Andy Cohenis defending season 16 ofThe Real Housewives of Orange Countyamid criticism from alumKelly Dodd.
Dodd, 46, exited the show after the previous season alongsideBraunwyn Windham-BurkeandElizabeth Lyn Vargas, making room for a cast shakeup that included the additions of former HousewifeHeather Dubrowas well as newcomers Noella Bergener and Jennifer Armstrong.
Returning starsShannon Beador,Gina Kirschenheiterand Emily Simpson are also part of the current season.
Doddcalled out the show’s ratingson Twitter Monday night, prompting a response from executive producer Cohen, 53.
“Wait, wasn’t I the ratings problem ? Wasn’t there a boycott ?? We got over a million viewers 14 out of 16 weeks last season despite HUGE competition from election coverage on the news !!! This year ? #RHOC16 under a million 3x in 4 weeks ! Hey @Andy How’s that reboot going ???” Dodd wrote.
“Good morning!” Cohen replied on Tuesday. “Reboot going great. Feels like a return to form for #RHOC. Look at the delayed numbers, not live. That’s what’s measured.”
The mentions of a “reboot” refer to another Twitter conversation theWatch What Happens Livehost had on Twitter earlier this year, whenShut Up Evanpodcast host Evan Ross Katz tweeted, “It’s time tocancel RHOC.”
When avid Bravo fanMeghan McCainreplied back, “Yes,” the exchange caught the attention of Cohen, whowrote, “I think you mean reBOOT.”
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“I said, ‘Well, why? Was it political?’ and he said, ‘No. Bravo wanted to take a different direction than you,'” she said.
Host Lewis, 51, also asked Dodd if the decision could have been “personal” and whether she had “insult[ed] any executives” — to which Dodd said she did.
“I did,” she said, adding, “Listen, ultimately I got fired because of myself. I’m the one who got myself fired. I was like Howard Stern with WNBC. I had the executives calling me, and Emily’s like, ‘Whoarethey?’ and I’m like, well, they know me! I know them! But I was causing them a lot of grief. I was causing them a lot of trouble.”
Dodd added, “And, you know, I’m sorry about that. I feel bad.”
The Real Housewives of Orange Countyairs Wednesdays (9 p.m. ET) on Bravo.
source: people.com
