The 'Real Housewives of Dallas' star talks battling newbie Tiffany Moon, why Kary Brittingham is not a villain and more about season 5.
Kameron Westcott loves to show off her glam on the ‘gram, but there’s one person who can’t live vicariously through Kam's (very) pink feed: her The Real Housewives of Dallas co-star, Dr. Tiffany Moon. Kameron recently blocked the season 5 newbie from her social media accounts after some online comments weren't to the blonde beauty’s liking.
"Tiffany and I had moved forward, we had patched our friendship, and I trusted her that we had moved forward," Kameron explains to ET over video chat. "Every time I'd go on social media, I would see negative things about me or insinuating things about me. Maybe not say my name, but insinuating things and it was kind of hurtful things. So, 2020 is behind us, 2021 is here, and I want positivity in my life. We've been through so much and so many people in our world have lost so much that I want to be surrounded with happiness. And if I can't trust her in my life, I don't really feel like I should allow her to take a peek into my life."
Kameron says it wasn’t any one post or comment in particular that had her hitting block, but rather a pattern she noticed when she was online.
"It's funny, I actually did unblock her," she reveals. "The first conversation we did have moving forward, I did. I unblocked her within five minutes. And then somehow, we had to have another conversation. Then the other conversation, I unblocked her again. And then somehow... it's, like, a roller coaster. So I ended up thinking, 'OK, I have to gain some trust back.' And once I gain trust and we can move forward, then for sure, I'll be happy to unblock her."
Kameron admits she was surprised her friendship (or lack thereof) with Tiffany took such a turn so quickly, because she claims she went out of her way to welcome her new co-star to the group.
"I actually took her out and I was so excited," Kameron recalls. "And I was like, 'Oh, I want to be a big sister to you,' and, 'Let me know how I can help you in every way. I'm here for you.' And we all were so excited -- and we're so beyond thankful Tiffany joined our cast, we're very thankful for that -- and we've kind of been on a journey through this whole season.”
That journey really began at one fateful dim sum brunch, where Kameron -- a self-proclaimed picky eater -- put up a fight when it came to trying chicken feet for the first time.
"I wish I was more adventurous, I really do," Kameron says. "I actually really did try the chicken foot at lunch. You guys just didn't get to see it. I did try a little bite."
Tiffany pushed back, though, encouraging Kameron to eat more. Kameron thought it was a non-issue by the time the incident actually aired on TV, but it only exploded more. Kameron posted an unthought-out joke to her Instagram saying she'd rather eat her own brand of dog treats, Sparkle Dog, than a chicken foot. Tiffany reposted the image in a since-deleted tweet, writing, "OK Kam - YOU said you'd rather eat dog food than the food of my culture. I admit I was pushy, but this is outright offensive. So then you block me? GOT IT," with a clown emoji.
"I do understand why she was offended," the star now admits. "I randomly thought Sparkle Dog and comparing it to chicken foot was going to be funny as a joke, and I didn't realize that it's really poor taste and I shouldn't have done that. I immediately took it down and I immediately apologized to her. And I didn't realize it could be interpreted that way, and I am so glad that I have learned that that can be interpreted that way. So I said, sorry for my rudeness to her -- and it was rude. I should never have compared Sparkle Dog to anything."
"I'm willing first to apologize as many times as I can to make her feel better," she adds.
It’s safe to say Tiffany has made her mark on RHOD, just a handful of episodes in. This week's episode picks up where last week's left off, with Tiffany in an awkward conversation with Brandi Redmond. The ladies are on an all-cast getaway to Austin, and at dinner Brandi tells Tiffany she feels like she can't be herself around her. It all seems to stem from a racially insensitive video Brandi filmed years ago, which resurfaced between seasons 4 and 5. In the clip, Brandi did a racist impersonation of an Asian person. She's since apologized for the video, and even spoken at length with Tiffany about it when they met.
Tiffany seemed blindsided by Brandi's new comments, and in the tease for episode 9, she's seen in tears after the dinner. Tiffany also leaves the trip early, seemingly because of Brandi putting this burden of making her feel comfortable on Tiffany.
"There definitely was a lot of things that actually were not shown, so it's kind of hard to explain the whole situation," Kameron offers. "I feel like sometimes the communication between her Tiffany isn't always clear, so Brandi kind of automatically assumes Tiffany is mad or something and kind of takes it out of context."
"I think sometimes she just wasn't sure how to act in that moment because she kind of was feeling still remorseful from the mistake she made," she says. "I think it just kind of messed with her head, even though they'd move forward at that point. But I think it was messing with her head."
Kameron says she’s grown close to Brandi over the course of season 5, and admits she would be sad to see her exit the group. A couple of weeks ago, Brandi shared a cryptic Instagram post that hinted she was leaving the show. At the time, a source told ET that Brandi’s message was likely more about taking a step back from social media than RHOD, but Brandi has yet to clear up the confusion herself.
"I honestly knew before she posted that," Kameron shares. "I actually knew she was just really stressed out, and she's been focusing on her family. She just had her fourth baby and she just has been stressed out. We're still filming and doing interviews and things like that, so it's a lot to handle when you just had a baby. And after you have a baby, your hormones are kind of heightened and everything's a little bit more extreme. So I do think she was at a point where she's like, ‘God, I don't know how I'm going to juggle this with four kids.’ And I think she kind of got to a point where she's like, ‘OK, I'm done. I can't handle all this drama. I want to focus on my family.’ And there was just so much white noise and I think she got stressed out."
"I'm hoping she's not done with the show because I couldn't imagine the show without her," she continues. "I really built a friendship with her. I would really be sad if she said that. So I'm hoping that's not true."
Kameron also grew closer to Kary Brittingham over the last year. The co-stars recently launched their own podcast, Kam & Kary Do Dallas.
"We hit it off," Kameron says of filming season 5 together. "Whenever we were filming, we would go home and we'd call each other and we'd talk on the phone for hours. And the fun thing about Kary and I is that she is so opposite than me. She is, like, there's no filter at all. And then sometimes, I have a little too much filter … so I think it's a really good dynamic. It's like we're total opposites. So I really think it's fun when we hang out because you never know what you're going to get."
Kameron hopes viewers listen to the podcast to get to know the Kary she knows, not just the one they’re seeing on TV. This season, Kary’s had some tough moments, coming off a little harsh when it comes to her interactions with D’Andra Simmons and Tiffany.
"I don't know what it is, but I feel like the way it comes off on the show, she comes off a little bit more pushy than she really is," Kameron says. "It makes me sad because she kind of looks like a villain this season and I don't consider her a villain. I think she's just fun and she wants everyone else to have fun, and if you're not having fun, she wants to make sure there's a way you can have fun."
New episodes of Kam & Kary Do Dallas premiere Wednesdays wherever you listen to podcasts, while The Real Housewives of Dallas airs Tuesdays at 9 p.m. ET/PT on Bravo. Kameron’s Sparkle Dog pet products are available on her website, sparkledogfood.com.
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