PHOTO: Kelly Dodd & Rick Leventhal Anger Fans With ‘Disrespectful’ Halloween Costumes

Kelly Dodd, Rick Leventhal

Getty Rick Leventhal and Kelly Dodd in New York City.

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.

One commenter on Instagram wrote, “Not appropriate, Rick. A young mother died.” Another wrote, “You two have no class. Your perfect for each other.”
One person dug deeper with their comment, writing, “Some people thrive off negativity, others positivity. Some inspire people to hate, others inspire people to love. Some people aspire to be decent people and good examples to all. Others don’t aspire to be much.”

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.

One person wrote, “So disappointed in the Alex Baldwin comment. It was not his fault and a family lost their mother and wife. So disrespectful.” Another Instagram commenter wrote, “On the very day that a young boy buries his mother, this is in poor taste. Not a political issue.”

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.

One person on Instagram wrote on Leventhal’s post, “We as women don’t wear the head dresses .. just saying . Or mini length skirts .. so it’s mockery .. … no shade.” Another wrote, “Native American regalia…….it’s not a costume. You need to be a little bit more sensitive.”
Another questioned whether Dodd was really Native American, writing, “Kelly is not native American that’s insulting to them, she said she was African-American too, why didn’t she go in black face? not pretty enough for her?” on person wrote on Leventhal’s photo.
Dodd also addressed the negative comments, telling Page Six on November 1 that “people are way too sensitive. I embrace my Native American heritage. I think the fashion is beautiful, and this was a tribute and celebration.”
She also pointed out that not all the comments were negative.

“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.

READ NEXT: Gwyneth Paltrow Finally Addresses RHONY Scary Island Name-Drop