What does Kelly Dodd do for a living? Here's why 'Real Housewives of Orange County' star was fired from her company
'Real Housewives of Orange County' star Kelly Dodd has been fired by beverage firm Positive Beverage where she owned a partial stake. On January 31, the company released a statement revealing that they are cutting ties with the 45-year-old TV personality for her controversial comments and insensitive behavior in the past year. Her offensive comments about the Covid19 pandemic and Black Lives Matter movement stirred quite a furor last year.
“It has become clear over the past few months that Kelly’s controversial views and opinions have distracted from our primary objectives, so effective today, we are no longer affiliated with Kelly Dodd-Leventhal,” Zach Muchnick, the Head of Brand at Positive Beverage, stated with ET.
Who is Kelly Dodd?
Born on September 26, 1973, Dodd hails from Arizona and is of Mexican descent. Her parents were Frank Meza and Bobbi Meza, and she also has a brother Eric Meza.
Dodd’s rise to prominence happened with the reality show ‘Real Housewives of Orange County’ that airs on Bravo TV. However, Dodd happened to be among the lowest-paid cast members of the show, making around $150,000 per season, while her co-stars like Shannon Beador and Tamra Judge, got paid around $800,000 and $600,000 respectively per season.
Dodd has an estimated net worth of $10 million, which is mostly attributed to her marriage with former husband and tech executive Michael Dodd. Michael worked at the children’s tech company LeapFrog and reportedly earned over seven figures in a year. During their decade-long marriage, Kelly Dodd briefly held a sales position at LeapFrog but mostly was a doting homemaker and mother to her daughter Jolie.
Later, Dodd was appointed the Chief Operating Officer of make-up mirror company Kiss Me Mirror. In February 2019, Dodd declared herself a partial owner of the electrolyte beverage company Positive Beverage, which has a presence in nearly 200 Target stores.
Dodd had also mentioned her decision to start a new clothing line called No Skills, however, there is yet to be any update about the same. After her termination from Positive Beverage, Dodd tweeted that she is excited about her next venture in the beauty industry, but has not divulged further details.
I’m glad I could help put Positive Beverage on the map and wish them well. I’m also really excited about my next venture in the beauty industry, which is my real passion. Stay tuned!
— Kelly Dodd (@RHOC_KellyDodd) January 31, 2021
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Kelly Dodd's list of controversies
Throughout 2020, Dodd had found herself at the helm of several controversies for her insensitive and offensive comments about the Covid-19 pandemic, as well as her gesture that unwarrantedly ridiculed and undermined the Black Lives Matter movement.
In April 2020, she commented on her Instagram that the Covid-19 pandemic was "God's way of thinning the herd". Responding to critics who slammed her for flying during the pandemic, Dodd said that the people who have died from Covid-19 "would have died this year [as] they were compromised".
Her comments received a lot of backlash prompting her to delete them soon. Later, she posted a public apology video clarifying the significance of her comments and urging people to stay home and protect everybody.
Later in September 2020, Dodd again came under fire after she complained on Instagram about having to wear a mask to a restaurant, calling it one of the ‘dumbest things’ she had done in her life. "Putting on a mask to walk ten feet through a restaurant and then taking it off when I get to my table is one of the dumbest things I've done in my entire life and I've done a lot of dumb things," she wrote in the post, which enraged many.
In June 2020, a video clip from Kelly’s 2016 interview with TMZ resurfaced where she made derogatory comments about black men. “I don’t like black guys. I don’t even know any black guys,” she had said. She later issued an apology for ‘acting irresponsibly’.
However, soon afterward, in October 2020, her bridal shower photo sparked another racism controversy. She was spotted wearing a hat saying ‘Drunk Wives Matter’ — a mocking take on the Black Lives Matter movement across the world.
Amid the endless list of controversies, Kelly has now been fired from her company.