In late September, Brianna Coppage, a 28-year-old communication arts teacher at St. Clair High School, was placed on administrative leave after school officials discovered her active OnlyFans account. The district launched an investigation, with Superintendent Kyle Kruse confirming that the content was deemed inappropriate under district policy.
For Coppage, this marked the end of her teaching career — a profession she had been in since August 2022.
A Top-Performing OnlyFans Creator
Coppage, who openly brands herself on social media as “THAT teacher”, is not just another face on the subscription platform. She proudly claims a spot in the top 0.03% of OnlyFans earners, a significant leap from her previous rank in the top 4% just a week earlier. Known for its explicit visual content, OnlyFans has become her main source of income.
Following the viral attention around her story, she revealed to The Missourian that she made $6,000 in just 24 hours, compared to her usual $8,000 a month before the controversy.
While a Change.org petition advocating for her reinstatement collected over 2,000 signatures, Coppage made it clear she had no intention of returning to the classroom. Speaking to the Riverfront Times, she explained that she had two choices — “run and hide or embrace the situation”.
With financial responsibilities and a family to support, she chose to embrace it. The teacher’s salary, just over $42,000 for the 2022-23 school year, left her seeking other income sources. In her view, returning to the school would not only stir ongoing drama but also disrupt students’ education.
“I just want peace,” Coppage said. “The students deserve a great year without distractions.”
A Larger Issue: Teacher Pay in Missouri
According to the National Education Association, Missouri ranks 47th in the nation for average teacher pay — around $13,000 less than the national average. This financial reality has driven many educators to seek side jobs, though not all ventures are as controversial as Coppage’s OnlyFans career.