Kelly Dodd explains The real housewives of Orange County caused a lot of waves on social media for her take on COVID-19. The Bravo celebrity has had a major backlash and some fans have asked for her to be fired. While Andy Cohen finds her comments “tricky,” he also defends Dodd’s “candor”.
What did Kelly Dodd say about COVID-19?
Dodd has made a lot of Bravo viewers and RHOC fans are angry about her view of the coronavirus. Early on in the pandemic, Dodd used social media to mock people who took COVID-19 seriously. The reality TV personality even said the virus was “ God’s way of thinning the flock. ” After the backlash, she apologized for her insensitive comments.
Cohen was talking about the incident when Dodd appeared Watch What Happens Live where she apologized and regretted making that statement.
“Of course I regret saying that,” Dodd continued WWHL of her comment “thinning the flock”. “It was stupid to say, it was insensitive and I apologize if I hurt or offended anyone. That was not really my intention … I really panicked. In retrospect, it was the stupidest thing I’ve ever said. “
Dodd said she felt claustrophobic about masks and that’s why she didn’t like wearing one. However, she now understood that masks were beneficial in slowing the spread. Despite her apologies, she went on to scoff at not wearing a mask, cheering on people yelling “ super spreader ” at a local Orange County bar.
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Andy Cohen defends Kelly Dodd
While Dodd didn’t make those comments about the Bravo show, fans have made it clear they aren’t happy with her. The cable network has put RHOC on hold and did not announce when they would start shooting in the new season. Cohen recently acknowledged that viewers are hoping for a cast shake-up, saying they were weighing everything up before starting filming again.
“There is a clear hope from the fans that there is some kind of uproar. And I think we analyze everything, ”Cohen told Variety. “I think we just wanted to be very aware. I mean, this is clearly the show that started it all for this franchise. And it’s really important, and it’s important that we keep doing it right. “
Cohen’s statement hinted that Dodd is still in the fight to return to the reality series, despite fan outrage. In a more recent interview, the Bravo personality even defended Dodd and her right to her own opinion.
“It’s tricky for me,” Cohen told Vulture of Dodd’s controversial statements. “I disagree with her opinion about COVID, but there are many people who share her opinion. Besides, she’s in Orange County where her opinion is probably the prevailing opinion. “
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While Cohen may disagree with Dodd, he indicates that “the line between celebrating someone’s candor and disliking someone’s candor is really blurring these days.”
“Bravo is meant to be escapism, and I personally don’t think the people on Bravo should be tried because of their political and cultural views. That doesn’t seem like much fun, ”he added.
Kelly Dodd hopes to return
After rumors that Dodd got the ax RHOC and not returning for another season, the star remained hopeful. The entrepreneur slammed the rumors and shared a message about return.
“It’s actually quite funny… I’ve heard these rumors every year for the past five years. I’m looking forward to my sixth season, ”Dodd tweeted after it was reported that she was removed from the show.
However, shortly after Dodd’s tweet, Bravo said they hadn’t made any casting decisions yet.