We Join OnlyFans Star Kay Manuel In The Whitsundays To Experience A Day in Her Life
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A lot has changed for Only Fans star Kay Manuel since she moved to the Gold Coast five years ago.
Kay has gone from a relatively unknown name to one of the biggest names in adult entertainment in Australia.
Now Kay is known not only as an Only Fans model, but also an award adult entertainer, including being named Australia’s number one female porn star in 2024 complimenting her work as an international escort and adult entertainer.
A look at her social media accounts, shows a glitzy jetsetting life for the star, but just what goes on behind the scenes?
Kay Manuel invited Star Observer for a glimpse behind the scenes of her glamorous lifestyle on a recent trip to the Whitsundays.
A day in the life of OnlyFans star Kay Manuel
A 7:45am flight means a 3am wakeup for Kay in order to prepare and be ready well in advance, she doesn’t like to be late for anything.
Awaiting me in business class lounge Kay is flanked by her makeup artist and her good friend and content creator, how any of them look this good this early in the morning is a miracle unto itself, but the team all look at their best and ready for the weekend ahead.
Kay has planned a series of weekend photoshoots in the Whitsundays, complete with a flight on a private jet for our return, all part and parcel of the luxurious brand she sells.
After reviewing the carefully curated itinerary our business class flights whisk us into the humidity of the Whitsundays where we’ll meet the rest of the team.
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While the life of an OnlyFans model might make one think of home made images taken alone in a bedroom, for Kay this is anything but.
As both an adult entertainer, model and escort Kay Manuel is selling a fantasy, a lifestyle and an image, one that she carefully curates and one that she doesn’t do alone.
Joining the team at our penthouse in the Whitsundays is a pair of photographers and her professional videographer, all flown in from Sydney to help create the perfect shoot.
Before we kick off the days work we regroup for lunch over looking the beach to prepare for the day ahead.
One of the most interesting things to observe as we spend our time together is Kay’s ability to switch on and off as she spots ideas for content. Everything is an opportunity for content, which she never misses.
The constant clack of her finger nails as she stops and films content at a moments notice to post across her social channels doesn’t go unnoticed – she is always active and alert.
But it’s a necessity she explains, to keep her fans engaged.
Kay will film snippets of content all through the day, whether it be photos or video reels, she fills her phone incessantly as the day progresses.
It’s essential as she details she will later sit down with her team and schedule these across her multitude of social media channels, of which there are over 40, all curated and timed well in advance to maximise engagement, if this was an art form, she’s nailed.
By 1pm planning and preparation for the days shoot has commenced, we chat candidly as she removes makeup from the morning in preparation for the afternoons shoot.
The last year has seen a huge boom in Manuel’s popularity
The last twelve months has only seen Kay’s profile grow.
In 2024 Kay took home six awards at the Australian Adult Industry Awards including Best Female Porn Star, Best BJ, Best Female Online Content Creator, Best Anal Provider, Best Newcomer Female Porn Star and Best Photo Authenticity.
“It’s pretty wild” she laughs. “To think that the person voted Best Female Porn Star in Australia is a trans woman, it’s crazy.”
That’s part of what else blew up Kay’s world in 2024, a publicity stunt at Schoolies drew the attention of national media as outraged members of the public piled on the star.
“It’s funny” she says of the incident, “I didn’t actually end up sleeping with a single schoolie that year, it was all for publicity.”
And while it might have been publicity, the biggest blow back from the incident was when The Daily Mail took the attention one step further, outing Kay Manuel as a trans woman without her consent.
But even that controversy hasn’t changed her resolve, if anything it’s boosted her confidence, when speaking to Star Observer earlier this year she said “It’s been a gradual build-up, but being outed was a massive turning point. It shifted everything.”
“I never wanted my private life to be public, but at the end of the day, who benefited? Me. And I’m a very business-minded girl.”
It’s still nothing she keeps secret “It’s all in the paperwork,” she says. “Everyone I work with, perform with and create content with signs the same disclaimer and all the details are there, it’s not something I’m hiding.”
If anything Kay is continuing to reap the benefits of her fame as she continues to build her own empire, Kay has recently returned with her team from CanCun where she spent a week filming content, following this trip Kay will depart for a two week tour around Australia before returning for her next adventures, it’s clear she never sits still.
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The photoshoot with Kay and her team isn’t a short and simple affair. Utilising every room and surface of the glamorous apartment the shoot pushes nearly six hours before it’s time to call it a day, all the while her videographer is documenting the experience as Kay Manuel takes centre stage.
The photographs will be more than content for her fans, it’s also content to help sell her brand, as not only a performer, but an escort Kay is selling a lifestyle for clients and every image she releases is selling a carefully curated fantasy.
Kay commands the shoot like a business woman on a mission, it’s easy to forget that she is just 23 years old, more easily forgotten when you observe that most of her team are at least ten years her senior or more, but the age gap is seemingly unnoticed as she holds herself on equal ground to her peers. It’s very clear who is in charge.
While it’s fair to assume that the evening might dive into an evening of drinking and partying it’s a much more demure affair, Kay takes care of her team as they bond over dinner before a short nightclub appearance then its back to the hotel to wrap up the evening.
Even as the clock strikes midnight Kay is still on the job with clients calling and sending messages as she winds down and prepares to do it all again in the morning.
Emerging into the living room at 9am finds another shoot already well underway, with the gorgeous backdrop of the Whitsundays behind us Kay is using her time to wisely and working through three more photo shoots before we depart for the icing on the cake for this trip.
Returning us to the Gold Coast will be a luxurious private jet that Kay has booked and paid for herself, all in the name of luxury.
Much to the shock of the pilot Kay Manuel puts on an impromptu photoshoot on the runaway, as she drops her coat to reveal her lingerie ensemble both the pilot and passengers boarding the nearby plane certainly got more than they bargained for.
Once we’re seated and settled Kay explains her love for travel and luxury.
“I love luxury travel,” she says. “I’ve always gone on a progression with everything in my life, so I started in economy, then had a taste of premium economy, then I went to business and eventually first class and I was like ‘oh, this is what it’s like’ and now we’ve progressed onto this.”
But while this flight is luxury, as always it’s work too “Obviously I’m here doing a photoshoot and filming content, so it’s all business as well.”
And the weekend’s photoshoot, including the photoshoot that proceeds to take place on the private jet are far more than just some photos snapped on an iPhone, it’s a project that will unfold over the weeks and months ahead.
“The whole process involves us making the content, then it goes to editing, which takes a fair while, as it goes across a few different people. Probably in about the next month or so people will start to see little trickles of content come out, whether its teasers, a full video or just photos posted on Instagram, they get it in little increments.”
When it comes to posting the content, it’s not just Kay on deck making it all happen.
“ I run my own team of 12 who all do different things for me” she says, this includes her photographers and videographers as well as an in person assistant and a team of virtual assistants as well, this can include doing anything from mundane daily chores for Kay or scheduling and uploading her content across the many platforms she uses.
But where does the money come from? With so much content and so much changing hands where does the bulk of her income from?
”Mainly sex work in the adult industry” she says. “I call myself a bit of an all rounder because I do full service work for clients but also the ongoing content income that branches from different things. So it could be income from OnlyFans or it could be from Instagram getting promotional deals and marketing campaigns or modelling gigs, it’s all very different.”
Having already film as a cover girl for Maxim and Playboy, Kay has already filmed for another magazine and reveals she’s filmed a pilot for a reality television show, which is still under wraps.
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“I’ve also got a huge party that I’m throwing overseas,” she teases. “That’s going to be another pilot for another show.”
Ultimately she shares she’d love to have her own reality TV show that gives viewers a glimpse into her world and her business.
After wrapping up our interview it’s back to business as Kay makes use of her hour in the air, squeezing in several outfit changes in the confines of our jet she uses every moment to her advantage.
By the time we touch down another shoot is complete, as Kay and her team prepare to go their separate ways again until their next project and Kay prepares for her next tour and upcoming overseas projects.
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