OnlyFans creator and TikTok influencer Farha Khalidi has made headlines by claiming she was paid to spread “political propaganda” on behalf of the Biden administration, specifically relating to the nomination of then-Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson to the Supreme Court. During a podcast interview with commentator Richard Hanania, Khalidi revealed that she was approached by a third-party media company acting as a “conduit” for the administration to promote Brown Jackson to her large social media following.
Khalidi described the experience as making her a tool for identity politics, with instructions to emphasize her personal reflection on the nomination as a “person of color.” She was allegedly told not to disclose the promotional activities as advertising, blurring the lines between genuine advocacy and paid endorsement. According to Khalidi, the media company wanted to leverage her image to subtly influence public opinion without the overt appearance of a campaign.
The influencer expressed her discomfort with the arrangement, especially when she was scripted by a white woman from the media company, which prompted her to reject the narrative she was asked to propagate. She felt it was inauthentic and manipulative, particularly the directive to articulate feelings about representation that did not align with her true sentiments.
Khalidi, who has over 119,000 Instagram followers, also mentioned that during her college years, she financially sustained herself through various advertisements, including those from the Biden administration, Planned Parenthood, and several dating apps. The exact sum she was paid for these endorsements was not disclosed.
This revelation has sparked discussions on the ethics of political advertising on social media, where lines can often blur between personal opinions and paid endorsements, especially when the promotional content is not clearly identified as an advertisement. The White House did not immediately respond to requests for comment on Khalidi’s allegations.