Real Housewives of Orange County star Kelly Dodd has surrendered her orange and spot on the show ahead of RHOC Season 16.
Bravo just announced some big shakeups for the cast, and one of those included losing Kelly Dodd.
While Kelly usually isn’t afraid to lash out, she seemingly took the high road while addressing her RHOC exit.
Kelly addressed the big news on Twitter, thanking fans for their support over the years.
“The last five years have been an amazing experience. The next five years will be even better. I am so grateful for all the love and support and so excited about the future,” Kelly tweeted along with a red heart and orange emoji and the hashtag #RHOC.
In addition to Kelly, Braunwyn Windham-Burke and newbie Elizabeth Lynn Vargas also won’t be returning for RHOC Season 16.
In their place, Bravo has invited back RHOC veteran Heather Dubrow.
Why Kelly won’t be returning to RHOC
It’s unclear if Kelly was fired, she quit or her exit was a mutual decision between her and Bravo.
While Kelly expressed every intent on wanting to return for Season 16, even she herself thought her chances were low after the social media controversy she drummed up.
Kelly stirred up RHOC fans after she denounced the severity of the coronavirus pandemic on social media and mocked the Black Lives Matter movement.
Some quotes from her include comparing wearing a mask to thinking pants could prevent farts and saying that COVID-19 was “God’s way of thinning the herd.”
Additionally, she posted a picture of her wearing a hat that was gifted to her which read “Drunk Wives Matter” which also angered some fans.
The last straw for Kelly was likely when she feuded with Andy Cohen during the RHOC reunion and told him he was “anti-American” because of his political stance.
Also, Bravo had been looking to shake up the cast and bring back alums. Heather has implied that she wouldn’t return if Kelly was there so that could’ve also been a strong reason Bravo had for letting Kelly go.
Tamra also said she’d return if Bravo fired Kelly and brought back Heather, and that’s exactly what they did.
Kelly’s history on RHOC
Kelly was on RHOC for five seasons. She first joined for RHOC Season 11, ironically, this was the last season that Heather was on the series.
Kelly was known for her explosive behavior, brutal honesty and raunchy sense of humor. When she first joined the show, she found an ally in Vicki Gunvalson and stood by her side amid the drama with her ex Brooks Ayers.
When Vicki linked back up with the Tres Amigas, Tamra Judge and Shannon Beador, the three often feuded with Kelly.
When Vicki and Tamra left ahead of Season 15, Kelly and Shannon formed a friendship and Kelly, along with the rest of the cast, found an enemy in sophomore cast member Braunwyn Windham-Burke.
Despite all the drama that followed Kelly in Season 15, she also found love and tied the knot with Fox News correspondent Rick Levanthal.
The former Housewife will likely spend her days doting on him and daughter Jolie Dodd and possibly drumming up some new business ventures after her departure with Positive Beverage and now RHOC.
The Real Housewives of Orange County is currently on hiatus on Bravo.