Kerry Katona - 'I won't let son's bullies stop me doing OnlyFans'
With more than 25 years in showbusiness, Kerry Katona has had many of her highs and lows documented in public. For her five children, it hasn’t always been easy having a mum in the limelight, particularly when it comes to her only son, 16-year-old Max Katona.
Kerry joined the adult subscription-only site OnlyFans in 2020 and, for Max, the controversial career move led to more backlash at school. “All of my children have had a tough time, but Max perhaps a bit more than the others because of who I am,” says Kerry, as she and Max sit down for an exclusive chat with OK!.
”It is harder for boys and kids do say mean things to him. At the end of the day, I’m his mum so it’s going to hurt his feelings.”
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“I have had a lot of crap said to me at school about my mum doing OnlyFans, but I’ve always had crap about what my mum does – it hasn’t been the best,” admits Max, who says he’s had to put up with classmates saying “horrible” things about Kerry that he’d rather not repeat.
Admitting he'd often respond to bullying when he was younger by getting into fights, he says, “Someone once showed me a topless picture of my mum on the beach and we had a fight. It does make me angry because I love my mum. All my friends who know her really love her, too. The mum you read about isn’t the mum who I know.”
Kerry understands why Max gets so upset. “He is very protective of me and of the family – he doesn’t let anyone talk badly of us,” says the 44-year-old, who is also mum to Molly, 23, Lilly, 21, Heidi, 17, and DJ, 10. Despite the bullying Max has faced over Kerry’s career choices, she says it has never made her doubt her decision to do OnlyFans.
“I do feel guilty that my kids get stick, but I wouldn’t stop doing OnlyFans. I was famous before I started it and OnlyFans is just one of the many jobs I do – and I do it for my kids. They have everything they could ever want and it pays for this lifestyle. All I can do is make sure my kids know how much I love them – and they do.”
Laughing, Max adds, “I don’t mind her doing OnlyFans as long as she buys me things with the money.” And Kerry chimes in, “He likes my fame when it means I’m driving him to college in a Lamborghini and impressing the girls there!”
Explaining that these days the bullying has calmed down, Max says his decision to move from school to college has helped to ease the situation. “People don’t know who my mum is at college, like they did at school, so it’s been a bit easier,” he says. “I don’t go out of my way to tell people either. I quite like just keeping myself to myself. I just keep my head down to draw less attention to myself.”
“School wasn’t for Max and I think now this is the best version of him I’ve seen,” adds Kerry. “I’m really proud of him.” Admitting it’s been more difficult for him than it has been for her daughters, Kerry adds, “The girls say I’m softer on him, but it’s because I know what he’s been through and the way he thinks. I’m very protective when it comes to Max. I don’t want my kids to be tarred with the same brush as me just because I’m their mum. They are living with the burden of my mistakes and that can be hard.”
While he is enjoying his studies, Max’s dream is to become a professional boxer and he looks up to athletes such as Conor Benn, Gervonta Davis and Mike Tyson. “I do really want to be a pro boxer – I like being able to defend myself and it’s nice to have found something I enjoy doing,” he says.
Max and his sister Heidi are both the children of Kerry’s ex-husband Mark Croft and Max doesn’t want a relationship with Mark, even though Kerry has given him the opportunity to. Kerry’s fiancé, Ryan Mahoney, 36, who she has been in a relationship with since 2018, has a close bond with Max and he is a male figure in his life that the teenager is clearly thankful for.
“Ryan is like my best mate more than a stepdad,” he says. “I’ve had a s**t stepdad, then Ryan’s come along and made it better. He understands things when my mum doesn’t, so it’s nice to be able to talk to him. I don’t always tell my mum when people say things to me either – I don’t want to hurt her feelings.” “Sometimes it’s like having two sons when they’re together – they’re always playfighting,” says Kerry, smiling.
As for his own career ambitions, Max says, “I don’t want to be famous unless it was for boxing. I wouldn’t want to do reality shows or anything like that right now. On the other hand, I’d really like to experience being in a normal family and not having a famous mum, just to see what it’s like and to be… me. Not that I’m not me, but I’m just curious what that would be like.”
While raising children in the public eye has its pitfalls, Kerry clearly has a great relationship with her children and, despite the sometimes difficult subject matter, she and Max giggle throughout our chat.
“We are very close,” says Kerry. “Max will come to me for advice. He’s so open – we talk about everything. All my
kids know I’ve been mum and dad when it’s just been us. It’s been hard being on my own with five kids. I know they’ve had a tough time, but I’ve never given up and I hope they are proud of me and of what I’ve achieved, no matter what. That’s all I can hope for.”
“I am so proud and I know everything you’ve done for us,” says Max softly, as Kerry tears up. “My kids are everything to me,” she adds. “This is for them.”
