Exclusive Interview: How Sydney Leathers went from Weiner sexting scandal, to porn, to crypto startup SpankChain

Business of Business: I'm with Sydney Leathers and we're going to talk about her work with SpankChain and SpankPay. So you have kind of a "name" in the adult industry. But I'm curious, Sydney Leathers, that's your real name? 

SL: Actually, yes. Nobody ever believes me. And when like, somebody takes my ID for something, I feel like people just are shocked that that is actually my real name. Always has been. I'm just blessed with a very porno sounding name.

Tell me about how you came to, and when you came to SpankChain and what you're doing there. 

So I've been working there since the beginning of the year, this year. I am doing social media management and marketing, and then also model outreach. So I coordinate all of our promotions and contests. I help choose models for photo shoots. We are launching an NFT platform soon called Pop Shots. And I did all the model selection for that I, you know, answered all the questions gathered all the content helped organize all the files, like many roles. But it's great. Like I'm technically called the "community manager," but I do like a little bit of everything.

And this is a startup, right? 

Yeah. And it's been around a few years. I've had my eye on them for a little bit. But they did $100,000 giveaway, right before I started. And that really piqued my interest, because there aren't many adult companies or tech companies or crypto companies that would care about giving back to adult content creators, like that kind of generosity is super unique. So that just really struck me and I thought, like, this is a really cool business, like, I'm very interested in this, this is something I would want to get involved in. And it's awesome, too, because like the contest I help set up every month, like those are putting dollars in the pockets of sex workers directly, you know, like, there's nothing that's going to benefit your life more than money being sent to you directly, especially if it's in a time of need during COVID and everything. So that's been something I've really liked to be able to be part of. It's been exciting.

And just to back up a bit, can you kind of explain, for people who don't know, what SpankChain is exactly? 

So SpankChain is our corporation and then SpankPay is more of our product, and it is a crypto wallet and processor. It's kind of set up just for sex workers to be able to get involved in crypto to be able to receive tips. You can receive tips in crypto and you can let it sit there and use it as a wallet and let it grow over time. Or you can cash out immediately if you need the funds. You also don't have to just use crypto. If you prefer to receive tips in U.S. dollars, you totally can. That's up to the model, they're able to choose that on their own.

---

"It's really great because a lot of people don't realize traditional banks often have morality clauses, and they actually can shut down accounts of sex workers."

---

It's really great because a lot of people don't realize traditional banks often have morality clauses, and they actually can shut down accounts of sex workers. So like I personally prefer crypto or credit unions or things like that. A lot of big banks have bad histories of sometimes even closing your account and keeping money. Sketchy things have happened. And payment apps also do the same thing. You know, PayPal, Cash App, and all of those, you know, can kick sex workers off, and can keep your money.

[Note: We have reached out to PayPal and Cash App to see if they have any comment regarding this allegation, and they have not yet replied. The issue has been well-publicized, however.]

But with something like SpankPay, we are set up for you know, adult content creators, so you are never going to be kicked off for the type of work you do. You know, you can easily receive tips and make money. Yeah, we want you to use us to make money. Like that's our whole goal. So that's also something I've really liked about it because I've been kicked off payment apps before.

Like a weird experience: I didn't have Cash App, I made a Cash App because I was in college, and a female cousin of mine, it's my mom's cousin who's older, wanted to send me $300 as a birthday gift to put towards college. And like $300 is a small amount. That's not something that should be like flagged or whatever. And mind you I just set up this account to receive this as a gift. I had never used it for sex work. They immediately flagged it and shut my account down and sent her money back to her. And I reached out to them and I was like "there must be some mistake like this is a family member. It's for college like there's obviously a mistake here, right?"  And they basically were like, "no, you can't use us."

You know, having personal experiences like that, and really knowing that these things happen all the time every day. And you know, just it's nice to know that we're a safe space for models to be able to receive funds, and nobody will ever be kicked off or discriminated against for their work. 

I guess I didn't really know how precarious it was. I've heard somewhere there's a lot of fees on more traditional platforms, too. Is that right? 

There can be I think it just depends on the platform. But yeah, that was just such a strange experience. Because I was thinking, "man, I didn't even use this for like, webcaming, or any of like, the sex work I do." I just couldn't believe that, you know, immediately the first transaction from a female family member, how is this like, a red flag to you? This has happened to so many sex workers I know. This is the thing that happens a lot. And big banks, do it payment apps do it. It's just nice to have a space where you know that will never happen. Nobody's ever gonna seize your funds, and you're never gonna be kicked off. And, yeah, you can use it and have peace of mind with that. 

Can you explain the crypto and blockchain element to this a little bit more, and how they work? 

Like I said, we have people that aren't into crypto, that use it and just, you know, use it in U.S. dollars, and they're just happy to not be kicked off. We have people that are super invested in the crypto community and want to hold their money there and watch it grow as long as possible. You know, we have people who use it for crypto, but might cash out here and there, like, kind of every thing you can imagine, you know. We have options for people, you know, and you don't have to do the crypto thing if that's not your thing.

And has the crypto crash had any impact on you guys at all? 

Honestly, no. We're, like, fully prepared to weather any storm, and you know it's been around for a few years. And honestly, like, depending on who you ask, the downturn might have just started, you know what I mean? So we're like fully prepared to weather whatever and hopefully it will be, you know, going back up soon. That's the interesting thing about the market. you know, same with stocks, things are gonna go up and down. It happens and yeah, nobody is panicking on our side at least. 

I've heard this described as the would-be PayPal of the adult industry. Is that what they're aspiring for? 

I mean, yeah. Like I was saying about people getting kicked off.  PayPal is another one I've been kicked off before. It works like any payments app, but better and, you know, because it's directly meant for sex workers. And, you know, like I said, we really do want to be a safe space for people to make money. And that's what makes us happy. That's what gets us excited. 

I totally see why performers would be really into this. What is it that makes customers find it appealing as well?

Obviously, with crypto there is privacy that way. Some people just are, you know, super into and invested in crypto and maybe only want to tip models that way. You know, I feel like a little bit of everything.

And it's nice, you know, not worrying about getting kicked off. That happens to clients as well, not just sex workers. So it's the same thing you don't run the risk of losing any account or anything, you know, nobody's gonna seize your money and close your account. You know, you're good to send tips for cam shows or whatever, you know, custom videos, whatever it is you're into.

So I want to talk a little bit about what sort of led you in this direction and where you have been in the past because you have been some places and done some some pretty interesting things.

I've lived a colorful life. 

Nothing wrong with that. 

No, I always joke that I'm like, at least gonna have really good stories when i'm an old lady. Like, people are gonna think I'm full of shit. 

You'll have really good stories. It will be awesome. So, yeah, can you explain a little bit, or just touch on a short CliffsNotes version of your history with an infamous character? 

Congressman. Turned mayoral candidate. 

Right, who we all know and who also has a name...

Yeah, like a porno-sounding name. Yeah, so I had tried to leak some information anonymously during that whole whole...

About [former New York City mayoral candidate] Anthony Weiner, his sexting and so on...? 

Yeah. And mainly, I think that people don't realize it was mainly because of the hypocrisy of it. He was literally on People Magazine on the cover with his wife saying, "I don't do these things anymore." Like, "I'm a changed man." And still talking to me and sending me the article, saying, like, "haha, these idiots," like, trying to laugh about it with me on the side. And I'm a 23 year old girl.

Basically, I just felt like, "that's such bullshit." Like, I don't know, I just have a thing about hypocrisy. It just struck a nerve with me. And I was just thinking, this person is just terrible. I just felt like he would be a bad person to be in charge of that city. So I was like, "I'm just gonna leak this anonymously. Like, it'll be fine. If you leak it anonymously. Like you're safe." I'm a private citizen. Surely nobody would care. How would I be part of the story? You know what I mean? Like, nobody knows who I am.

You have these sexts? Because he was he was sending you stuff? 

We had been talking for like a while, right? So I try to leak things anonymously. The site I gave it to initially was just a gossip blog. And they did protect my identity, which I respected. But then I was outed, like, it was the craziest thing that's ever happened to me. So they reached out to me, but they only sent me one message. And they didn't even wait for me to see it before they ran my legal name and like photo and stuff. Um, so yeah, that's obviously like a super upsetting, a terrible experience, especially for a young woman, and especially in something that's like a sex scandal kind of thing, even though there was no sex involved. It's still an immediate scarlet letter, you know.

During all of that, I lost my job and my income. And it was upsetting, like, I'm somebody who comes from a family who has nothing. No shade to Monica Lewinsky, I think she's great. But she comes from a different situation. She was never going to potentially be homeless because of what she went through. Like, I literally could have been homeless. I didn't have anybody to like, live with and recuperate. I didn't have anybody who could help me make rent. I had no one, I was on my own.

---

"I literally could have been homeless...basically, the only way I had to make a living was, like, dumb publicity stunts, and like, tabloid things, and then eventually, porn."

---

So basically, the only way I had to make a living was, like, dumb publicity stunts, and like, tabloid things, and then eventually, porn. I had a company reach out to me, and I just felt like the scarlet letter I already had, just from the scandal was so bad, porn wasn't even that big of a leap. You know what I mean? Like, I felt like the societal stigma was already there in such a real way. And with it being my legal name, I just felt like it wasn't much of a leap to then do porn. It was just like, "Oh, well, people already think I'm a whore." And when you're young, and you don't have many options, I literally was looking at this, like, "am I ever gonna be able to get a job again? Like, am I unemployable forever, like, Is this my only opportunity to ever make money again?"

So I just chose to capitalize on it. And I feel like people get confused because they see what I did after and they assume like, "you wanted all of this." And this was all like, some setup, and it genuinely wasn't. But when you your options are taken away from you, you will do what you need to do to survive. That's kind of how I look at it. So, like, I feel no shame. I was a young person and in a really traumatizing situation, just like navigating it the best I could. And yeah, I don't know. It's been a lot. I had a few like rough years after, and then I eventually, like, picked myself back up and like went back to college and just built like a really normal stable life for myself, which has been awesome. But it definitely takes time after something like that.  It was just a really upsetting experience like that would shake anybody up.

So I've been in trauma therapy. I went to college, I got my degree.  For everybody who thought I was a "fame whore" — I stayed in the Midwest. Like I you know what I mean? I didn't like move to L.A. seeking fame. I'm a very like normal, boring person actually.  Now I focus on my job. My job is really like my passion. And then my other passion is helping stray cats. I foster kittens, I get stray cats spayed and neutered in my community. Those are the things I care about doing. It's not about like, tabloid bullshit, or I don't know, I'm just like, so different than people really would think.

It's interesting to hear you talk about this. It's not so much the the sexting thing with Anthony Weiner that was traumatizing, from what it sounds like. It sounds like the public exposure, and the media whirlwind, and everyone attacking you and accusing you of things [was the traumatizing part]. 

Yeah. And I think it's just so much worse when you're a woman in this, too. Like, I feel like I got the brunt of the situation when he was the older, married person, powerful person. I was 22 when I first started talking to him. You're kind of an idiot when you're 22, your brain is literally not even fully developed. You know, and I'm not married, I'm a single person. I don't know, it just is unfortunate, the way people kind of put everything on the woman in a situation like that. And I just was ill-prepared to deal with that.

It's funny, I'm from a small town, where people gossip a lot. And I feel like that was like a good introduction to what this might be like. That was like a small scale of what life was gonna be like,. I'm used to being gossiped about a bit, but it really got like, absolutely out of control.

Well, it sounds like even though you were just so young, and in your 20s, and like it was so much foisted on you, you handled it brilliantly.

I still, when I think back on it, this sounds dramatic, but I'm like, surprised I survived it. Like, it was such a devastating, terrible experience. And if you watch interviews from that time, I seem fine. But it's just because I can like put on a brave face. And like, that's just my personality, you know what I mean? Like, I, I will seem fine, even if I'm not, but I promise you on the inside, I was just like, my life is over. Like, how will I ever get through this, like, it felt like the worst thing that could ever happen? You know, it really did. And it definitely looked like I was like having fun and enjoying myself. But that was just like how I got through it.

---

"It's just is unfortunate, the way people kind of put everything on the woman in a situation like that. And I just was ill-prepared to deal with that."

---

I think it was even harder to because I didn't have like real family support during it. Like, my dad loves me very much. But I am more of the parent in a lot of ways. And like if I were to call him about this, like he would be the one crying because he's so hurt for me and upset for me. But so then I have to like be the strong one. I don't have anybody to lean on, you know. And then my mom, God bless her is just very concerned about like people's opinions. And, you know, she was like, not worried about what I was going through, but was worried about like, "what does everybody think?" I literally had nobody, and thank God, I found like a really solid trauma therapists to kind of help me work through all this stuff.

But yeah, I had no one during that time and just had to kind of figure out how to keep my head above water. Like it was definitely a really, really hard time. And like I said, it took a few years for me to really like, get my shit together and feel like a normal stable like happy, healthy person. Like I have PTSD. That stems from childhood stuff as well. But this just like added a layer to it. You know what I mean? It was just like more trauma I needed to work through. 

Obviously this would be difficult for anyone. But now you're you're doing well you're involved in this exciting startup. It seems like it has really cool ambitions  Anthony Weiner is out of prison now, and  has come up with some odd plans. I think one of them was trying to sell his [sexts] as an NFT. Do you have any thoughts on that? 

I mean, my main thought is just, like, "you're a sex offender. You're literally on the sex offender registry." I don't know the rules behind like sex offenders selling [obscene material as an NFT], but it seems sketchy. You know what I mean? And it seems like his like parole officer, or whoever he checks in with needs to be like, "hey, not a good idea."

Well, anyway, it does sound really cool, what you're working on. It'll be exciting to watch this company develop and see what happens.