Larry Flynt’s widow, unshaken by OnlyFans boom, says Hustler is still evolving after its provocative past

The emergence of OnlyFans doesn’t faze Larry Flynt’s widow.

As chairwoman of Hustler magazine, Liz Flynt is keeping the bequest of her precocious hubby live by overseeing his big amusement empire. Her caller book, "HUSTLER®50: 50 Years of Freedom," aims to seizure the salacious brand’s travel "through 5 decades of governmental and societal upheaval." Flynt died successful 2021 astatine property 78.

Liz told Fox News Digital she wasn’t opposed to the anticipation of launching a akin subscription-based service. She antecedently told the Los Angeles Times that Hustler doesn’t connection amusement created by users, due to the fact that verifying the property of performers is difficult. She besides says that Hustler insists connected providing "high-quality content."

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Larry Flynt joined his nurse, Liz Berrios, successful 1998. They remained unneurotic until his decease successful 2021 astatine property 78. (Flynt Management Group)

"It would beryllium bully to travel up with thing similar [OnlyFans]," said Liz. "But close now, I don’t person thing successful the pipeline. But we’re ever brainstorming astatine our monthly meetings and our play absorption meetings. We’re ever brainstorming connected what’s new, young and caller and what other we tin bash to turn arsenic a company."

From left: Alyssa Lovelace, Larry Flynt, Jenna Jameson and others attending the motorboat of the "Fourth of July Freedom Tour 2003" astatine Hustler Hollywood connected June 30, 2003, successful Hollywood, California. Flynt and Jameson launched the nationwide circuit with this event. (Frederick M. Brown/Getty Images)

Many enactment workers joined OnlyFans during the pandemic erstwhile in-person venues unopen down oregon became much unsafe because of COVID-19. The tract has been tremendously lucrative for immoderate people, allowing them to gain thousands per month. In 2021, OnlyFans said it had 130 cardinal users and 2 cardinal creators who person collectively earned $5 billion.

Liz is alert of the competition.

OnlyFans, which was created successful 2016, hosts erotic content, arsenic good arsenic fittingness content, musicians and different creators who station regularly online.  (LOIC VENANCE/AFP via Getty Images)

"We are inactive a monthly publication, but we’re ever uncovering caller ideas to support the institution relevant, similar getting into antithetic areas of technology," Liz explained. "In the aboriginal ‘90s, my hubby went into video, helium went into broadcast, helium went into retail stories, helium went into gaming. And so, helium was capable to diversify the institution aboriginal on. We [now] person 60 Hustler Hollywood retail stores."

"Under my leadership, I was capable to unfastened 20 much and get 40 retail stores from Playboy Enterprises," she shared. 

The Los Angeles Times reported that Larry Flynt made his wife, Liz Flynt, the sole proprietor of the institution successful his trust. (Flynt Management Group)

"I was capable to motorboat Hustler Casino Live, which is livestream online poker. . . . The newest motorboat that I was capable to [do] was [partner with] DoorDash with each of our Hustler Hollywood stores. We’re the archetypal to bash that. Of course, Hustler has been known to beryllium the archetypal to bash galore antithetic things. That’s what makes america truthful antithetic and keeps america relevant."

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"HUSTLER®50: 50 Years of Freedom" is retired now. (Flynt Management Group)

Flynt, a erstwhile portion nine owner, built Hustler mag into an big amusement juggernaut that included casinos, films, websites and different businesses arsenic helium relentlessly championed First Amendment rights.

Flynt’s far-flung institution produced not lone Hustler but different niche publications. He besides owned a video accumulation company, scores of websites, two Los Angeles-area casinos and dozens of Hustler boutiques selling adult-oriented products. He besides licensed the Hustler sanction to independently owned portion clubs.

Larry Flynt's beingness was explored successful the movie "The People vs. Larry Flynt," which brought Oscar nominations for manager Milos Forman and Woody Harrelson, who portrayed Flynt. (David Butow/Corbis via Getty Images)

At the clip of his death, Flynt claimed to person video-on-demand operations successful much than 55 countries and much than 30 Hustler Hollywood retail stores passim the United States.

Owner of Hustler publications Larry Flynt successful his Los Angeles office, circa 2004. (Dan Tuffs/Getty Images)

Flynt often disgusted the masses for offering 1 of the astir graphic, and astatine times controversial, publications connected newsstands. Unlike Playboy oregon Penthouse, it published much overtly intersexual imagery. Flynt didn’t hesitate to propulsion boundaries with earthy imagery and biting cartoons. He erstwhile declared that "pornography is truly the purest signifier of art."

Liz said she believes successful her precocious husband’s vision.

The Los Angeles Times reported that Larry Flynt brought his wife, Liz Flynt, into his company, archetypal successful the endowment department. He past promoted her to subordinate steadfast successful 2000. (Charley Gallay/Getty Images)

"Our bodies are the purest signifier of art," she said. "Women person been photographed implicit the decades. I spot thing incorrect with it. I consciousness that publishers earlier [my husband], similar Hugh Hefner and Bob Guccione, did pave the mode for Larry. And I deliberation there’s thing incorrect with photographing beauteous women – each types of women."

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"If you look astatine immoderate of these women successful the Victorian property and immoderate of those beauteous portraits, there’s nudity there," she argued. "And there’s thing incorrect with it."

Flynt offered ample sums of wealth to celebrated women to airs naked. Although they turned him down, helium did negociate to people a photographer’s nude sunbathing photos of erstwhile archetypal woman Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis. He was intensely disliked by some spiritual and feminist groups, who said helium demeaned women and enactment them astatine hazard with pictures of bondage and different arguable acts.

Larry Flynt was astir killed successful a 1986 assassination attempt. (Getty Images)

Flynt maintained passim his beingness that helium was not conscionable a pornographer but besides a fierce defender of free-speech rights.

Larry Flynt successful 1976. (Flynt Management Group)

But determination was a clip erstwhile adjacent Flynt wondered if helium went excessively far. The mag famously shocked readers successful June 1978 erstwhile it published a screen depicting a pistillate being fed into a nutrient grinder.

"Hustler has ever stayed existent to its archetypal spirit, meaning we were provocative, explicit and unafraid to situation authorization and offend people," said Liz. "But 1 peculiar screen that I’m definite radical retrieve was the nutrient grinder and having a pistillate depicted arsenic a portion of meat. But Larry had told maine erstwhile the screen came out, helium was successful jail. Therefore, helium took the hit. He was the publisher, truthful helium owned it."

Liz Flynt signs copies of her caller publication astatine Book Soup connected May 21, 2025, successful West Hollywood, California. (Robin L Marshall/Getty Images)

"He said, ‘I’ll instrumentality the hit,’" Liz shared. "What was helium going to do, blasted it connected idiosyncratic else? No, Larry was the owner, the publisher, and you person to instrumentality with what you publish. Unfortunately, helium received countless words of criticism. Gloria Steinem attacked him and took a afloat leafage retired successful The New York Times. But helium defended the representation arsenic satire. . . . And helium was ever pushing the envelope."

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Larry Flynt and Hustler Girls during The Friars Club Roast successful Beverly Hills, California. (Mike Guastella/WireImage/Getty Images)

Liz said she archetypal met Flynt successful 1991 erstwhile she went to enactment for him arsenic a nurse. He had been paralyzed aft helium was astir killed successful a 1986 assassination attempt. His nephew, Jimmy Flynt Jr., said astatine the clip of his decease that his celebrated uncle suffered decades of wellness issues.

"I retrieve helium was a precise quiescent feline erstwhile I archetypal met him," said Liz. "I didn’t spot immoderate Hustler magazines successful his home. I recovered him to beryllium precise knowledgeable with impeccable vocabulary. It wasn’t until 2 years aboriginal that helium asked maine out. I declined. Then helium asked maine retired again. I said, ‘Well, if you’d similar to spell retired with me, travel to my location for meal and conscionable my family.’ And helium did."

Larry Flynt and his woman Liz Flynt get for the Larry King Cardiac Foundation payment lawsuit successful Beverly Hills, California. (Vince Bucci/AFP via Getty Images)

The mates tied the knot successful 1998. And being joined to 1 of the world’s astir celebrated pornographers was amazingly ordinary.

Liz Flynt told her aboriginal hubby Larry Flynt that she would lone spell retired with him if helium would person meal with her household first. He agreed. (Flynt Management Group)

"Larry was a fun-loving husband," said Liz. "He was precise benignant and generous. He loved to travel. I ever felt that I was good cared for and loved by him. He was conscionable a precise loving husband. And helium loved animals, too. We ever had dogs. We had 2 German shepherds successful the beginning, and past we ever had schnauzers, from elephantine schnauzers to miniatures."

As a doting husband, Flynt wasn’t shy astir giving marital advice. And that’s precisely what helium did with Woody Harrelson’s woman Laura. The histrion portrayed Flynt successful the 1996 film "The People vs. Larry Flynt."

"My presumption is that you wage a terms to unrecorded successful a escaped society, and that terms is toleration of immoderate things you don’t like," Larry Flynt erstwhile told the Seattle Times. "You person to tolerate the Larry Flynts of this world." (MIKE NELSON/AFP via Getty Images)

"At 1 point, Laura and I were having tremendous occupation successful our relationship, and, unbeknownst to me, Larry took her to luncheon and acted arsenic a matrimony counselor," Harrelson, 63, wrote successful the book’s foreword. "And immoderate helium said that time truly helped. To this day, Laura volition outcry erstwhile she recalls that speech and Larry’s unsolicited, unyielding support. He was ever the truest of friends."

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Woody Harrelson and Hustler mag steadfast Larry Flynt get astatine the Los Angeles premiere of Zak Penn's "The Grand," held astatine the Arclight Cinerama Dome connected March 5, 2008, successful Hollywood, California.  (Michael Tran/FilmMagic/Getty Images)

Today, Liz is determined to marque definite that her husband’s advocacy for state of code isn’t forgotten.

"My hubby didn’t unrecorded agelong capable to constitute this book," she reflected. "I felt it was truthful important to seizure the 5 decades of Hustler magazine. . . . As the chairwoman and beneficiary of the company, I consciousness that I’m successful a antithetic brace of shoes. I promised him that I would proceed to tally the institution and marque definite it continues to grow. I americium doing that close now." 

The Associated Press contributed to this report.