A former reality star who made $200,000 from farting in jars has announced her retirement, after she was rushed to hospital for squeezing out one too many.
Steph Matto, 31, from Connecticut, US, recently found herself in A&E with symptoms of a “heart attack”, experiencing shooting pains in her chest.
Concerned doctors performed blood tests and an EKG but later told the 90 Day Fiancé TV star that the symptoms were actually caused by excess gas from her frequent diet of beans, eggs and banana protein shakes.
“I thought I was having a stroke and that these were my final moments,” Steph told Jam Press.
“I was overdoing it.”
She began selling her farts in a jar in November last year, after receiving requests on the adult-content site Unfiltrd.
The unique product saw her rake in the cash at $1,000 (£740) per jar, though Steph offered a 50% discount during the festive period.
To keep up with demand – which saw her squeeze out up to 50 jars worth of farts a week – the self-proclaimed ‘fartrepreneur’ opted for a fibre-high diet, living off beans and eggs.
She later added protein shakes to the mix after discovering it made the farts smell worse.
Reliving the lead-up to the hospital visit, Steph said: “I remember within one day I had about three protein shakes and a huge bowl of black bean soup.
“I could tell that something was not right that evening when I was lying in bed and I could feel a pressure in my stomach moving upward.
“It was quite hard to breathe and every time I tried to breathe in I’d feel a pinching sensation around my heart.
“And that, of course, made my anxiety escalate.
“I actually called my friend and asked if they could come over to drive me to the hospital because I thought I was experiencing a heart attack.
“I ended up going to the hospital that evening. I didn’t tell my doctors about the farting in the jar but I did tell them about my diet.
“It was made clear that what I was experiencing wasn’t a stroke or heart attack but very intense gas pains.
“I was advised to change my diet and to take a gas suppressant medication, which has effectively ended my business.”
During her two-month venture, reality star Steph worked every day to keep up with demand and says the key to smellier gas is banana protein shakes.
Steph said: “I decided to do it on a whim after people requested it a few times.
“As luck would have it, once I put the jars up for sale they began to sell like hotcakes.
“I honestly could not believe the demand. I think a lot of people have this fetish in secret.
“I began this venture by eating mostly protein muffins, shakes,= and also hard-boiled eggs.
“Since then I’ve decided to branch out a little bit and try some new recipes to keep it exciting.
“I have been loving black bean salad, onion, ham and pepper omelettes, and I have been making a really great protein smoothie with lots of banana.
“I think that certain foods produce better smelling farts, so I usually tend to go with the smoothies as opposed to things such as cabbage and eggs.”
Despite the financial success, the reception to her unique business venture has been divided.
Steph said: “I have a lot of people praising me, calling me a girl boss, telling me that I inspire them to be unashamed of who they are and what they do.
“But on the other end I have been getting a ton of negativity.
“I have even received death threats, people telling me I should end my life, and so on.
“I try my best to not react to these people and give them what they want, which is attention.
“In this day and age, we need to stop tearing people down for their choices.
“Especially if their choices are literally hurting no one.
“I think there is a lot of jealousy and a lot of anti-feminism.
“Everyone is a feminist until a woman starts farting in jars and selling it.
“But I think my family is relieved [about my retirement], and honestly so is my colon.
“The diet was never sustainable and there was always an expiration date.”
Steph began documenting her unusual talent on TikTok last year, with her first viral video viewed over 7.1 million times.
Her antics have divided viewers, with some criticising the reality star while others have praised her entrepreneurial thinking during a pandemic.
One viewer commented: “My faith in humanity has gone.”
“Be ashamed girl,” another user said.
Someone else added: “Mother of God. I’m done with this world.”
“All of us with IBS can be rich,” joked another person.
Defending Steph, one fan said: “I don’t understand how someone making money a certain way is such a big deal for people.
“Just leave her alone and let her make her money. My god!”
“I don’t understand why people are mad over this. I’m respectfully jealous if anything. Get that coin girl!,” another person agreed.
Steph plans to donate a portion of her income to charity and invest money too.
She added: “Even though I got backlash I think it has opened a new door for me.
“I’m working on digital fart jar artwork at the moment.
“I think everything happens for a reason and although my fart-selling days are ending, I am going to save the money I’ve made and will put some into crypto.
“I’m also going to be donating to a charity that supports gastric disorders.”
In other News, woman born with extremely rare condition that means she can’t smile becomes instagram star
