In April, the reality star wrote that the pandemic was 'God's way of thinning the herd.'
Real Housewives of Orange County star Kelly Dodd's mother, Bobbi Meza, has COVID-19, Dodd's brother, Eric Meza, shared on Instagram. The news comes after Dodd's controversial remarks about the coronavirus pandemic, including that the pandemic was "God's way of thinning the herd."
Meza Instagrammed on Saturday, "Prayers for my mother she has COVID-19."
"Prayers needed for my mother," he also wrote in the caption. "Thank you. She is in ICU."
Dodd responded to a few comments on the post when some users criticized her. One comment reads, "Are you going to take covid more seriously now? Do you still think everyone is sheep? Do you still feel this is God's way of thinning the herd? I hope she recovers and you learn from this."
Dodd wrote back, "My mom is a diabetic and 71 of course I take Covid seriously!!"
When another user asked if her mom was OK, she wrote, "No she's in ICU. Pray for my mom."
In April, Dodd faced backlash when she commented on Instagram that the pandemic was "God's way of thinning the herd."
"Do you know how many people died from the h1n1 the swine flu or SARS?? It's 25% get your facts straight you are only hearing the numbers not the reality!!" she wrote when one user criticized her for traveling. "If you are vulnerable or compromised stay inside if you don't protect others by wearing masks and gloves keep your distance and don't go out if you are ill!! It's common sense!"
She later apologized.
"When I wrote that it's 'God's way of thinning the herd,' that's not what I meant," she said in a video posted on her Instagram Story. "What I meant was, 'Do these pandemics happen because it's God's way?' I'm not God. I'm not insensitive. I feel bad for all the families that have lost loved ones, and I do think we should all stay at home and protect everybody. That's not what I meant, and I want to apologize to anyone who got offended, OK? I'm sorry."
But she later caused more controversy due to her comments while dining with her 14-year-old daughter, Jolie, in Orange County.
"Yay, we finally get to have a meal out," Dodd said in an Instagram Story video. "Yay, no one is wearing a mask. I love it. Yay!"
"No one is wearing masks here in Orange County," she continued. "Yup, because no one is dying here of the virus."
She also posted on Instagram, "Putting on a mask to walk 10 feet through a restaurant then taking it off when I get to the table is one of the dumbest things I've done in my entire life and I've done a lot of dumb things."
Last month, Dodd married Fox News Channel senior correspondent Rick Leventhal in Napa. She was again criticized for her and her friends seemingly not wearing masks during her bridal shower, though she later posted a group photo of the women all wearing masks.
"People were asking where are the masks?? Well here they are!!" she wrote.
After the wedding, she shared her negative COVID-19 test.
"Results are in ...it's negative 👎," she wrote. "I wish I was hanging out with my fellow cast members. But I’m hanging out with my husband and daughter. Watching the season premiere #rhoc."
RELATED CONTENT:
