Porn performer Sweetie Fox is among the creators helping Pornhub expand beyond explicit videos, using gaming, cooking, podcasts and other safe-for-work content to reach new audiences. The strategy follows a sharp increase in interest in non-explicit categories on the platform, as creators also seek ways to remain visible amid increasingly widespread age-verification laws and access restrictions.
Gaming content draws millions of views
Fox is known for cosplaying a range of gaming characters, including a sex-starved vault dweller from Fallout and Lara Croft as “Dick Ryder.” Pornhub hosts a large collection of her character videos, and one of her most popular uploads has received 12 million views.
Fox is also a Minecraft player. In September, she posted a video of herself playing the game while dressed in character. Within less than a month, the video had received more than 1 million views on the site.
Pornhub expands its safe-for-work strategy
This type of programming is central to Pornhub’s latest strategy. Starting this month, the adult entertainment platform is seeking performers who can attract audiences through gaming, cooking, podcasting and other activities that are not directly related to sex.
Viewers can, for example, learn about Zara Dahl’s “physics-based neural networks” or find out what Jenna Starr likes to cook for dinner—steak and potatoes, according to the source.
According to the company’s 2025 year-in-review insights, podcast and gaming categories recorded triple-digit growth during 2025. Podcast searches alone rose 327%, while searches for “SFW” increased 114%.
Alex Kekeshi, Pornhub’s vice president of brand and community, said the categories are gaining traction because viewers want to know performers beyond their adult roles. He said the non-explicit material is designed to complement creators’ existing libraries rather than replace adult videos.
The company plans to feature this content on video pages, in search results and recommendations, and across various Pornhub categories. It will also appear in Shorties, the platform’s scrollable vertical-video feed.
Age-verification laws reshape creator strategies
By increasing its investment in safe-for-work content, Pornhub also hopes to help creators grow their audiences and improve their visibility in regions where the platform has restricted access to explicit material because of local age-verification laws.
As regulation increases across the industry, adult creators are looking for new ways to protect their livelihoods. Companies in 27 states, as well as companies in a growing number of other jurisdictions, are adopting online identity checks that require users to upload an ID or another personal document before viewing sexually explicit content.
In addition, 16 states—nearly every state with a Republican majority—have adopted resolutions declaring pornography a public health crisis. Some states, including Alabama, have also passed “porn tax” legislation affecting adult sites operating within their jurisdictions.
Free-speech advocates argue that age-verification laws, which have also been enacted in the UK, make the internet less safe.
Creators seek more stable income
In 2021, after earning a PhD in neuroscience while working full time as an adult performer, Moon Island said she had been banned from more than 250 TikTok accounts. The industry’s volatility has led her to take safe-for-work content more seriously, and she says she is continually searching for creative ways to make her income “more stable.” Her TikTok account is linked from the source.
Source: www.wired.com