Some of the comparisons to the hun are simplistic at best. At the huns heart is a TGP, which equates to free pictures or movies. He just does not host them. Besides the hun does have images in the form of banners and the like, though that is nit picking. The hun itself would not work though if he never linked directly to peoples picture areas within free sites.
A better comparison would be a search engine. It just provides links that could lead to either more text or sites with images. Of course many of the more popular search engines now also have an image search option (aka picture post).
With that confine you have of course paid advertising (AdWords, etc). There you have a way to make money without using images.
Further more if you understand that search engines desire content, and content being stuff it can index and read. Here lies a simple way to make money without images. If you are good enough with your text, creative with your linking, you very well can maintain a good number of text only sites that push directly to pay sites or if you must; free hosted galleries. This also provides for more and more keyword usage and a better quality of traffic. This means it can make money without using images.
Understanding that engines also have a desire for content that is updated often and using what was said in prior paragraph. You now have what can be referred to now a days as a blog, prior to the adult majority of bastardization of it (turning them into TGP's). You then have an ever growing, ever updating content rich, image free, site that can make money.
Lastly for now, opt in or even "spam" emails have shown time and time again that they can make money without the usage of emails.
That is all I feel like sharing right now without breaking it down into a step by step way to mess with a lot of what I do (spam aside).
