‘Real Housewives of Orange County’ Star Kelly Dodd Says ‘No One Is Dying’ of Coronavirus in Orange County

Kelly Dodd is in hot water again over comments she’s made about the ongoing coronavirus pandemic as the U.S. draws close to a grim 100,000 death toll. The Real Housewives of Orange County star shared videos of her family shopping without masks at the crowded Fashion Island mall in her home county as she celebrated other people who chose not to wear coverings.

“Yay, no one is wearing a mask. I love it. Yay!” Dodd said, clearly missing the number of people seen in her video who are wearing masks, including the waiter serving the family their food. “No one is wearing masks here in Orange County. Yup, because no one is dying here of the virus.” Last week, the Orange County Department of Public Health reported 14 people had died due to the coronavirus, bringing the total number of deaths in the county to 131.

After receiving backlash for her statements, which are in opposition to health officials’ guidelines as the country begins to reopen, Dodd wrote on her Instagram Story, “It’s not the government’s job to protect my health. It’s the government’s job to protect my RIGHTS. It’s my job to protect my health. When you trade liberty for safety you end up losing both.”

Dodd has previously been scolded for her cavalier treatment of the pandemic, apologizing last month for claiming COVID-19 was “God’s way of thinning the herd.” The comment arose when fans questioned Dodd for flying back and forth from New York City to Orange County to visit her fiancé, Fox News Senior Correspondent Rick Leventhal. “If you are vulnerable or compromised, stay inside,” she said at the time. “If you don’t protect others by wearings masks and gloves, keep your distance and don’t go out if you are ill!! It’s common sense!”

She then apologized for her comments, saying she is not insensitive. “I feel bad for all the families that lost loved ones, and I do think we should all stay home and protect everybody. That’s not what I meant, and I want to apologize to anyone that got offended, okay? I’m sorry,” she wrote. Later she added, “So for anybody who felt offended by my stupid writing of God thinning the herd, I don’t — I’m just asking a question. Is it God’s way of thinning the herd? I don’t know,” she wrote, adding that her choice of words was “stupid” and that she hoped people would stay safe and protect themselves during the pandemic.