Anglican Church Turned On: Dirty Sexy Money Footage Controversy Explained

Tracking the controversy surrounding Brisbane’s Anglican Diocese after St John’s Cathedral was used as a filming location for the Stan reality series Turned On: Dirty Sexy Money, which follows prominent OnlyFans and adult-content creators. Archbishop Jeremy Greaves later apologized, said church officials appeared to have been misled about the nature of the production and demanded that some cathedral footage be removed.

St John’s Cathedral Was Used As A Filming Location For The OnlyFans Reality Series. Production crews filmed inside Brisbane’s historic Anglican cathedral in mid-April 2026 for Turned On: Dirty Sexy Money. Stan promotes the series as following women among the top tier of adult-content creators and examining the money, relationships and competition surrounding their work. [STAN]

The Cathedral Scenes Followed Lily Phillips Reconnecting With Christianity. One storyline featured British adult-content creator Lily Phillips discussing her faith before participating in a religious reaffirmation ceremony at St John’s Cathedral. Cathedral Dean Dr Peter Catt told Phillips that the church community was open and accepting and that people should not be defined solely by their work. [MEDIAWEEK]

Phillips Was Filmed Participating In A Reaffirmation Ceremony Conducted By The Cathedral Dean. Catt conducted the ceremony inside St John’s as cameras filmed Phillips and other participants for the series. Phillips later said she was pleased to have found a church she considered progressive enough to welcome her despite her work in the adult industry. [MEDIAWEEK]

Archbishop Jeremy Greaves Said Producers Appeared To Have Misled The Cathedral About The Program. Greaves said conversations with cathedral staff suggested the production had originally been presented to Catt as a documentary examining faith and the complexities faced by someone who had previously experienced exclusion from church because of involvement in sex work. He said the finished program was substantially different from what church officials believed they had agreed to accommodate. [MEDIAWEEK]

Greaves Condemned The Finished Series As Attempting To Validate The Porn Industry. After viewing the program, Greaves said he was shocked by its content, nature and intent and argued that it did not align with the faith and values of the Anglican Diocese of Brisbane. He described the series as reality television that “shamelessly attempts to validate the porn industry.” [COURIER-MAIL]

The Archbishop Apologized For Allowing The Cathedral To Be Used In The Program. In an August 20 letter, Greaves apologized for the “distress and anger” generated by Catt’s decision to permit filming and said the situation should never have occurred. [MEDIAWEEK]

The Production Company Denied That It Filmed At The Cathedral Without Permission. Mischief & Wonder, which produced the series for Stan, said it obtained permission directly from Catt to film at St John’s Cathedral. Its response disputed any suggestion that the crew simply entered or used the church without authorization, while not resolving the separate dispute over what church officials were told about the broader nature of the program. [MEDIAWEEK]

The Anglican Church Demanded That Some Cathedral Footage Be Removed. Following the backlash, the Diocese sought removal of footage involving people filmed at the church. Mischief & Wonder confirmed that individuals had subsequently been removed from cathedral scenes at the church’s request. [MEDIAWEEK]

Questions Were Raised About A Child Altar Server Appearing In The Program And Promotional Material. Campaigner Melinda Tankard Reist questioned whether the parents of a young altar server had provided consent for the child to be filmed and for her image to appear in promotional material for an episode. Mediaweek reported that the child’s appearance raised questions about the Anglican Church’s own policies requiring parental consent before children are photographed or filmed. No public finding has established that parental consent was absent. [MEDIAWEEK]

The Controversy Prompted An Immediate Review Of Church Filming Policies. Greaves acknowledged gaps in diocesan policies and procedures governing third-party access to church sites and ordered an immediate review intended to ensure stronger due diligence before future film or television productions are permitted to use Anglican properties. [MEDIAWEEK]

The Backlash Came Months After The Cathedral Visit Had Already Generated Criticism. Photographs of Phillips and other cast members entering St John’s Cathedral circulated publicly in April and initially prompted criticism over the group’s presence and clothing. Phillips subsequently said the church visit was connected to her genuine attempt to reconnect with her faith rather than simply being a publicity stunt. [NEWS.COM.AU]

Stan Had Publicly Marketed The Series As A Provocative Look At Successful Adult-Content Creators. Before the series premiered, Stan described Turned On: Dirty Sexy Money as an “explosive” and “high-glamour” program centered on creators earning large sums through adult-content platforms. That promotional framing contributed to the Anglican leadership’s later argument that the completed production was fundamentally different from the faith-focused documentary they believed had been proposed to cathedral officials. [STAN]