"Have a good time" — Claim to Fame star Naomi sought cousin Molly Ringwald's permission to do the show

Claim to Fame season 3 aired its latest episode on Wednesday, July 31, 2024. Naomi Burns was eliminated from the show after Adam guessed her celebrity relative correctly. She was revealed to be actress Molly Ringwald's cousin.

Viewers of the show knew Naomi was related to the Brat Pack actress ever since former contestant Gracie Lou picked her wine cellar clue. In the latest episode, castmate Hud prompted Adam with Naomi's relative's identity, leading to her elimination.

Naomi spoke to Us Weekly on July 31, 2024, stating what factors led to her participation in the show. The Claim to Fame star revealed she sought her cousin Molly Ringwald's approval before appearing on the ABC show.

"She [Molly] was like, 'As long as you respect my privacy like you always have, we're golden,' she said, 'Have a good time'," Naomi said.

Naomi noted that she looked up to her cousin and considered her one of the closest family members. She added that since they valued each other's privacy, she did not want to proceed with the show if Molly was uncomfortable. As a result, Naomi agreed to the show only after Molly approved it.

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Claim to Fame star Naomi grew up living with Molly Ringwald's family

Naomi shared that her decision to appear on the ABC show depended entirely on what her family, especially Molly, thought about it.

"I have so much respect for Molly that I would've never even considered doing this if she wasn't OK with it. I needed, for myself, her approval," said Naomi.

She revealed that Molly asked her to "have fun," allowing her to participate in the show. However, the only thing she demanded in return was for her to respect her privacy.

Molly Ringwald at the 2022 LACMA ART+FILM GALA Presented By Gucci - Red Carpet - Source: Getty

The Claim to Fame star explained how she called Molly's mother to inform her about the opportunity. Realizing Molly overheard their conversation, she called for a "family meeting" to break the news to her, hoping for her approval to star in the reality show.

"When I was presented with the opportunity, the first thing I did was I called [Molly's] mother. She's hard of hearing because she's older, and so she had me on speakerphone and I was like, 'Aunt Adele, you'll never guess [what's happening]," recalled Naomi.

Naomi grew up living with Molly's family, which brought them closer. She stated that her relationship with Molly was "more than cousins but less than siblings." She noted that she considered Molly's parents as "pseudo-parental figures" for whom she had "love and respect."

"I started seeing them as more than cousins just because of how close we were," said Naomi.

Molly Ringwald at the 59th New York Film Festival Opening Night Screening Of "The Tragedy Of Macbeth" - Source: Getty

The Claim to Fame star expressed gratitude to her cousin for helping her navigate her life when she seemed unsure about the next step. She revealed that Molly and her husband, Panio Gianopoulos, motivated her to relocate to Los Angeles to spend time with them and figure out what she wanted to do next.

"I was able to travel, I was able to do things I never would've done otherwise. I'm so thankful for all the opportunities that [Molly] gave me," said Naomi.

While revisiting her elimination from the show, she noted it was the first time in the season that someone correctly guessed another contestant's celebrity relative. However, Adam, who made the guess, was unaware of Molly Ringwald's identity. He answered correctly only because Hud aided him.

Adam had to write Molly's name on his arm to remember it when he was asked to reveal his guess. Claim to Fame star Naomi stated that knowing Hud helped him with the answer was the "frustrating part." She claimed that "a big miscommunication" prompted Hud to expose her gameplay, which led to her elimination.

Hud feared that Naomi had discovered his celebrity relative when, in reality, she had not. Despite the differences, the Claim to Fame star revealed she shared a cordial relationship with all cast members.

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Claim to Fame season 3 airs every Wednesday on ABC at 9 pm ET.