Famous YouTuber Mark “Markiplier” Fischbach posted a video on Oct. 16 titled I Will Start an Only Fans…, where he stated that he is planning to make an OnlyFans account for adults only with “tasteful” content. Markiplier also planned to donate many of the first-made proceeds to charity, as he stated in the episode Change of his comedy podcast, Distractible.

In the video, he stated that if his fans meet the following conditions, the account would be made: His podcast Distractible had to make it to reach #1 on both the Apple Podcasts and Spotify podcast charts. His other podcast, Go! My Favorite Sports Team, had to make it to the top of the Sports category on Spotify and reach the top 10 on both Spotify and Apple Podcasts, “…thereby dethroning Joe Rogan[‘s podcast],” in Mark’s words.

When I heard this, I was confused and upset with Mark. I knew that many of his fans saw him as attractive online, but I never expected Mark to use that to promote himself and exploit his fans. Even if many proceeds would be donated, I was still angry with the conditions and the soon-to-be account he would use to dethrone other podcasts on charts.

However, his conditions changed rather quickly, and they were stated in the video, wow…, posted just 3 days later. While he recognized his fans’ hard work and unexpectedly rapid success in meeting the conditions, he renegotiated them. He asked his fans to listen to Markiplier from North Korea, a live streamed pay-to-watch podcast that Mark and his friends, “painstakingly” worked on to share the story of Markiplier’s mother.

“Yes, I am perfectly willing to sell my body to support my mom’s efforts and work…and pride is nothing in the face of dishonor,” Mark said. “I have found (making an OnlyFans with tasteful content) to be tolerably dishonorable.”

At the time, I couldn’t agree with him, because his motives seemed suspicious and his reasons indeterminable, especially since he wasn’t trying to support his mother from the very beginning. With the lack of backstage information, it was difficult to determine his true motives.His actions made me worry for the future of his career, because adult-only content was always something at the center of online controversy, which I didn’t want Mark to be in. However, some also saw his actions as a way to expand his online brand through new yet taboo platforms.

“I personally believe that you build fanbases for these reasons [to spread your brand]…why am I restricted to YouTube? I should be able to tell my audience, ‘Hey, let’s explore this other thing I made!’ Now, I agree that the platforms he’s using can make people mad, but it’s more of a Robinhood situation; taking funds from taboo platforms and leveraging it into charitable efforts…at least he’s leveraging it into something positive, and that’s what I believe. I definitely prefer the new version [of Markiplier],” Applications Trainer and E-Sports Sponsor Damani Brown said.

Markiplier posted some conclusionary information in a YouTube stream titled fine, where he explained that his fans had met his requirements and that the account would be made. This was also confirmed in another video, you win…, which was posted on Nov. 2. He also claimed that he didn’t have the account ready and didn’t expect the indescribably quick efforts of his fanbase. 

“I didn’t think that um, people would be this ravenous about it…I’m not gonna lie, I didn’t have it (the account) prepared beforehand. Um, not that I didn’t think you (the fans) would do it, but you know how it is with these things. They take…time and planning…” he said. 

While I was initially upset with the confirmation, it was the opinions of people I knew that changed my entire perspective on Markiplier’s actions and made me see the situation more clearly in Mark’s shoes. In the beginning, starting an OnlyFans was merely a fun idea to Mark and not something he planned to do, let alone so quickly. He didn’t even take the time to fix himself up for the I Will Start an Only Fans… video, as he stated he just came back from a run when beginning to record. But it was only once his fans put in a monstrous amount of effort into making his OnlyFans account a reality that Mark realized he could spread support to his mother via OnlyFans account conditions.

He also wasn’t exploiting his fans negatively or using them selfishly, as the people trying to meet his requirements did so voluntarily, without any peer pressure or threats imposed. Not only that, but even though Mark was unprepared, he kept his word and said he would make the account once he had the chance. While his methods of support and promotion were dishonorable and unprecedented among other similar content creators, he was, as Brown said, simply leveraging the money charitably and expanding the “Markiplier” brand.

While Markiplier may have made a few strange or silly decisions along the way and was wildly unprepared and surprised, it’s undeniable that his intentions and goals are positive. While this is certainly an unforeseen method of money making and positivity spreading for such a famous content creator, none of what he did was morally bad or unfair, aside from the content of his OnlyFans account (debatably).

Since this isn’t the first time Mark is using his “image” to spread and support, it’s almost a given that he’ll play on his good looks in the future. But as long as he continues doing the “tolerably dishonorable,” I’ll have no reason to stop watching and supporting one of my favorite content creators.