Queue And A

The Real Reason Cameran Eubanks Wimberly Left ‘Southern Charm’ Is Simple: “I Was Just Over It”

By Lea Palmieri @littleleap
Published Feb. 4, 2021, 8:00 a.m. ET

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Cameran Eubanks Wimberly was certainly missed on this season of Southern Charm. We know this because her lack of presence came up at the recent reunion and was debated across the stage. Now, she’s got her brand new book, One Day You’ll Thank Me which provides some insight into her time on the show, and during our chat via Zoom, which you can see the video above and her words which you can read below, she goes into even more detail about taking a step back from the Bravo series.

Here, Cameran talks about what did (and didn’t) make it into the book, her days on The Real World, parenting adorable three-year-old daughter Palmer, and what Craig Conover said at the reunion that made her mouth drop open.

DECIDER: Congratulations on the book, One Day You’ll Thank Me. Today is that day, I am excited for everybody to be able to read this. It is so fun, it is so you and we learn a lot in this as well. What were some of the things that you knew had to be in the book, some of your stories, some of your moments?

CAMERAN EUBANKS WIMBERLY: Well, I still get stopped, I don’t get stopped now because of masks, obviously. But I used to get stopped all the time and people would still ask me about The Real World. I think people for whatever reason, are just intrigued by the old school Real World, especially. So I dedicated a full chapter to that experience and told some kind of never before told stories from my experience with that. I knew I wanted to include a lot on my journey to becoming a mother, simply because a lot of women seem to resonate with that experience from me being on Southern Charm, and just overall life lessons that I have learned along the way.

I just am very proud of it. It’s like my second baby. People say, “When are you going to have a second baby?” I already have, it’s sitting right there. It’s my book. I hope people buy it and I hope people can learn something from it and just enjoy reading it. I think it’s a pretty light and easy read, which is what I wanted.

You did a great job for people that aren’t parents yet too, as I’m glad to learn about leaky boobs along the way.

Nobody told me that. I wanted to be honest, and obviously all those things happen. But it’s crazy. There’s something that happens in the mind and psyche of a woman that you forget all that stuff and I think that’s why women go on to have multiple children because you forget all the negative eventually, which is good.

Are you excited for your daughter Palmer to read the book someday?

I am. The whole time I was writing it, that stuck in the back of my head. This is something that I want Palmer to be proud of. One day, I know she’s going to read it. Of course, when I was filming The Real World at 19, I wasn’t thinking, my child’s going to be watching this someday, I better behave, but I’m very cognizant of that now at 37.

Were any stories that didn’t make it into the book, that you’re holding onto for the second book?

I definitely wanted to spill more beans about my experience with Southern Charm. There was more I wanted to talk about with that experience that I really wasn’t able to. So we’ll see, maybe one day.

Well, I’ll be ready to read that one. Were there other writers or storytellers or people that inspired you while writing this?

I really loved Jenny McCarthy’s book, Belly Laughs. That was such a groundbreaking book when it came out because nobody had really talked about the real things that happen when you’re pregnant when you have a baby and I thought she was so brave to do that. It really inspired me to open up and be honest and tell some things that were kind of embarrassing to tell. But I felt like it needed to be said.

Did you always have this idea to write a book in the back of your mind? How did this come about?

No, I didn’t. Obviously right now is a window of time where I do have a platform. One of the positives of reality television is people listen to you and you have a social media following. In a couple of years, I’ll be washed up. So you know, probably not a good time to write a book. But I was inspired by my experience really on Southern Charm, with women reaching out to me via social media saying, ‘Thank you so much for talking about this’. Or, ‘This experience really resonated with me. I wish someone had told me this’. And I started thinking, maybe I should put all this down in a book so people can have something tangible.

What was the difference for you between putting it all out there on reality TV and putting it all out there as far as pouring your feelings into writing a book? 

Well, with a book, you can control it. What you say is what you say and it’s right there on paper. Reality television is a whole different monster. You can say one thing and it can be misinterpreted as another, something could be made up. It’s totally different.

How are you feeling now that the book is out there in the world? 

I was scared because you do something like this and it makes you very vulnerable. You think oh god, people can be so critical and judgmental, but the response that I had gotten from the few people that had read it so far before it was actually released has been very positive. I was very nervous about my mom, because my mom is a voracious reader. I was crossing my fingers that she would like it. She’s the kind of mom that will tell it like it is. And when she told me she thought it was wonderful, I was like, okay, maybe other people will too. I hope so.

Are you now on the journey where people are like, Can you get me a free copy? And you’re like, hello, support me and buy it!

Yes, I have had a lot of people reach out to me like, ‘Hey, can you can you mail me a copy?’ I’m like, order it. On Amazon, click. It’s on Prime, easy. I don’t have a box of books at my house, I wish I did.

Your pal Shep Rose also wrote a book and that’s coming out next month. Did you guys trade any tips along the way as you were writing?

Not really. I think our books are going to be obviously very different, because we’re at very different stages in our life. I don’t think a lot of people know this about him, he is one of the most well-read people that I know. He has a vocabulary that goes beyond me. So I’m sure his book is going to be very, very, very good. He reads like a book a day, it seems like, so I can’t wait to read it. And he has had a very interesting life. I think his is more like crazy tales from his adventures in life. So it’ll be interesting, for sure.

One of the things that I love that you talk about in this book is, a few weeks after you became a mom, you decided you would pull yourself together each day; wash your hair, put on some makeup. I feel like that was a great lesson to learn in quarantine, so have you continued that this year?

Well, I’d be lying if I said I do it every day. I try to do it most days because I feel at least for me personally, it affects my psyche and for whatever reason, I feel more motivated. I feel happier. I just feel mentally better if I’m showered, don’t have greasy hair, have on a little bit of makeup, and dress. I mean, I have on sweat pants underneath this. So it’s a little deceiving and it doesn’t always happen with a crazy toddler in the house. But I do definitely try.

You know what? It’s just the top up that matters on screen anyway. 

Yeah. Brush your teeth, a little mascara, baby steps.

I love that your daughter Palmer is obsessed with dinosaurs. Have you learned any fun facts about dinosaurs because of her?

She knows dinosaurs that I can’t even pronounce. You’ll show her a picture and she’ll say oh, that’s a parasaurolophus and I’m like, What? You’re three. It’s just this weird obsession that she has and we try to foster it and encourage her. She is not into baby dolls, she loves dinos. So we’ll see, maybe a future paleontologist? You have to let your kid be who they’re gonna be.

Obviously, you were missed this season on Southern Charm. Did you watch? What is your relationship with the show at this point?

So I made a decision beforehand that I wasn’t going to watch just for my mental health. I did watch one episode Whitney sent me, it was maybe in the middle of the season and he was like, Cam you got to watch this one. And so I begrudgingly watched it and it’s been a crazy season, apparently. I’ve seen little clips on Facebook and Instagram, but no, I haven’t watched the whole thing.

Fair. I did want to ask you about your friend Leva, because I thought she did a really great job. Your friendship with her came up at the reunion. What do you have to say about that?

Well, I think Leva was right. I had kind of disconnected from the show and when Leva made the decision that she was going to go on it, I said, I support you doing this. I think it’s great. I think you’re going to be great on it. But I don’t want to hear about it. I don’t want to talk about it. Don’t call me complaining about it, and she respected that. So I still hold Leva very dear to my heart. She was a bridesmaid in my wedding and I love her dearly.

I did want to give you the chance to respond too: why you decided to not do the season was a big topic of conversation at the reunion. Is there anything you want to say from your perspective for viewers, and also for Craig, who sort of had his own ideas?

Well, first of all, Craig. Now I did watch the part where Craig was saying that he didn’t talk to me anymore, and that I regretted not filming and all this stuff. And I watched it with my mouth like this [agape] because I talk to Craig all the time and there was never a time that I like called him crying saying I regretted it. I literally do not know where that came from. But there’s been a lot of controversy and back and forth as to why I left and you know, it’s funny, Lea, because it’s like, people just can’t wrap their head around the fact that maybe I just didn’t want to be on reality television anymore. I’ve been on and off it since I was 19 years old. I originally signed on to do the show the first season thinking, this might run one or two seasons. And it’s done great. It’s been a highly successful show. I’m very proud of the fact that I was on it, and that it’s still on the air. But it started to take kind of a toxic turn. In order to be on reality television nowadays, it used to not be like this, but these shows… drama, vitriol is the oxygen that these shows need to survive, it seems. And it just started to not sit well with my soul. And it’s hard. And I understand why people stay on because it’s money, it’s fame. It can bring a lot of positive things to your life, but I was just, I was just over it.

And then on another note, I felt hypocritical. I started to feel like a hypocrite, being on this show commenting. I was kind of the Greek chorus, that was my role on the show, commenting on everybody else’s life, their relationships, and I was not giving mine. I was not showing my husband. I didn’t want Palmer to be on. So I just felt like it was time to remove myself. And that’s the truth.

Bottom line is you were missed and I think anyone that has enjoyed watching you on the show respects your decision.

Thank you and you know, I would go back and do it over again. 100% I had a great experience. I still talk to pretty much everybody on the cast. It’s just, I’m in a different place in my life. That’s what it all boils down to.

I think you did something like your own sort of reality show this year when you talked about My Octopus Teacher on Netflix on your Instagram. I guess I need to know, did Netflix give you a lifetime subscription? Because no one had ever given a better recommendation for a movie than that.

I think I watched that movie like three days before my period started. And I was so moved by this freaking octopus, it kind of changed my life. That documentary. I mean, seriously, I have an octopus necklace that I wear now sometimes, I have an octopus sticker on my phone. It was amazing. One of the best films I’ve ever seen, and very deep. If you haven’t watched it, you must.

Has there been anything else that you’ve watched that has nearly moved you as much as that?

Well, I don’t have a lot of time with a crazy three-year-old to watch television. But one thing, it’s really probably the only series that I’ve watched all the way through is The Crown. I thought The Crown was absolutely incredible. The acting, just everything, it makes you feel for the royal family too. Makes you actually understand why Harry got out of there.

One of the things that I appreciate you talking about in the book is that somebody commented on your social media about your teeth, and then you got Invisalign. Has there been anything else that social media has influenced you to do?

When I was filming Southern Charm, I did read my DMs. DMs can be a dark abyss of a place, but I do try to read them. I think people are entitled to tell me these things, honestly, because I’m on a reality television show and I put myself out there. But when I was filming the show, I would get a lot of comments from people saying, you’re so sarcastic or negative attributes about my personality that I maybe didn’t realize about myself. Actually, I tried to take it as constructive criticism and kind of take a step back and see how I can improve upon it. Because reality television is like a mirror, it shows you who you truly are, which can be a good thing and a bad thing. So I like to think that people on social media have helped me grow as a human by pointing out my flaws. I’ve learned to accept it.

That’s a very optimistic way of looking at it.

Yeah. And then the one lady that told me, ‘Hey, can you not afford to fix your teeth?’ I was like, damn. That made me feel very insecure. And I spent $6,000 on Invisalign. Now my teeth are straight.

There have also been rumors that MTV wants to do a reunion with each cast of The Real World, would you be into something like that?

I would totally do it and I was actually just on Instagram, talking to Randy Berry, who was one of my castmates. This was a couple weeks ago. He lives in San Diego now. And we were both saying how amazing it would be just to get our cast together to see each other because it’s been almost 20 years. Crazy. So I would totally be down to do that. Absolutely.

I love hearing when you keep in touch with former cast members. I like that you recently saw Whitney, tell us about who you’re keeping in touch with these days.

I really keep in touch with everybody. Shep still calls me for girl advice, that has not changed. It’s just not in front of a camera now. I talked to Craig. Last week, he actually told me, ‘You’re probably not going to be happy with me about the reunion,’ and I was like, Oh, god, what did you do? What did you say? But I still have a love for Craig deep in my heart. I talk to all of them, for the most part.

Also, my condolences about Elvis, everyone is very sad to see that. How is everyone holding up and how is Jason doing? I love that you put the picture of him getting the vaccine on social media. 

He’s doing great. He’s had both of his doses now. So he’s fully antibodied up. I am counting down the days until I can get mine. For whatever reason in South Carolina there’s a pretty large population of people that…I don’t know, we have high numbers here in South Carolina and it’s scary and it’s sad. It’s very real and I have always been a big proponent of we’ve got to get vaccinated because it’s the only way out, the only way out of this mess.

Yes. One important thing I think we need to know if you’ve passed down to Palmer, is she also as into Chick-fil-A as you and what is her order?

Oh my god. Yes. She loves Chick-fil-A. We drive past it every day coming home from school, and she, 9 times out of 10, will ask me to stop to get a treat. Her order is a chocolate milkshake and chicken nuggets. That’s what Palmer likes… and the Polynesian Sauce to dip.

You are the person that taught me about the chocolate chip cookies, so you have changed my life in that way.

Are they not the best chocolate chip cookie ever? They’re so good. So underrated.

I also love that you mentioned in the book that especially in the car you love to listen to hip hop. Have you found a G-rated Kidz Bop version or anything that you can listen to while she’s in the car as well?

No, because that stuff’s not good. Who wants to listen to Kidz Bop rap? Nobody. No. Now, there are certain artists from what I consider the heyday of hip hop, late 90s, early 2000s that I think are okay. Outkast I think is okay. I do play Biggie in front of Palmer but I use the edited versions.

Stream Southern Charm on Bravo Now