‘Real Housewives of Orange County’: Kelly Dodd Denies Firing as Stepdaughter Joins Criticism

The Real Housewives of Orange County star Kelly Dodd denied rumors she was fired from the show on Friday, blaming co-star Vicki Gunvalson for starting rumors. Dodd came under fire for claiming to be Black during the Season 15 reunion, which inspired criticism from her own stepdaughter, Veronica Leventhal. In fact, RHOC as a whole was criticized, with some fans suggesting the show should be canceled or completely recast.

“No, I am not fired!!! Contacts haven’t come out yet! Vicki stop being a hater,” Dodd tweeted Friday. The tweet came a day after Dodd told Hollywood Life she did not think Gunvalson “fits into” the RHOC cast. “At least Tamra [Judge] is pretty to look at, she’s got a good body, she’s got a good husband, she’s a go-getter at things and she’s fun,” Dodd added.

In that same interview, Dodd said she thought another co-star, Braunwyn Windham-Burke, should not be brought back to the show. In an Instagram Live video on Wednesday, Dodd told fans she “cannot” film with Windham-Burke, adding that there is “just no way” she would come back if Windham-Burke does. “She’s dangerous and calling people racists and homophobic,” Dodd said.

During the Season 15 reunion, Dodd claimed she is Black. She told E! News she was inspired to do a 23andMe because Windham-Burke accused her of being racist and homophobic. “I don’t identify myself as a Black person; that was not my point,” Dodd said. “My point was I’m Black, Asian, Mexican, Spanish, I’m 30% Native American and I’m one percent Jewish. And I’m all races.” The 45-year-old Dodd later added, “I don’t see people with color, I see people. That’s it.”

Leventhal, the daughter of Dodd’s husband, Rick Leventhal, appeared to criticize Dodd in a social media video that surfaced on Twitter. Leventhal made sure not to mention Dodd’s name, notes Page Six. “I don’t think it’s OK for people who say that they’ve experienced racism and prejudice to then turn around and inflict that same bigotry on other people,” Leventhal said in the clip. “I don’t think you can experience the privileges of whiteness and then turn around and deny that those privileges exist.”

Leventhal later said she does not think someone can “claim ownership of a culture or nationality and then disallow privileges to those people, either through political perspectives or just subjugating them in other ways. And, I don’t think you can use your multiculturalism as a shield for people saying you have biases.” In the end, Leventhal said, “If you’re going to make arguments about racism, you should have a basic understanding of the difference between race, ethnicity, and nationality.”

Dodd was also criticized for accusing Windham-Burke of faking the storyline involving her alcoholism, wearing a “Drunk Wives Matter” hat to her bridal shower in October 2020, and claiming she “doesn’t like black guys” in a resurfaced 2016 video. Dodd also had to apologize for comments she made about the coronavirus during a Watch What Happens Live episode in December. All of these controversies are playing out while RHOC fans are demanding the show be canceled. After The View‘s Meghan McCain agreed the show needed to end, executive producer Andy Cohen suggested a reboot was more likely in a tweet Thursday.