The Season 15 reunion episodes of The Real Housewives of Orange County were a wild ride.
As RHOC fans have come to expect, the reunion included hard-hitting questions, uncomfortable answers, and plenty of drama.
One of the more surprising claims to come out of the reunion was Kelly Dodd’s claim that she’s black. During a tense discussion around race, Braunwyn Windham-Burke claimed that Kelly had sent her “racist texts” and Kelly responded by yelling, “I’m black!”
Well now, RHOC castmate Gina Kirschenheiter is giving her opinion on the awkward encounter while speaking with Andy Cohen on a recent episode of Watch What Happens Live.
Gina says Kelly’s claims are ‘ridiculous’
During a segment called Reunion Roundup, Andy asked Gina for her opinion on the different revelations that came to light during the reunion episodes.
After explaining that she was surprised by Elizabeth Lyn Vargas’ statement about being a “non-practicing bi[sexual]” and expressing empathy for Braunwyn Windham-Burke’s alcoholism, Andy jumped into the next topic – Kelly Dodd.
“What do you think about Kelly declaring that she’s black?” Andy asked.
Gina couldn’t help but scoff before she responded, “I think it’s ridiculous.”
Andy then shifted to another topic when he asked, “What do you think of how Kelly processed the backlash she was getting on Instagram?”
Gina responded that she does find Kelly to be remorseful. However, she says that Kelly has “that foot-in-mouth syndrome.” She also pointed out that while Kelly says outrageous things, she’s not a “malicious” person.
Is Kelly actually black?
Kelly may be known for being candid and unfiltered, her claims of being black took things to a new level.
To clarify her statement, Kelly posted to Instagram with an explanation as to why she said it in the first place.
It turns out that what Kelly was referencing were the results from a 23andMe genetic assessment that she had completed. She then broke down the results in the post’s caption for her fans and followers along with a screenshot from the company.
“When I yelled “I’m black” it was part of a much larger argument,” she wrote. “No, I don’t identify as African American but yes I’m part black (4%) and I’ve been discriminated against for my Mexican heritage (54% Spanish/Portuguese) and btw I’m also 28% Native American.”
She continued, “I’ve experienced racism and it’s a trigger for me when other who haven’t try to weaponize racism against me.”
The Real Housewives of Orange County is currently on hiatus on Bravo.