Kelly Dodd Was Good For ‘RHOC’ — Until She Really Wasn’t

There was really no choice. Kelly Dodd’s time on The Real Housewives of Orange County had to come to an end. If the viewers had their way, that would’ve been the case at least one season ago, but alas, we sat through the Covid season of RHOC as she spread misinformation on her social media at the worst, mocking others at best. As Bravo course corrects by nudging conversations on race and political correctness in every corner of every franchise, it’s clear there is no place for Kelly Dodd, a woman who is going to be who she is at every turn. Except, that’s also what made her a great Housewife.

These days, it’s hard to come across a Housewife that isn’t simultaneously editing herself, imagining how their behavior and outfits will read on screen, and sometimes, preemptively coming up with Instagram captions for apologies they know they’ll have to publicly give when the show airs. Kelly didn’t seem to do any of those things. Like her friend Ramona Singer, who set her up with her now-husband, Fox News correspondent Rick Leventhal, Kelly was always Kelly. Now, in 2021, that’s a bit less of a compliment, but just a few years ago, yelling at another woman’s husband that he was a “twerp” and a “dork”, well, that was great TV. As Kelly often was! Kelly never seemed to notice when the cameras were on — only when they were off, in which case she turned her own on, which is ultimately what got her in trouble.

But she understood the assignment. She showed the rocky parts of her life including a divorce, strained family relationships, being a single mother, and of course, drama with her pals. For many seasons, Kelly was good for this show. She started drama, stirred the pot, and — rarely but effectively — sat back and reacted. When pressured, she did seem to try and get along with others, to learn from them, to repair friendships. However, just as quickly, she would undo any goodwill she had cautiously gained.

It would be naive to think that maybe this season would’ve been different for her, now that she’s a happily married woman. And while many welcome the return of Heather Dubrow and her gorgeous mansion with open arms, you can’t help but admit that it’s a missed opportunity to not be able to watch her and Kelly clash.

And look: Kelly’s departure is significant enough that it was announced this way. For a long time, Bravo would refuse to comment on casting until much closer to a new season premiere. That Kelly’s departure was announced, confirmed, and subsequently celebrated, well, her job here is done.

This is not to excuse the damage Kelly has done: on a small scale, disruption to her friend group; on a large scale, feeding misinformation to the masses by recklessly using her platform. Bravo is doing their best to evolve, no matter how cringe it may be to watch it happen in real-time, and Kelly would probably be the first to admit herself that she is in no way interested in evolving at the same pace. She’s compulsively honest, she craves confrontation, and she’s just about as filterless as it gets with nearly every detail of her life. Discretion? Never heard of her!

Kelly Dodd’s time on RHOC is very much over, but it was not an insignificant journey. Even in her departure, she challenges us to think: why did we watch this woman? Did we admire her? Did we pity her? Was it a little bit of both? It wouldn’t be surprising if Kelly returned to reality TV in some capacity someday, really. But for now, we shall thank her for her time and her service and only hope that someday she finally does learn to think twice before she posts something on the internet.

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