AT A GLANCE
- Texas Senate candidate James Talarico is facing scrutiny after The New York Post reported Talarico following adult film actors, escorts, and OnlyFans models on Instagram.
- Talarico’s campaign says he and staff follow back high-engagement supporters without vetting their backgrounds.
- The Democrat has built his campaign on faith-rooted messaging and reclaiming Christian voters.
- The controversy drops months before a high-stakes 2026 Senate primary in Texas.
Faith-Focused Candidate James Talarico Faces Questions Over Following Escorts, OnlyFans, and Adult Film Models on Instagram
Texas state Rep. James Talarico, the Democrat who has turned his seminary training into the centerpiece of his Senate run, is catching heat after reports show he followed and engaged with adult content creators on his social media accounts.
Talarico, 36, has gained national attention by tying his Christian faith to his Democratic politics, casting himself as someone determined to win back religious voters who feel the party hasn’t spoken their language. He’s drawn big crowds, praise from party leaders, and even a nod from former President Barack Obama.
However, The New York Post found that his Instagram “following” list includes at least 10 accounts tied to adult performers, escorts, and creators with OnlyFans pages. The accounts are public, often have heavy followings, and in several cases are linked to escort listing sites or adult content platforms.
Earlier in the year, Talarico also “liked” several photos posted by a local Austin user with both an OnlyFans account and a page on EscortBook.com, a site promoted as the “#1 content management system in the escort industry.” None of the photos contained nudity, which Instagram restricts.
One account he follows belongs to an adult actor known as @honky_tonkangel, or Giselle Palmer, who has nearly 250,000 followers.
According to spokesperson JT Ennis, the campaign’s social media team, which includes Talarico himself, routinely follows back supporters with large followings without digging into their background or profession.
“James has never subscribed to Only Fans or an escort service,” Ennis said. “While James was unaware of how these women make money, he does not judge them for it and will not play into an effort to smear them for clickbait articles. That’s exactly what his Christian faith calls him to do.”
The campaign added that the only message exchange with any of the accounts was a one-word thank-you after one creator shared an Instagram Story promoting his campaign. They declined to make Talarico available for comment.
Talarico’s Instagram account has more than 1.7 million followers; he follows around 3,700. His team says the strategy is aimed at building reach with accounts that already command tens of thousands of followers.
Talarico launched his Senate campaign in September with language that compared billionaires and political elites to thTe money-changers in the biblical story of Jesus turning over tables at the temple.
“Two thousand years ago, when the powerful few rigged the system, that barefoot rabbi walked into the seat of power and flipped over the tables of injustice,” his website reads.
The framing has resonated across ideological lines. Obama recently praised him as “terrific” and “really talented.” Podcaster Joe Rogan went further, telling Talarico he should run for president.
Talarico is competing against Colin Allred for the Democratic nomination in one of the most closely watched Senate races in the country. The Republican primary features Sen. John Cornyn battling Attorney General Ken Paxton.
A recent University of Texas/Texas Politics Project poll shows Colin Allred leading the 2026 U.S. Senate Democratic primary in Texas with 42% support versus James Talarico at 30%, with about 24% of voters still undecided.
Democrats see an opening if Republicans nominate Paxton, whose scandals could weaken the party’s standing in a general election. But Texas remains a conservative state, and any Democrat will face an uphill battle.
