Kelly Dodd Reacts to Getting Fired by Beverage Company After Making 'Controversial' COVID Comments
Kelly Dodd Admits She Regrets COVID 'Thinning the Herd' Comment: 'Stupidest Thing I've Ever Said'
Kelly Dodd also revealed that she and her mom, who tested positive for coronavirus and was hospitalized last month, are "estranged" as of right now
Positive Beverage is no longer affiliated with Kelly Dodd.
In a statement released on Sunday, the beverage company said they did not want to be associated with The Real Housewives of Orange County star's "controversial views" on COVID-19.
"Our core values of wellness, community, diversity and inclusion should be reflected by our brand and anyone associated with it," Zach Muchnick, Positive Beverage Head of Brand, said in a statement on Instagram. "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."
Kelly Dodd/Instagram
CEO Shannon Argyros added in her own statement, "We welcome all people -- however they are and whatever they are passionate about -- to Positive Beverage. But there must always be an underlying layer of respect. Unfortunately, we feel Kelly's stance is no longer congruent with our core values. We appreciate her contributions during our affiliation, and she will always be a part of Positive Beverage's history, but we do not align with her opinions or global views while we uphold our own values."
Dodd, 45, who has had a partnership with Positive Beverage for the last two years and even bought a stake in the company in February 2019, reacted to the news on Twitter.
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
"I'm glad I could help put Positive Beverage on the map and wish them well," she wrote on Sunday. "I'm also really excited about my next venture in the beauty industry, which is my real passion. Stay tuned!"
Dodd's split from Positive Beverage comes after the reality star made comments about the coronavirus pandemic during her recent outings with friends. In several videos on her Instagram Story over the weekend, Dodd shared scenes of her and large groups of friends out for dinner and drinks in Newport Beach, California.
Positive Beverage/Instagram
When she started receiving messages from fans concerned about dining protocols COVID-19, Dodd and her friends made comments about being "allowed" to be at the restaurant and how they should be able to "live normal lives."
"I'm not a super spreader because there is nothing to spread," Dodd later said in a separate video, claiming that she and her friends "all got the [COVID-19] vaccine."
A source close to the reality star told PEOPLE that Dodd "has not gotten the vaccine."
Positive Beverage/Instagram
Currently, California is only in Phase 1B of vaccine rollout — meaning people over the age of 65 qualify for the vaccinations, as well as anyone who works in education, childcare, emergency services, and food and agriculture.
In another video posted on Saturday, Dodd and her friends likened COVID-19 restrictions to that of living in Russia.
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This isn't the first time Dodd has said questionable claims about the ongoing pandemic, which has claimed the lives of over 439,000 Americans. In December, the mom of one appeared on an episode of Watch What Happens Live with Andy Cohen to express her remorse over saying that COVID-19 was "God's way of thinning the herd."
"At the time, it was a question — like, 'Why are all these people dying? ... Why [do] pandemics happen like this? Is it God's way of thinning the herd?' " said Dodd about the comment she made back in April on Instagram. "It was a stupid thing for me to say. It was insensitive and I apologize if I hurt or offended anybody, 'cause that wasn't really my intention. I got freaked out about it and in hindsight, it was the stupidest thing I've ever said."
"At first," the Bravo star added, she was "misinformed" about the virus, saying, "You guys have to realize this was back in January when this happened and I was misinformed."
"I'm claustrophobic and I can't stand wearing a mask — and now I understand the science behind it and I am ready, willing and able to wear a mask," she said. "And I know it's important, because I don't want to get sick and I don't want to get others sick. I'm just a human being; I make mistakes."
The reality star's estranged mother, Bobbi Meza, contracted the virus in November and was hospitalized.
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