RHOC’s Kelly Dodd Says She’s ‘Looking Forward’ to Season 16 Amid Firing Rumors

‘Real Housewives of Orange County’ star Kelly Dodd shut down speculation that she won’t be returning for another season — details

Ready for more! Kelly Dodd shut down rumors she’s been fired from Real Housewives of Orange County, claiming she will be back next season.

“It’s actually kinda funny … I’ve heard these rumors every year for the last five years,” Dodd, 45, wrote via Twitter on Tuesday, February 23. “Looking forward to my sixth season #RHOC 16!”

Dodd sparked speculation that she was leaving — or fired from the Bravo series — last month when she changed her Instagram bio to read: “Proud veteran castmember of #RHOC.” A source later told Us Weekly that Dodd’s husband, Rick Leventhal, was responsible for the social media change after the Bravo star was dropped by the Positive Beverage company for her controversial statements about the coronavirus pandemic.

However, the network has not made any casting decisions at this time.

Kelly Dodd says she is returning for season 16 of RHOC — Kelly Dodd Courtesy Kelly Dodd/Instagram

“Rick made the edit Sunday to remove the beverage reference and added ‘veteran’ to reflect Kelly’s longtime tenure on the show,” the insider told Us earlier this month. “He never intended to suggest she’s no longer a cast member because she is still with the RHOC franchise.” Dodd has since changed it back to read, “proud castmember of #RHOC.”

The switch came hours after the reality star was criticized online for seemingly mocking COVID-19 restrictions in California on January 31. Dodd’s firing as a spokesperson for Positive Beverage came one day after she shared a video joking about being a COVID-19 “superspreader” while dining out with friends.

“I’m not a superspreader because there’s nothing to spread,” Dodd said in a video, explaining her actions. “We all got the vaccine and we don’t have it, so there’s nothing to spread about superspreaders. … The sheeple are mad.”

Three days prior, Dodd threatened to quit the show if Braunwyn Windham-Burke returned for season 16.

“I know I cannot film with Braunwyn,” she told her Instagram followers on January 27. “I know for a fact that I cannot film with her. There’s just no way, and if she comes back then I’m out because I know for a fact that I cannot. She’s dangerous and calling people racists and homophobic.”

Dodd’s actions toward Windham-Burke, 43, who came out as gay in December 2020 and has been vocal about her sobriety on RHOC, was part of the reason some fans called for the entire series to be canceled. The show’s executive producer Andy Cohen waded into the debate in January when he responded to a tweet suggesting it be axed, commenting that the show needs a “reboot.”

In April 2020, Dodd, who joined the show in 2016 during its 11th season, turned heads when she made controversial comments about the pandemic, saying the virus is “God’s way of thinning the herd.” She later apologized for her remarks but came under fire again when she threw a bachelorette party amid the pandemic and only wore masks part of the time.

Despite all the drama associated with Dodd, former costar Tamra Judge exclusively told Us earlier this month that she doesn’t think Bravo will walk away from the TV personality.

“I will believe that when I see that,” Judge, 53, told Us. “I certainly know that she has rocked the boat many times when I was on the show … but I kind of feel like Kelly’s a tough one and everything just slides off of her. There’s never really been any real punishment for the things that she has done.”