'I'm a human being. I make mistakes,' the 'RHOC' star said on 'WWHL.'
Kelly Dodd is expressing regret over her recent social media controversies. On Wednesday's episode of Watch What Happens Live With Andy Cohen, the 45-year-old Real Housewives of Orange County star apologized for her comments about COVID-19 and for wearing a hat that was seen as insensitive towards the Black Lives Matter movement.
In April, Dodd was criticized after saying that the ongoing pandemic was "God's way of thinning the herd."
"Of course I regret saying that... At the time, it was a question, like, 'Why are all these people dying?... Why does a pandemic happen like this? Is it God's way of thinning the herd?'" she said. "It was a stupid thing for me to say. It was insensitive. I apologize if I hurt anybody 'cause that wasn't really my intention."
"I got freaked out about it," Dodd continued. "In hindsight, it was the stupidest thing I've ever said."
Dodd also faced backlash for comments she's made about wearing masks. One such statement came in May, when Dodd celebrated the fact that people weren't wearing masks at a restaurant.
"No one is wearing a mask. I love it. Yay!" she said on her Instagram Story while out to eat. "No one is wearing masks here in Orange County. Yup, because no one is dying here of the virus."
"At first I was misinformed. You guys have to realize, this was back in January when this happened," Dodd said on WWHL of one mask comment she made, prior to her restaurant post. "I was misinformed."
"I hate it. I'm claustrophobic. I can't stand wearing a mask," she added. "Now I understand the science behind it and I'm ready, willing, and able to wear a mask. I know that it's important because I don't want to get sick and I don't want to get others sick."
After Dodd's controversial statements, her mom, Bobbi Meza, tested positive for COVID-19 and spent time in the ICU. Dodd revealed on WWHL that her mother is now "doing fine" and is home from the hospital.
Dodd was also criticized for wearing a hat that read "Drunk Wives Matter" at her bridal shower in October, which she posted photos of on Instagram. She married Fox News correspondent Rick Leventhal later that month.
"My girlfriend gave it to me, she's had it for a couple of years. That hat is two years old. She thought it was a play on words," Dodd said. "I didn't buy the hat. I didn't go out and sport the hat. It was given to me. [I tried it on] just like I was trying on the lingerie, and the whipping belt, and all the other stuff. I believe in equality. I believe in Black Lives Matter... In hindsight. I should've never done it."
In response to both of the controversies, Dodd said, "I learn from my mistakes."
"I'm a human being. I make mistakes," she said. "Everybody has said and done things in their lives that they regret, and I regret these things. I freaked out. It wasn't right."
Dodd may have stirred up more drama during her WWHL appearance, though, by claiming that Braunwyn Windham-Burke's sobriety is "contrived" and "fake." Windham-Burke, Dodd's RHOC co-star, previously told ET that she quit drinking on Jan. 31.
"I don't think she had seven kids so she 'could not' drink," Dodd said. "I know her well enough that this was a pre-plotted thing that she wanted to do to get her own show... Her talent agent told her to stop drinking. It's all contrived."
"I don't believe that she is a real alcoholic," she added. "You'll see it later on at the end of the show what happens. It's really good."
The Real Housewives of Orange County airs Wednesdays on Bravo.
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