‘Those Checks Are Not Sustainable’: Former Child Actress Camille Winbush Says She Joined OnlyFans to Buy a House After Her ‘Bernie Mac Show’ Residual Checks ‘Dried Up’
Former child star Camille Winbush shared with her fans the reasons behind her decision to join OnlyFans three years ago.
Known for her beloved role as Vanessa Thomkins on “The Bernie Mac Show,” Winbush disclosed that the subscription-based platform provided a secure and private way to earn money for necessities.
Camille Winbush, former child star from “The Bernie Mac Show,” reveals why she stepped away from Hollywood after the show ended. (Photo: @camilleswinbush/Instagram)
In an interview this month with Jon Aba on “Comedy Hype News,” she explained that fans often assume the success of the syndicated sitcom is indicative of substantial residual checks. However, she clarified that this is not the case.
Aba asked her how she responds to this and Winbush says, “People who are outside of the acting world have no place to speak on it.”
“Ohh, those Bernie Mac checks must have dried up,” she quotes some fans as saying. She responds back, “Like from a job 20 years ago when I was a 12-year-old?”
The host then suggested that maybe fans thought “the residuals are still coming through.”
WIinbush replied, “I mean they do … but listen … if I was on ‘Friends’ making $1 million an episode. Yes, those residual checks would still be very nice. But as time goes on, they get smaller and smaller every year. You’re not making the same amount that you were when the show was current, per episode.”
She said, “So, as someone who was just a kid, don’t get me wrong, still making good money, but 20 years later those checks are not sustainable for a living.”
A message from Uncle Bernie.
The Bernie Mac Show (S1E15), 2002.pic.twitter.com/KTtSwV5l3r
— B. RENAISSANCE c/o D’von S. (@dvonsmallwood) May 16, 2023
Winbush added that “the industry” can be “fickle,” and stated that actors “can’t count on any job” to guarantee their living.
This she has made adjustments in her life to ensure that she has an influx of cash coming in. Over the years, she says she’s done a number of jobs. While still a teenager, she purchased and ran her own ice cream shop for three years. The 34-year-old also talked about doing regular 9-to-5 jobs, including teaching gymnastics, that paid her $11 to $12 an hour.
OnlyFans came in and allowed her to make a good living on her own terms.
Winbush rationalized, “If I can find a way to make enough to buy a home from the comfort and safety of my own living room, why wouldn’t I do that?”
Fans on The Neighborhood Talk had varying opinions on her new stream of income.
Some said, “She’s MAKING EXCUSES.. she could have done way more in life then just live off Bernie Mac show and his checks she thought she was suppose to live her life off one show residual checks & never get a job,trade or education & thought OF was the only way she could pay her bills …I dnt believe her at all.”
Previously, Winbush has been figuring it out most of her adult life and has said that she also didn’t have the team that could “aggressively” fight for her to get into “new doors” after the show ended.
Not all of the comments were negative. Others told their fellow social media critics to mind their business.
“Unless y’all helping her pay her bills then … she can do what she wants,” one person wrote. Another asked, “Why we always talkin bout peoples money?”
The “Comedy Hype News” host later said that fans thought she was too good to be on a content platform like OnlyFans, but Winbush pushed back.
I’m That Girl pic.twitter.com/JmYy0ENePq
— Camille Winbush (@camilleSwinbush) January 26, 2023
“As an actor you play different characters and you get put into all kinds of scenarios. You can play a drug dealer, a drug addict, a murderer, um, a stripper. People have, um, sex. … Well, not real sex, but you know insinuated sex on camera,” she presented, “So how is that any different?”
Despite what critics say, Winbush says that her life has changed drastically.
No longer is she working lower than minimum-wage jobs. She claims in a two-year period made $2 million, more money than she ever made as a traditional actor on television.