Beau DeMayo told Marvel Studios about his OnlyFans. They cleared it. Then they fired him anyway — 16 days before X-Men ’97 premiered. That’s the claim at the center of a major Vanity Fair investigation published July 1, 2026. Coincidentally, this was the same day Season 2 of the critically acclaimed animated series hit Disney+.
Marvel’s position: DeMayo was terminated “following an internal investigation” into conduct it described as “egregious in nature.” DeMayo’s position: the allegations are false, and the real issue is who he is. He is a queer Black creator who ran an OnlyFans while working at the biggest entertainment company in the world.
Key Takeaways
- Beau DeMayo showran X-Men ’97, which earned 4 million views in its first 5 days on Disney+ (Variety, April 2024). It also received a 99% score on Rotten Tomatoes for Season 1.
- DeMayo says Marvel explicitly cleared his OnlyFans: “It is your personal life. As long as you’re not advertising the show on your OnlyFans… it’s outside of their purview” (Vanity Fair, July 2026)
- He was fired March 2024, 16 days before Season 1’s premiere. This was over what Marvel called an “internal investigation” — alleging sexual misconduct that DeMayo categorically denies.
- DeMayo filed suit against Marvel in September 2024 seeking relief from an NDA. He says he was pressured to sign it the day he was fired. The trial is currently scheduled for July 2027.
- X-Men ’97 Season 2 launched on Disney+ July 1, 2026 — the same day the Vanity Fair investigation dropped. It has already earned 100% on Rotten Tomatoes from early reviewers.
What Happened
On July 1, 2026 — the same day X-Men ’97 Season 2 debuted on Disney+ — Vanity Fair published an exhaustive investigation into the man who created the show. It also examined the studio that fired him before anyone outside Marvel had seen an episode.
DeMayo ran the series from 2021, when he pitched it directly to Marvel CEO Kevin Feige, through March 2024 when he was terminated. He had written both Season 1 and Season 2 in their entirety. Marvel also tapped him to punch up the Blade reboot starring Mahershala Ali. However, this project was later cancelled after what Yahoo Entertainment described as “significant development issues.”
Then, 16 days before Season 1’s March 20, 2024 premiere, Disney HR called DeMayo at the gym. He was told he was under investigation. Hours later, he was out.
“Mr. DeMayo was terminated in March 2024 following an internal investigation,” Marvel said that August. “Given the egregious nature of the findings, we severed ties with him immediately.” A source later told Variety the investigation found “evidence of sexual misconduct.” DeMayo has called all of it false — a “smear campaign designed to discredit my credibility.”
The OnlyFans piece is the most legally significant part. DeMayo had been running a page called “BeaunlyFans” since 2022 — throughout his entire Marvel tenure — and he disclosed it to the studio. According to the Vanity Fair interview, Marvel’s response was explicit: “It is your personal life. As long as you’re not advertising the show on your OnlyFans, as long as you’re keeping it very separate from the content of the show, it’s outside of their purview.”
He says it was cleared. Marvel has not disputed that conversation publicly.
That is the detail that matters most.
If Marvel verbally approved DeMayo’s OnlyFans page, then later used that page — or something adjacent to it — as grounds for termination, the legal exposure is real. The trial scheduled for July 2027 will likely turn on whether any documentation of that clearance exists.
The studio’s official line: “egregious findings.” DeMayo’s line: they approved the page. Both cannot be fully true.
Public Response and Industry Reaction
Since the investigation dropped July 1, three camps have formed:
- DeMayo supporters — including many X-Men ’97 fans — point to the show’s 100% Rotten Tomatoes score for Season 2’s early reviews. They see this as evidence the studio is benefiting from work done by a man they fired.
- Marvel’s defenders have cited the Variety source report on sexual misconduct. They argue the OnlyFans angle functions as a distraction from more serious underlying allegations.
- Creator economy observers have zeroed in on the “cleared” conversation. If studios are verbally approving subscription platform pages and later terminating employees over them, that is a precedent every dual-career creator needs to understand.
DeMayo’s California lawsuit is active. Trial: July 2027.
Background and Context
The X-Men franchise has generated over $8 billion across films, merchandise, and video games since its 1963 launch (Vanity Fair, July 2026). DeMayo’s revival delivered genuine results: 4 million views in five days (Variety, 2024), a 99% critics score, and an Emmy nomination for outstanding animated programming. Additionally, Season 2 entered its Disney+ launch with a 100% early-reviewer score. The studio still credits DeMayo as creator and executive producer on both seasons.
The broader creator economy context is relevant. Shannon Elizabeth made over $1 million in a single month on OnlyFans, while other creators have navigated mainstream entertainment alongside subscription platforms. At the same time, recent scrutiny of OnlyFans agency controversies provides additional context for how the creator economy continues to evolve.
DeMayo described his BeaunlyFans page as a healing project tied to childhood body image issues and sexual trauma. It started with fitness videos and non-explicit content, then grew more explicit after his firing. By late 2024, his Bluesky bio read: “Screenwriter Turned Adult Content Creator.”
ViceSnob’s Take
The DeMayo case is the clearest test of what we’d call the dual-career dilemma: what happens when a major studio employer and a creator subscription platform collide directly?
We’ve tracked the celebrity-to-OnlyFans pipeline for two years. DeMayo’s case flips the script. He is a creator who disclosed his platform page, received explicit approval, and then lost his primary career.
If the clearance conversation happened the way DeMayo describes — and Marvel has not denied it on the record — this becomes a precedent question every dual-career creator should know about. Verbal approval is not contractual protection. If you’re juggling a studio contract and a subscription platform, get the clearance in writing. That’s the practical takeaway from two years of litigation.
The uncomfortable bottom line: X-Men ’97 Season 2 launched to 100% on Rotten Tomatoes on the exact day this story broke. The man whose scripts are being praised wasn’t at the premiere. Again.
Browse more creators navigating platform careers on the ViceSnob Creator Database.
Frequently Asked Questions
A: Marvel stated DeMayo was fired in March 2024 following an internal investigation into conduct it described as “egregious in nature.” A Variety source indicated the investigation found “evidence of sexual misconduct.” DeMayo categorically denies all allegations.
A: Yes. DeMayo ran a page called “BeaunlyFans” — later rebranded “TheBeauNoir” — throughout his Marvel tenure. He says he disclosed the page to Marvel and received explicit verbal approval, provided he kept it entirely separate from his show work.
A: Yes. DeMayo filed suit in September 2024 seeking declaratory relief from a non-disparagement agreement he claims he was pressured to sign the day of his termination. Trial is currently scheduled for July 2027 in California.
A: Yes. Despite Marvel’s earlier threat to strip his Season 2 credits, DeMayo retains credits as creator, executive producer, and writer on both seasons as of 2026.
A: Season 1 earned 4 million views in its first five days (Variety, April 2024), a 99% score on Rotten Tomatoes, and an Emmy nomination for outstanding animated programming. Season 2 entered its Disney+ launch at 100% from early reviewers.
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