Layla Kelly, former banker turned OnlyFans content creator and porn star. Photo / Mark Mitchell
This article contains graphic content of a sexual nature which may not be suitable for all readers.
A mother who has won the title of New Zealand’s Best Porn Star in an Australian Adult Industry Award two years running says she earns more than $250,000 a year selling sexual content on OnlyFans.
Laya Kelly, 34, says that during the Covid-19 pandemic she left her job as a banking consultant to escape the shackles of the corporate world and she hasn’t looked back.
“I am a mum and I’m the boss. I wanted the freedom of choosing what I do and the ability to control what I earn.
“I am comfortable with myself and confident with my body. Originally, I wanted to cover $300 a week for bills but I’ve blown that out of the water. Last year I earned $250,000,” Kelly said.
Although her income has tripled, Kelly – known as @sweetmommalayla on Instagram – says she continues to live a normal life in the suburbs with her family.
She has bought a new bed, splashed out on an overseas holiday with her family and has saved enough money to buy their first home in Wellington.
“This industry has been glamorised a lot. It’s hard work and not everyone will make a lot of money. Sex work for a lot of people is about survival – to get by. The sex side of working on OnlyFans is 20% and the other 80% is marketing and advertising.
“You can film the most amazing porn but if you can’t sell it, what’s the point?”
Kelly’s work is subscription-based and it isn’t always about sex. Some clients pay extra for “virtual girlfriend experiences” which are personal and emotional, others simply want to chat.
She makes personalised sex movies, sexts, sells underwear that she’s worn at the gym or after sex – some fans have paid her to rate their penises.
“Some men are obsessed with their genitals. We talk about the length, the girth, their balls – literally everything. Guys love talking about their penises. Men love talking to me and not an AI bot.”
Kelly said she loves the autonomy of being her own boss. She works five days a week from 9-3pm and a few hours in the evening.
Weekends are spent relaxing with family – who supported her decision to ditch the boardroom for the bedroom.
Kelly says she is “human” and doesn’t feel like sex every day. She says she films two to three movies a week and has never faked an orgasm.
“I like to be as authentic as possible. Guys will stick around long enough till I do, some fans will masturbate with me on video calls. It’s not a one-size-fits-all job; everyone has different kinks. I try not to yuck someone’s yum.”
Kelly’s adult movies include F**ing My Wife’s Best Friend and My First Time with Girthmasterr.
She says making a movie with Girthmasterr – a celebrated Australian porn star – was a career highlight.
“It was career-enhancing. Girthmasterr is famous for his massive penis. It’s like a well-wrapped kebab. He’s seven foot [2.1m] tall, there’s a photo of him online comparing his penis with a wine bottle, they’re the same size.”
Does size matter and did it hurt?
“A little. In the industry, size matters but a lot of women wouldn’t want to have sex with a penis that big. It’s a myth generally perpetuated by men.”
The porn star says there is still a big divide about how female sex workers are perceived compared with males.
“There is no shame in this type of work. People enjoy sex – some like to watch or talk about it. Male sex workers are idolised. It’s okay for men to sleep around, they are seen as ‘players’ in society, but if a woman does that she’s sometimes seen as the ‘town bike,’ or a ‘slut’. I’m trolled online and told I’m a whore, no one will ever love me, I will never have a family and I have daddy issues.”
Kelly has been with her husband for 17 years and married for seven. Their relationship is private – her husband and children are off-limits. And although her husband isn’t the jealous type, they have boundaries.
“We’re in this business together, he helps me film and is involved in the content. Work is work, we have a sexual connection and marriage that can’t be threatened by anything or anyone.
“We want to keep some things private just for ourselves and there are things I won’t do [with others]. It’s important to have good communication otherwise boundaries can get blurred.”
The couple are constantly brainstorming about what content to produce – the kinkier the better.
In January, Kelly, who considers herself bisexual, invited men to audition for a threesome to be filmed with herself and her husband. Forty-seven men applied, including a former boss and a Corrections officer.
“I did a ‘F**k a fan campaign, which had to be filmed in New Zealand. My husband and I picked a stranger, it was awesome. He’s involved in the kink scene and slept with couples before, so it worked. My husband’s not bisexual, he’s fine that I am. I’m lucky he loves to see me enjoying myself, this is how we make a living and achieve our goals.”
There’s no sexual position or act Kelly hasn’t explored but she refuses to engage in breath play by male porn stars she doesn’t know.
Kelly made international headlines in 2023 when she made a TikTok video pretending to leave her undies behind at Bunnings then said she was “doing it for the Dads” and for “hard-working tradies”.
As a result, she was banned from all Bunnings stores in Wellington for two years.
“It was a stunt, I had two layers of undies on, but staff saw me on their cameras walking away. I picked them up afterwards, I wasn’t giving those away for free – fans want to buy them.”
For now, Kelly is happy to stay in the industry for as long as she is relevant and successful.
“I don’t have an endpoint. There is a myth women have an expiry date – your sexiness doesn’t fade after a certain age.
“We become hotter and even more wanted as we get older. Men love Milfs.”
Recipe: There’s so much flavour packed into these rustic scones.