Ex-Disney star Dan Benson had his nude photos leaked. He took control by joining OnlyFans.
Everything is not what it seems for Dan Benson, the former "Wizards of Waverly Place" star who unexpectedly joined OnlyFans.
Benson, 35, who played Zeke Beakerman on the show, surprised fans with an in-depth discussion on TikTok about his transition into the adult entertainment industry, revealing it was an attempt to regain control after his nude photos were leaked online.
The same types of images that traumatized the former actor are empowering him today, he says. The difference? He is the one who decides what to share (and what not to share) on his OnlyFans – a content subscription service where creators can earn money from users who pay a monthly membership fee to access their exclusive content.
"It's about personal choice and us choosing what to show and what not to show." Carla Manly, a clinical psychologist, previously told USA TODAY.
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Who is Dan Benson?
Former Disney star Dan Benson is best known for portraying Zeke Beakerman, a frequent companion of the Russo family, in Disney's "Wizards of Waverly Place" from 2007 until the show ended in 2012.
He was also a voice actor on "Rick and Morty" in the minor role of "Ethan."
His last acting role was in 2018 for the film "Killing Eve," and he launched his OnlyFans account in 2022.
Why Dan Benson joined OnlyFans
In a three-minute video uploaded onto TikTok, Benson explained how he "tripped and fell" into the adult entertainment industry after his sexually explicit photos were leaked online.
"Basically, when I was on the show ‘Wizards of Waverly Place,’ I would get messages from people all the time, some of those being women that I found incredibly attractive," Benson says. "Turns out, messaging those women, who turned out not to be who they said they were, was not the best idea, because I would send nude photos to them, and they would take those nude photos and then post them onto online websites."
The experience, Benson says, led to years of trauma as he tried to get them removed from the Internet. But “as you can imagine, that was a pretty difficult task.”
Eventually, Benson says he decided to “go the other direction and completely lean into it" in an effort to regain control and power over his body.
“Instead of letting these people sell my privacy, my – you know what I mean – I decided to say, ‘All right, screw you. I’m gonna sell it myself," he says about his pivot to OnlyFans.
The trauma of nude photo leaks
Having your personal and intimate photos leaked can be a trauma in and of itself. This phenomenon, also known as revenge porn, can lead to harassment, job loss and an increased risk for mental health problems such as suicidal thoughts, depression, anxiety and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD).
In recent years, however, the discourse surrounding sex and consent has been changing, experts say. More people have been able to exercise control and autonomy around erotic photos and sexual content, as shown by the growing popularity of OnlyFans, which has been joined by celebrities including Bella Thorne, Cardi B and Maitland Ward.
Having a safe space to express your sexuality and NSFW selfies can provide "a sense of control over their image," Manly says – as long as it's done on their own terms. For Benson, a situation that had a "very big, negative" impact on his life has now "changed my life for the better."
"When our rights are violated and our freedom of choice is taken away, it's very different from when we make a conscious, personal choice to divulge information or offer a selfie – whether it's nude or not," Manly says.
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This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Dan Benson: 'Wizards of Waverly Place' star on joining OnlyFans, nudes
