Getty Andy Cohen in 2018.
During a recent podcast appearance, Andy Cohen responded to some of the backlash that Real Housewives of Orange County star Kelly Dodd has been facing recently.
While appearing on the Everything Iconic podcast with Danny Pellegrino earlier this month, Cohen finally revealed what he thinks about the drama. “People have always celebrated Kelly for her outspokenness,” Cohen said during the podcast. “People are usually celebrated for [being outspoken and polarizing]. But there’s been a reckoning of sorts, and the line is being drawn by some fans as to what they’ll accept and what they won’t and that’s entirely their right.”
Over the past few months, Dodd has faced backlash and criticism from Bravo fans due to her actions during the coronavirus pandemic. In April, Dodd said that the coronavirus was “God’s way of thinning out the herd,” and that “no one was dying in Orange County,” according to Page Six. Additionally, in October, Dodd posted a picture to Instagram of herself wearing a hat that read, “Drunk Wives Matter,” during her bachelorette party. Many found this insensitive and offensive toward the Black Lives Matter movement.
Some of Dodd’s Fellow ‘Real Housewives of Orange County’ Cast Members Have Defended Her
Despite Dodd’s controversial comments, some of her fellow Real Housewives of Orange County cast members have come to her defense. In September, new Real Housewives of Orange County member Elizabeth Lyn Vargas posted a video on her Instagram story asking followers to stop judging Dodd for her opinions.
“Everybody has an opinion, and frankly I’m disappointed in the fact that no one understands Kelly, which is fine,” Vargas said during the video. “Kelly has her own point of view. Why are you judging her? We all have our opinions; why are you judging her for hers?”
Vargas continued, “I know you’re trying to push the media to your opinion, but everybody has their own opinion, so it is what it is … just live.”
Emily Simpson also came to Dodd’s defense during a recent interview with Entertainment Tonight. “I think Kelly is just Kelly, and I think she has a good heart and I think she’s a good person and I think people are quick to jump on her and criticize her,” Simpson said. “Kelly does say things that are insensitive and can be taken the wrong way, and I get that, but the thing about Kelly that makes her such a good reality star, per se, is the fact that she’s completely unfiltered at all times.”
Former ‘Real Housewives of Orange County’ Star Vicki Gunvalson Recently Called Dodd Out
Even though Vargas and Simpson have defended Dodd’s behavior, former Real Housewives of Orange County star Vicki Gunvalson has not. In a recent statement, Gunvalson responded to the recent news that Dodd’s mom had been hospitalized with the coronavirus, slamming Dodd in the process.
“While I am saddened to hear of Kelly’s Mom being in the ICU with Covid- and hope she gets a speedy recovery- it would be remiss for anyone to not think about and recall the endless months Kelly has spent making a complete mockery of the virus,” Gunvalson said to Champion Daily on November 23. “Kelly has gone above and beyond to completely make a joke out of it- the virus, mask wearing, the people dying from it, and more. Let us not forget she claimed coronavirus was God’s way of thinning the herd. If she really feels that way, then is her Mom part of the herd God should be thinning? One would think not.”