{"id":1645712,"date":"2026-05-06T16:01:00","date_gmt":"2026-05-06T20:01:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/observer.com\/?p=1645712"},"modified":"2026-05-06T16:01:00","modified_gmt":"2026-05-06T20:01:00","slug":"ex-onlyfans-exec-rj-phillips-taps-controversy-with-zoops-enhanced-games-deal","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/observer.com\/2026\/05\/ex-onlyfans-exec-rj-phillips-taps-controversy-with-zoops-enhanced-games-deal\/","title":{"rendered":"Ex-OnlyFans Exec RJ Phillips Taps Controversy With Zoop\u2019s Enhanced Games Deal"},"content":{"rendered":"
\"RJ
The OnlyFans founding exec doubles down on polarizing partnerships to grow his creator-first platform. Courtesy Zoop<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

RJ Phillips, a founding executive of OnlyFans, is once again leaning into controversy as he refines his latest venture: a \u201csocial mega app\u201d called Zoop<\/a>. The platform is the official social media partner for the inaugural Enhanced Games, a multi-sport competition in Las Vegas on May 24 that openly encourages the use of performance-enhancing drugs to test the limits of human potential.<\/p>\n

Roughly 40 athletes are set to compete, including American swimmers and Olympic gold medalists Cody Miller and Hunter Armstrong; Colombian weightlifter and Olympic silver medalist Leidy Solis; and Australian swimmer and former world champion James Magnussen, who is coming out of retirement for the event. Nearly one million users have already signed up for Zoop or joined its waitlist, with athletes sharing training regimens and glimpses of life inside the event\u2019s Abu Dhabi training camp.<\/p>\n

The Enhanced Games will feature a $1 million prize pool for world-record-breaking performances, along with additional payouts for individual event winners. There will be no drug testing, and the competition will not adhere to World Anti-Doping Agency rules that govern the Olympics.<\/p>\n

Despite the controversy surrounding the Games, Phillips insists it\u2019s not something he actively seeks out. \u201cWe acknowledge there’s some controversy around the games. There always is around new things that come out,\u201d he told Observer. He frames Zoop in familiar terms: just as OnlyFans is fundamentally a paid subscription platform rather than a pornography site, Zoop is first and foremost a social hub that returns the bulk of its money to creators<\/a>. As he put it, \u201cIf you don’t want to watch cartoons, you don’t tune into Cartoon Network.\u201d<\/p>\n

A platform with creators at heart<\/h3>\n

Founded in 2020 by Phillips and OnlyFans co-founder Tim Stokely, Zoop initially launched as a platform for fan interaction through digital avatars<\/a>, with added NFT trading capabilities. That model reflected the moment, but like many metaverse and NFT ventures\u2014including Meta\u2019s own metaverse, which reportedly cost $80 billion before shutting down in March\u2014it ultimately required a pivot.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe took a step back and said, \u2018What are we trying to achieve here?\u2019 We’re trying to achieve better and more equitable payouts and setups for everyone that’s involved in this ecosystem,\u201d said Phillips.<\/p>\n

He points to the imbalance in how content platforms distribute revenue. \u201cIf someone’s gone and filmed the knockout punch, and that’s gone online, the platforms make more money out of that than Fury, than the event organizers or anyone else,\u201d he said. In his view, \u201cyou\u2019re paying the table in the restaurant for holding your food while you eat. It doesn’t make sense to me.\u201d<\/p>\n

Zoop aims to differentiate itself by sharing upwards of 80 percent of revenue with creators, including Enhanced Games athletes across swimming, weightlifting and track and field. Phillips argues the model is sustainable, even as major platforms like Instagram and TikTok typically offer closer to 50 percent.<\/p>\n

The platform also includes what Phillips calls an \u201cA.I. kill switch,\u201d allowing users to opt out of viewing A.I.-generated content and prioritizing human-created posts.<\/p>\n

The broader creator economy underscores Zoop\u2019s pitch. Of the more than 200 million content creators worldwide, only about two million earn six figures annually.<\/a> Most influencers rely heavily on brand partnerships, with companies now dedicating up to a quarter of their digital marketing budgets to influencer campaigns. The real-world impact is visible at events like Coachella, often dubbed the \u201cInfluencer Olympics\u201d due to the influx of brand-sponsored creators.<\/p>\n

Zoop positions itself as an alternative. With a larger share of revenue from ads and user engagement, creators can enter what Phillips described as a \u201cnew world,\u201d where they can earn income \u201cwith no product placement for sale of goods that they might not necessarily believe in.\u201d<\/p>\n

The Enhanced Games themselves have drawn sharp criticism. Norwegian sports science academics \u00d8yvind Sandbakk and Sigmund Loland describe the event as a \u201chigh-risk social experiment<\/a> [that] abandons the principles that govern current elite sports: respect for athlete autonomy and health, fair competition and the quest for sporting and human excellence.\u201d<\/p>\n

Phillips says Zoop is taking a neutral stance on the debate, though he personally \u201cloves what they’re trying to achieve there.\u201d<\/p>\n

Beyond the Enhanced Games, Zoop is building partnerships with other global events to expand its reach. These include the first-ever Eurovision Song Contest Asia, set for Bangkok in November. Phillips said the company is also in \u201cadvanced talks\u201d to launch in mainland China later this year\u2014an ambitious move given the country\u2019s strict internet controls.<\/p>\n

Still, Zoop draws a clear line when it comes to moderating controversial content. The platform, Phillips said, will not act as an editorial authority over every contentious topic.<\/p>\n

\u201cOur responsibility is to operate safely, comply with applicable laws and regulations and provide the infrastructure that allows [creators] to reach their audiences responsibly,\u201d he said. \u201cIn cases like this, channel owners also have responsibilities around their content environments, while we make sure platform standards and government requirements are met.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Zoop, led by RJ Phillips, partners with the Enhanced Games as part of a broader push for higher creator payouts and engagement. Phillips uses a high-risk sports event to spotlight Zoop\u2019s economics and expand its global reach.<\/p>\n Read More<\/a>","protected":false},"author":129757851,"featured_media":1645749,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"apple_news_api_created_at":"","apple_news_api_id":"","apple_news_api_modified_at":"","apple_news_api_revision":"","apple_news_api_share_url":"","apple_news_cover_media_provider":"image","apple_news_coverimage":0,"apple_news_coverimage_caption":"","apple_news_cover_video_id":0,"apple_news_cover_video_url":"","apple_news_cover_embedwebvideo_url":"","apple_news_is_hidden":"","apple_news_is_paid":"","apple_news_is_preview":"","apple_news_is_sponsored":"","apple_news_maturity_rating":"","apple_news_metadata":"\"\"","apple_news_pullquote":"","apple_news_pullquote_position":"","apple_news_slug":"","apple_news_sections":[],"apple_news_suppress_video_url":false,"apple_news_use_image_component":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2},"_wpas_customize_per_network":false},"post_tag":[423810886,423986472,423985461],"company":[424013109,423806523,171,423967902,423840173,424013108],"channel":[186,35162449,423867218,423868938,423979940],"location":[],"nyo_column":[],"person":[424013101,424013102,423914400,424013103,424013104,423967937,424013105,424013106,424013107],"nyo_post_hidden":[],"coauthor":[423982679],"class_list":{"0":"post-1645712","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"tag-coachella","8":"tag-creator-economy","9":"tag-sports","10":"observer_company-enhanced-games","11":"observer_company-instagram","12":"observer_company-meta","13":"observer_company-onlyfans","14":"observer_company-tiktok","15":"observer_company-zoop","16":"channel-business","17":"channel-social-media","18":"channel-interviews","19":"channel-media","20":"channel-interviews-with-business-leaders","21":"nyo_person-people-rj-phillips","22":"nyo_person-cody-miller","23":"nyo_person-hunter-armstrong","24":"nyo_person-leidy-solis","25":"nyo_person-james-magnussen","26":"nyo_person-tim-stokely","27":"nyo_person-fury","28":"nyo_person-oyvind-sandbakk","29":"nyo_person-sigmund-loland"},"acf":{"homepage_position":"","homepage_title":"","homepage_excerpt":"","alternative_og_image":"","headline":{"seo_headline":""},"subheadline":{"optimized_seo_description":"","optimized_social_excerpt":""}},"apple_news_notices":[],"parsely":{"version":"1.1.0","canonical_url":"https:\/\/observer.com\/2026\/05\/ex-onlyfans-exec-rj-phillips-taps-controversy-with-zoops-enhanced-games-deal\/","smart_links":{"inbound":0,"outbound":0},"traffic_boost_suggestions_count":0,"meta":[],"rendered":"","tracker_url":"https:\/\/cdn.parsely.com\/keys\/observer.com\/p.js"},"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/observer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2026\/05\/640A8630-e1778096426149.jpg?quality=80","coauthors_byline":"By Rachel Curry","display_channel":"","thumbnail":"\"RJ