Does Carl's Jr. Really Have An OnlyFans?

"And I thought Jack in the Box was edgy," commented one user on a Carl's Jr. Instagram post post announcing the brand's presence on OnlyFans, the subscription site used by countless independent content creators and sex workers as well as celebrities including Cardi B and, controversially, Bella Thorne. For no charge, users can subscribe to the burger chain's OnlyFans content, found under the handle @hothandbreaded, and learn a world of chicken-related innuendo that they may never have thought existed.

Why would a fast-food chain suggestively joke about "food play," "fun with our buns," and "crispy juicy pickles" on a service used primarily by those in the sex industry? Marketing expert Deb Gabor told the Orange County Register that it's "outlaw brand" Carl's Jr.'s attempt at making waves in the "fast-food chicken sandwich war." While spots like Chick-fil-A and Popeyes head the battle for the most popular crispy chicken dish, Carl's Jr. (along with sibling chain Hardee's) is promoting its Hand-Breaded Chicken Sandwich "in a way that runs counter to the rest of the category," Gabor said. So, yes, Carl's Jr. does indeed have an OnlyFans.

Carl's Jr. has held nothing back in its provocative postings about its OnlyFans page, sharing a blurred-out Instagram photo warning users about "hot hand-breading content that some people may find too mouth-watering." Fans' reactions to the cheeky content have been mixed. "I don't know who came up with the idea, but give them a raise," said one Instagrammer, echoed by comments that the brand was "killing it" and that the marketing stint was "the best thing ever."

Others were wary, telling Carl's Jr. that "there is still time to delete" the posts and that its OnlyFans campaign is "not it." But the brand has persisted, continuing to post links to its subscription page after announcing the chicken sandwich in May — and the content has only grown more salacious. The brand shared videos of a manicured hand suggestively stroking a chicken sandwich, stretching its sticky strands of honey in slow motion. 

However you feel about the advertisements, Instagrammer @donjhughes may be right: "This needs a parental advisory explicit content [warning]." But considering the chain's questionable history of featuring steamy, scantily-clad imagery in its ads, perhaps its OnlyFans venture is only natural.