If you’re on TikTok (or OnlyFans), then it’s hard to miss Anna Paul, an Australian influencer with over 8.2 million followers across her social media platforms.
The internet sensation is known for documenting her day-to-day life, which is much more glamorous than the average Joe.
Aside from TikTok, Anna is one of the top creators on OnlyFans — an adult subscription service where users pay to watch exclusive content from their favourite personalities.
Anna isn’t exactly a mainstream celebrity, but her reach is enormous, something that was proven at her meet and greets in Sydney, Melbourne and Perth last week.
Her followers are fiercely loyal, and it’s her ability to make her luxury life look relatable that has attracted millions to her content.
However, on Sunday, Anna’s meet and greet in Perth plastered her all over mainstream media after the event went south.
So let’s break down exactly what happened.
Who Is Anna Paul?
Before getting into the drama, let’s get to know Anna herself.
Despite her growing bank account, the 23-year-old has previously said online that she never came from money and lived in poverty until she was 18 years old.
In a video shared on social media, Anna said her family once lived in a van and used milk crates as seats while living off $30 a week.
“We grew up not having a lot of money,” she explained to Studio 10 in 2021. “But our family life was always so amazing, so it didn’t matter that much. We couldn’t do a lot of stuff because we didn’t have the money.”
Her claim to fame came from TikTok, where she vlogs her life daily.
From her holidays to what she cooks on a daily basis, Anna has given her fans access to every aspect of her life.
Aside from that, Anna is one of the most popular OnlyFans creators in the world, sitting at the top 0.2% of earners on the site.
“I am one of the top OnlyFans creators in Australia. That’s what I do, I love it, and it’s my favourite job in the world,” she told fans.
Her videos on TikTok regularly feature her boyfriend Glen, who she has dated since high school, her brother Atis, her parents, and up until recently, Atis’ ex-girlfriend Mikaela Testa, who is also a top OnlyFans creator and TikToker.
What Went Wrong at Anna Paul’s Meet and Greet?
Over the weekend, Anna made headlines for her meet and greet at Perth, which was organised by activewear brand Stax.
The influencer collaborated with the clothing company, and to celebrate, Stax invited fans to meet her in-store at Hay Street Mall in Perth’s CBD.
Before Sunday, Anna had already taken part in two meet and greets in Sydney and Melbourne, both of which had a higher than expected turnout.
@anna..paull The story behind the necklace… I can’t
♬ original sound – Anna Paul
However, in Perth, things seemed to take a turn for the worse when over 1,000 people showed up — something you would think Stax would have foreseen after Sydney and Melbourne.
According to event organisers, they were expecting a few hundred to attend the meet and greet, and when so many more turned up, it resulted in pure chaos.
Those waiting in line reported on TikTok that there had been jumping, shoving and an “insane” crowd.
When the safety of fans came into question, WA Police decided to cancel the event due to the “size of the crowd and lack of appropriate security and other event planning in place to cope with the larger than expected crowd”.
Stax later released a statement, which angered fans even more as they failed to apologise for their mishap.
“We are overwhelmed with the response and cannot thank you all so much for continually supporting Stax and all that we do,” the post to Instagram read.
“As you can imagine, this is not how we foresaw today going, I am personally heartbroken that we cannot go ahead.
“We love and appreciate each and every one of you.”
Anna then shared her own statement on her Instagram story, apologising for what had occurred.
“Due to safety, the West Australia Police had to shut down the Perth Meet and Greet early. It became a huge safety hazard,” she wrote. “Thank you for being amazing. Thank you so so much. I am so so so sorry. We tried our very best to work with the police but it got too much.
“Your safety is always our #1 concern always. Safety is #1 always. I love you.”
On Monday, Anna, Glen and Atis took to TikTok to set the record straight and address what happened at the Perth meet and greet.
@anna..paull The Perth Meet and Greet 🖤 We love you
♬ original sound – Anna Paul
“The most important thing out of this whole experience is that nobody got seriously injured. That’s all we cared about, and the fact that nobody got seriously injured, we’re so grateful for that,” she begins the almost three-minute video.
She said that after Sydney and Melbourne, the Stax team hired more security and notified WA police of the event.
“We hired extra extra security for Perth, we told the police, they knew from the start, they were excited, they were like we’re here for you, we got this, they were on our side,” she continues.
“Stax organised so much security that I thought it was overkill.”
Anna continued by saying that police chose to shut down the meet and greet after 20 minutes because of safety concerns, claiming officers had told her that “they had never seen anything like this”.
“The last time we saw something like this was for a Justin Bieber concert. We have never seen anything like this. We need to shut this down for safety reasons,” Anna said police told her on Sunday.
“We were so disappointed, and we feel like we let you down, but we wanted to make the event free, we didn’t want to have to make you pay to see us,” she added.
“But it should have been ticketed, and we know that now.”
