Camille Winbush Blasts Shannon Sharpe for Exploiting Her OnlyFans Journey After ‘Bernie Mac’ Show Checks Dried Up”
“The Bernie Mac Show” actress Camille Winbush, 35, is not fond of Shannon Sharpe, 56, for using her name for clicks and views.
A viral clip from Sharpe’s “Club Shay Shay” interview with R&B singer Coco Jones has caught Winbush’s attention. The 90-minute interview was shared on YouTube last week but days later Sharpe’s channel published a teaser titled “Coco Jones On Bernie Mac Kid Star Joining OnlyFans.”
Jones, 27, sat down with the Pro Football Hall of Famer to discuss her transition from a Disney Channel child star to an adult actress on Peacock’s “Bel-Air” series to winning a Grammy for Best R&B Performance.
At one point, Sharpe mentioned that Winbush began creating online content for money because the residuals from “The Bernie Mac Show” decreased after the sitcom stopped airing in 2006.
“I don’t know if you’ve heard this but the ‘Bernie Mac’ show star Camille Winbush, she had to get on OnlyFans because she said the residuals from the show, [that] it just wasn’t enough to sustain moving forward,” Sharpe told Jones.
Winbush joined the British subscription-based platform in February 2021. When announcing her new business venture, the former competitive gymnast promised her page would include “minimal nudity.”
Turning the question back to Jones, Sharpe asked her to explain how difficult it can be for a kid star to transition to an adult without any steady income.
Jones responded, “The transition is no joke. I think because things slow down and you’re trying to figure out where you fit in. Especially in a world where most of the opportunities are written for people who do not look like you. Then things are significantly slower.”
“I do get that part about running out of money and not having residuals. You don’t have any ownership when you’re doing these roles and sometimes singing these songs,” the “ICU” singer added.
Sharpe bringing up Winbush’s OnlyFans page during his conversation with Jones led to the three-time NAACP Image Award winner firing back at his remarks.
“Not ‘Club Shay Shay’ using me for clickbait! Don’t ask my neighbor, come to me! If I’m good enough to talk ABOUT, I’m good enough to talk TO. Love Coco though,” Winbush tweeted on Feb. 27.
Other X users chimed in on Winbush’s response to Sharpe. One fan suggested, “[Sharpe,] you need to interview Camille since she [is] on your mind. Plus she is still acting and doing well at it.”
In addition, another person defended Winbush by tweeting, “Too many years have passed for people to still see you as Nessa and not a grown-ass woman.”
“What would Bernie say???” a less-supportive person wondered, referring to Winbush’s television dad, Bernie Mac, who passed away on Aug. 9, 2008, at 50 years old.
In the comments section of the YouTube video, one person added, “Leave Camille alone she lives in her own world and don’t bother a soul.”
Winbush played the character of Nessa on “The Bernie Mac Show” for five seasons. She was part of a cast that also included Mac, Kellita Smith, Jeremy Suarez, and Dee Dee Davis.
Following her time on the Fox comedy series, Winbush made guest appearances on other television programs such as “Strong Medicine,” “ER,” “Criminal Minds,” and “Grey’s Anatomy.”
She had a recurring role as Lauren Treacy on “The Secret Life of the American Teenager” from 2008 to 2013. According to IMDb, her most recent acting credit was for the “Holiday Hideaway” movie, which aired on BET+ in 2022.
While Winbush has secured several acting gigs over the past 30 years, the California native has made the most headlines in recent years for her decision to make money online.
“A friendly reminder that my worth as a human being is not measured by the pictures I take, the length of my resume, and the judgements of strangers. Be Safe. Be Kind. Be Human,” Winbush wrote on Instagram in March 2021, a month after launching her OnlyFans.
Online criticism over Winbush’s controversial move into adult content did not die down. Winbush clapped back at her internet haters in a February 2023 tweet, noting that she’s a law-abiding citizen.
She continued, “If the most scandalous thing strangers can say about me is that I took some sexy pics as an adult and made a couple mil in less than 2 yrs, I think I’m doing alright as a human in today’s society.”
Winbush addressed her detractors again while speaking with the Comedy Hype YouTube channel in June 2024.
“People who are outside of the acting world have no place to speak on it. When people are saying, ‘Oh, those “Bernie Mac” checks must’ve dried up.’ I’m like, ‘From a job 20 years ago when I was a 12-year-old? Yeah! Like duh!” Winbush stated.
She resumed, “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.”
Winbush doesn’t seem to have any regret about her decision, which has allowed her to buy a home and make $1 million in one week.
Like Winbush, Jones broke out in the entertainment business before her 18th birthday. The South Carolina-born, Tennessee-raised BET Award winner starred in Disney’s “So Random!” sketch comedy series and the “Let It Shine” television musical as a teenager.
