Getty Kelly Dodd in 2018
Former “Real Housewives of Orange County” star Kelly Dodd, shared details surrounding the death of a family member.
On Junes 25, Dodd announced the death of her dog, Benji, via Instagram.
Here’s what you need to know:
Kelly Dodd Says Her Dog Was Killed by a Coyote: ‘We’re Devastated Beyond Belief at the Loss’
“We’re devastated beyond belief at the loss of our amazingly cute cuddly spirited playful adorable best little friend Benji,” Dodd wrote on Instagram. “He was killed by a coyote who apparently jumped a tall fence into our backyard last night while we were out of town & our friend was dog sitting. We think Benji heard the coyote & went out the doggie door to investigate. He was a joy & bright light in our lives & made us all so happy. Jolie hasn’t stopped crying & Rick & I are distraught. We will miss you so much Benj but we know you’ll spend eternity with your sister Chloe.”
Several former and current housewives offered their condolences to Dodd in the comments on the post.
“Oh no honey. I’m so sorry,” former RHOC co-star Vicki Gunvalson wrote.
RHONY star Ramona Singer commented with several prayer emojis.
“Oh no. I’m so sorry for your loss sweetie,” Peggy Tanous, a former RHOC cast member, commented.
Fans also showed Dodd their support by sending condolences.
“Sooo very sorry for your loss,” someone wrote.
“I’m so so very sorry. This is so heart breaking. We send you so much love and light,” a fan commented.
“Omg!! I’m so sorry Kelly !!” someone said. “That would completely devastate me as well!! We live in Indiana and those nasty coyotes are all around are area! That is my worst nightmare!!! Our pets are our family and it is a hard loss! I know the hurt!! Prayers to u all !!!”
“I saw you and Rick all the time walking your sweet dogs ! So sorry !” a fan wrote.
Dodd and her husband, Rick Leventhal, a former longtime Fox News reporter who left the network in June 2021, live in the Orange County city of Newport Beach. They were married in October 2020. Together, they host “The Rick & Kelly Show” on YouTube.
Kelly Dodd Announced on Instagram That She Was Deleting Her Twitter Account: ‘This Is for You, Trolls’
Kelly Dodd’s Twitter account is gone… Odd! #RHOC
Dodd left Twitter on June 6, citing that “trolls” were the problem on the social media platform.
“Saying goodbye to my 211,000 Twitter followers,” Dodd wrote on Instagram. “This is for you, trolls. It’s like having a toxic boyfriend. You like getting off but it’s not worth it in the end. There’s too much hate & too many fake accounts on this platform. It’s where the cancel culture was born & I’m done. Maybe if @elonmusk.ab takes over I’ll be back but until then you can find me on here on @instagram #twitter #trolls #bots #spam #fake #losers #woke #bye”
Several fans chimed in to support the decision.
“Will miss you on there Kelly! Thank god we have you here and hope you do more lives on here,” someone wrote.
“wish everyone would do this! We need to CANCEL THE CANCEL CULTURE,” a fan wrote.
“Good for you,” someone wrote. “You DONT need a platform that doesn’t acknowledge you AT ALL.. ignores your verification request WHEN YOU ARE A PUBLIC FIGURE! All they do on there is tell lies and spread rumors especially in housewives community. There so many trolls on there that just want to bring people down.”
Dodd had starred on RHOC since 2016 but was fired in June 2021, the same month her husband left Fox News. According to a story that month in US Magazine, Dodd said she asked Bravo whether her dismissal was related to her conservative political views and was told that the network wanted “to take a different direction.” Bravo writes about Dodd on its profile page for her: “Kelly’s political beliefs and tone-deaf jokes threaten her relationships with the women.”
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