Kelly Dodd and husband Rick Leventhal have angered “Real Housewives” fans after sharing a photo of their Halloween costumes.
The former “Real Housewives of Orange County” star dressed as a Native American alongside her husband, who was dressed as a cowboy. The photo was posted to Leventhal’s Instagram with the caption, “Kelly celebrated her Native American heritage & I celebrated the great American film actor Alec Baldwin.”
The couple is poking fun at cultural appropriation and the accidental shooting death Baldwin was involved in on October 21.
Baldwin was on the set of the movie “Rust” rehearsing with what he believed was a “cold” prop gun, according to Yahoo Entertainment. The gun, which was not meant to have live rounds, fired, striking Halyna Hutchins and Joel Souza. Hutchins later died in the hospital from her wounds the outlet reports.
Here’s how fans reacted to the costumes and caption:
Fans Slammed Leventhal as ‘Disrespectful’ Following Hutchins’ Death
Many fans in the comments of Leventhal’s post were not happy with the former journalist after he made light of Hutchins’ death.
On Monday, November 1, Leventhal spoke to Page Six and responded to the comments his post had been getting.
“In no way was I trying to offend anyone, except Alec Baldwin. He’s a jerk and deserves all the heat he’s getting,” he said. “We planned our costumes weeks ago, and I just decided to be [Baldwin] at the last minute.”
The statement didn’t stop fans from continuing to voice their displeasure.
Fans Also Blasted Dodd for ‘Mockery’ of Native Americans
In addition to the backlash about Leventhal’s costume and comments, fans also poked at Dodd, who they felt was using cultural appropriation and disrespecting Native American culture.
“People are always looking to criticize me for anything I do, so this is no surprise,” she told the outlet. “And by the way, I’ve gotten lots of love and appreciation on Instagram, too, so thank you for all the support!”
Cultural appropriation has been in the spotlight, with pro sports teams updating their names and logos over the years to be more respectful of indigenous people.
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