Kayla Jade is not your nana’s idea of a role model.
She’s a sex worker, the most famous in Australia, to be exact. And while, for some, that word still conjures up images of outdated stereotypes, Jade is proudly proving there’s no shame in being a self-made woman – even if it was all thanks to the world’s oldest profession.
At SXSW Sydney, she sat down with news.com.au’s Mary Madigan for The Growth Distillery to unpack how she went from sex work to social media stardom, why authenticity trumps algorithms, and what it means to turn friction into opportunity in an online world that still struggles with stigma.
From cover-town rooms to content creation
When Jade first started posting on TikTok, it wasn’t part of a master plan. Instead, it was born from fatigue. “I guess it just started when I was seeing clients back-to-back. I was in a cover town room, working non-stop, and I just felt like I wanted to connect with more people,” she said.
She’d used TikTok before, but it was for different reasons.
“I’d done TikTok before, but it was more like thirst traps for the boys,” she said, laughing. “This time I was fresh and decided to post what I wanted to post, what felt authentic to me. And apparently, people enjoyed it.”
That shift, from performance to honesty, sparked something bigger.
“I just posted a money count video and it blew up,” she recalled. What began as a simple post became a viral turning point and, ultimately, a new career path that blurred the line between sex work, storytelling and digital influence.
Kayla Jade.
The new face of authenticity
For Jade, authenticity isn’t a branding tactic, it’s survival. “I guess it’s just about being my authentic self,” she said. “I’ve always stayed true to who I am, and that seems to resonate with people.”
But being “real” online comes with its own pressures.
“There have definitely been times where I’ve struggled with mental health and needed to take a step back, either from posting online or just taking a little holiday to feel refreshed again,” she admitted.
The need to constantly feed the algorithm has been a constant tension.
“I used to feel like I had to post every day because of the algorithm, if you stop, it’s not in your favour. That pressure to stay online was real, but now I’m okay with taking breaks,” she said.
Her honesty, about burnout, mental health, and the daily realities of sex work, has made her one of Australia’s most relatable online voices.
Shifting the power dynamic
Jade’s background means she’s had to learn where to draw the line.
“As a sex worker, I was always really careful about what I shared personally, it’s something that’s always been ingrained in me,” she said. “But content creation on TikTok was something completely new.”
What surprised her wasn’t the attention, but who it came from.
“It definitely didn’t start with women in mind, the male audience was always the focus,” she said. “So it was really exciting to see I had girls following me too.”
Her TikTok following now skews 95% female, a complete reversal of her early audience. “It’s kind of nice to know that other women see me, not just as a sex worker, but as someone they can relate to,” she said.
The shift highlights something deeper about social platforms today: audiences reward vulnerability over polish, and relatability over perfection. “The ones that do well for me are when I’m talking directly to the camera,” she said. “When I’m not, the views are usually lower.”
Kayla Jade and Mary Madigan.
Showing the whole picture
Jade’s online success isn’t about glamour, it’s about balance.
“It’s important to show the downsides too, not just the good and glamorous parts, because there are a lot of challenges in this industry,” she said. “I want to show the full picture rather than cutting corners and only showing the best bits.”
She’s candid about mental health, burnout, and the complex realities of her work, topics often hidden behind curated feeds.
“Seeing clients is kind of like being in a relationship in a way, sleeping with men, relating to them, and connecting on that level,” she said. “It’s work, but it’s also emotional labour.”
For Jade, honesty is a form of advocacy, reframing what sex work looks like in a world where visibility still comes with risk.
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