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Kelly Dodd says she’s still paying the price for speaking her mind.
The former “Real Housewives of Orange County” star, who calls herself socially liberal but fiscally conservative, is sounding off on cancel culture, political division and the backlash that has followed her for years, saying she feels isolated for refusing to conform.
“I feel like if you don’t believe along the same lines they do, they don’t like you … I feel like I am an outcast,” Dodd said on Jamie Kennedy’s podcast.
KELLY DODD CLAIMS SHE WAS FIRED FROM ‘REAL HOUSEWIVES’ BECAUSE SHE’S CONSERVATIVE
Kelly Dodd claims she’s still paying the price for speaking her mind, calling out what she sees as growing political intolerance in America. (Tommy Garcia/Bravo)
She added, “I feel that I’m getting politically discriminated against.”
The reality television personality, who was fired from “Real Housewives” in 2021 after making controversial remarks about the COVID-19 pandemic and being accused of mocking the Black Lives Matter movement, suggested that ideological differences have become increasingly divisive in America, claiming that those with opposing viewpoints are often treated differently.
“It’s like rules for me but not for thee again,” Dodd said.
While criticizing what she sees as growing intolerance from the left, Dodd maintained that she respects the rights of people who disagree with her.
“If you’re a Democrat and you believe in all these things, I don’t hate you,” she said. “I respect your view. I don’t hate you because you lean — you like the policies … That’s your right as an American to feel that way. I don’t politically hate you for that.”
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Dodd previously said she was fired from “Real Housewives” because she is conservative. (Charles Sykes/Bravo/NBCU Photo Bank via Getty Images)
“But they hate anyone that doesn’t think along the lines as them. So it’s just so hypocritical. The hypocrisy is real, and I just don’t understand that.”
Dodd also spoke about her time living abroad, and how things she saw during her time in China seem similar to things she’s seeing in the U.S. today.
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“I was always a Democrat, my whole life, and then I moved to China and I saw how you’re not allowed to speak freely,” she said. “On Facebook, they would just watch every one of your moves. And I feel like this is where we’re going. We’re going into socialist communism territory, I’m telling you right now.”
Dodd continued by drawing a comparison to developments she believes are occurring in the United States.
“And that’s what’s happening now to our country. Our civil liberties are taken away from us that you don’t even realize are happening,” she said.
Dodd, second from right, was fired from “Real Housewives of Orange County” in 2021. (Tommy Garcia/Yavir Ramawtar/Bravo/NBCU Photo Bank via Getty Images)
“I think once you move away to a communist country, then you realize those policies are being inflicted right now in real time, and it’s really freaking scary,” she said.
“I have changed my perspective on policy … those policies don’t work,” Dodd said.
Her latest remarks come years after she found herself at the center of controversy over social media posts that sparked fierce criticism online.
In May 2022, the “Real Housewives of Orange County” alum drew backlash after sharing a message on X comparing discussions about school security following the Uvalde, Texas, school shooting to security measures implemented after the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks.
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Dodd says she feels like an outcast and claims she’s being politically discriminated against for refusing to conform to acceptable opinions. (Arturo Holmes/WireImage)
The post read: “After 9-11 we didn’t ban planes. We secured the cockpits. Secure the schools.”
The post quickly sparked criticism from social media users, with some arguing that increased school security was not an adequate substitute for changes to gun laws.
Following the backlash, Dodd clarified her position in a subsequent post.
“I NEVER said we shouldn’t have STRICTER gun laws,” she wrote at the time. “I believe we should do a BETTER job of keeping WEAPONS out of the hands of CRIMINALS & the MENTALLY ill.”
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She added, “In the meantime, while these people have GUNS & CAN STILL BUY THEM, we need to BETTER PROTECT OUR KIDS.”