Australian Only Fans star among UK top 10 vying for $175,000
Sydney comedian Maddie Houlbrook-Walk has come a long way from working the monkey line at Taronga Zoo to competing for OnlyFans’ top prize.
Entertainment
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The squirrel monkeys at Sydney’s Taronga Zoo may have been some of Maddie Houlbrook-Walk’s earliest fans, but they wouldn’t be the only ones.
After moving to London in 2022, the OnlyFans star has climbed the ranks of the United Kingdom’s comedy circuit to make the top 10 finalists in a new, $175,000 (£100,000) television competition from the streaming platform.
And before eyebrows are raised too high, this is one OnlyFans broadcast that will be safer for work than the NSFW cam girls the social media app is most known for.
“I will be honest, I think everybody else in the competition thought the same,” Ms Houlbrook-Walk told News Corp Australia.
“It changed my whole perspective about what is possible to do online as an avenue for my comedy,” she added. “I would have never have put comedy and OnlyFans together unless it was a meme.”
The 28-year-old from Marrickville has come a long way from working service jobs in call centres or the squirrel monkey enclosure at the Taronga Zoo.
After five years on the Australian comedy circuit, she moved to London in 2022 and quickly made a name for herself, from the Edinburgh Fringe Festival in Scotland last year to a gig in Paris last week, and across the rest of the UK in the months between.
A stage performer by trade, Ms Houlbrook-Walk only moved her comedy online after entering the “Outrageous Comedy Fund” competition premiering on OnlyFans TV – the safe-for-work version of the company’s app.
She’s among the 10 finalists of up-and-coming talent from the UK and Ireland who will compete in knockout tasks over a four-part series hosted by comedians Jack Guinness and Sofie Hagen.
The final six will compete in a stand-up show in front of a live London audience judged by comedy stars Mae Martin, Jamali Maddix and London Hughes on February 20 (local time)
They’ll be judged by comedy stars Mae Martin, Jamali Maddix and London Hughes, with the two runners-up each receiving about $A45,000 (£25,000).
The $175,000 first prize is among the biggest for comedy competitions in the United Kingdom, and Ms Houlbrook-Walk says it’ll go towards building her nascent OnlyFans presence, creating a web series, and growing her online platform.
It would also help towards the next appearance at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival, which can cost comedians up to $40,000, out-of-pocket, to produce.
“I’m gambling on myself. Everybody has to. It’s the same in Australia,” she said.
While the grind may similarly as difficult, the audiences in Australia and the UK and Europe aren’t exactly identical, to put it mildly. But one thing everyone shares is a common human experience, Ms Houlbrook-Walk said.
Across the UK and throughout the competition, which began on January 30 UK time, Ms Houlbrook-Walk’s show is a mix of silly songs, “wacky physical things”, and a bit of observational humour.
“I’ve found that if you are a very joyful or engaging performer, there shouldn’t be much difference. Most of my content is the same,” she said.
“I definitely can’t say the C-word as much as I used to. It has a very different impact.”
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