in the race. In 2022, he won re-election against another Democratic opponent, Naomi Ludman 65% of the votes.

Paquette’s campaign website says he is a “freedom-loving conservative Republican.” He was first elected to the State House in 2018.

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