Netflix’s million dollar secret might be cash, but Louisiana native Kyle Wimberley told us his million-dollar secret– His mom’s homemade rice and gravy. Some might know Wimberley from his recent role in Netflix’s hit new show Million Dollar Secret, while others closer to home might remember him in Southern Marsh clothing advertisements. 

DIG sat down with Wimberley to discuss his life that is deeply rooted in Southern culture and how this influences his every day, both on and off the screen.

The now Midland, Texas, construction worker grew up in a small town called Church Point, Louisiana, known for its traditional Cajun Mardi Gras celebrations. Before he was on the big screen in your living room, he was a child running around chasing chickens through the Church Point parades. Now, he is traveling more often, meeting new people, and becoming a face for Louisiana on the popular streaming service everywhere.

And, shows aren’t the only thing Wimberley creates. His passion for cooking his own meals is usually at the forefront of his to-do list. 

“I cook every single day— breakfast and dinner. I like to incorporate a lot of wild game into my cooking,” he said. 

He will even put alligator or dove into his tacos. Have you ever had a dove taco? We haven’t either, but now it’s on the list. But, his favorite dish isn’t anything you can hunt for in the woods— Instead, it’s slow cooking in a pot probably on his mom’s kitchen counter.

There’s truly no place like home for Kyle

“I have a favorite, and it’s been my favorite since I was old enough to eat real human food,” Wimberley said. And that food is rice and gravy. While he has his own way of cooking it— cooking oil at the bottom of his Magnalite pot, almost burn your meat to make a nice crust, add your holy trinity, cook those down, put the meat back in, and slow cook for two and a half hours. According to Wimberley, no one makes rice and gravy like his mom.

“That’s my favorite thing my mom cooks. I was raised on that. When my mom cooks rice and gravy, people are coming over. They say, ‘Alright, Phylis is cooking rice and gravy, we coming to eat.’ Plus, my parents like to host, too,” he said. 

Being around people is ingrained in Wimberley, and he attributes that to his Louisiana roots. 

“A lot of people in Louisiana will give the shirt off our back to somebody. I think the biggest thing is we love to cook for people. I love cooking for people, and when I was living in Louisiana, I would cook every weekend. Crawfish boil, rice and gravy, gumbo, you name it,” Wimberley said. 

Despite his small-town living, Wimberley makes his way to Baton Rouge for LSU sports every opportunity he can, and when he does, you can usually find him at Superior Grill. 

“Me and my buddies usually go to Superior Grill. Who doesn’t like margaritas right? Superior Grill is our go-to spot, especially for baseball games and stuff,” Wimberley said. “We usually don’t deviate.”

Before the ‘lights, camera, action!’

Despite where he is now, Wimberley’s life hasn’t always been ‘lights, camera, action.’ He actually never really imagined being on television at all when he was younger. 

“Growing up, I never had a huge desire to be on television,” Wimberley said. “I guess I never really even thought about being on television… Million Dollar Secret specifically, it’s actually a funny story. Every January, I take a month off of work and I go on hunting trips. So, in January of 2024, they were reaching out to me to do Million Dollar Secret. Every time they would call me, I’d be hunting.”

If you’re from Louisiana, you can’t blame him. Hunting trips are routine for those down South, especially for an entire month. Eventually, Netflix got ahold of him, and he began his journey.

Million Dollar Secret follows 12 contestants as they try to figure out which person is hiding the million dollars left in their room upon arrival. At the end of each episode, players voted who they suspected most. If the original millionaire was eliminated, the money would be re-hidden to allow the game to continue. Wimberley won people over with his Southern charm, but you’ll have to watch for yourself to see what happens in the finale.

The rising star told DIG to expect some projects in the works. While he couldn’t say much, he did confirm Netflix’s Million Dollar Secret isn’t the last you’ll see of him.

Read more DIG feature stories here.