"I don't depend on a divorce settlement for my net worth."
A US Indian plastic surgeon has been embroiled in a feud with TV personality Kelly Dodd after the latter posted a video with racial overtones.
The former Real Housewives of Orange County star had ranted about Dr Dhivya Srinivasa in a series of now-deleted videos.
However, it ended up backfiring.
The feud began after Dr Srinivasa criticised Dodd for defending Jill Zarin, who received backlash for claiming there were “no white people in the entire thing” at the Super Bowl halftime show.
Dodd said: “Jill called me this morning, frantic.”
Dr Srinivasa responded: “I’ve been exposed to you for approximately three and a half seconds, and I’m gonna go out on a limb here and say that of all the people that Jill needed to call about her PR racism disaster, I don’t know that I would have put you on that list. But, go on.”
Dodd continued speaking but stumbled over her words, prompting Dr Srinivasa to add:
“English is my second language, and I’m an immigrant, and yet, I don’t seem to have that problem.”
In another video, Dodd questioned why people could not hold “alternative views”.
Dr Srinivasa rejected that framing: “Let me put this in terms that you might understand.
“An alternative viewpoint, for example, would be if I said, ‘You don’t need your seventeenth rhinoplasty because your nose is deficient in cartilage’.
“That would be an example of an alternative viewpoint. Racism is not an alternative viewpoint. Funny thing about racism is that, while one group benefits from it greatly, another group is harmed by it.
“You happen to be part of the group that benefits from it, and you don’t see that.”
Kelly Dodd then posted a series of racist and insulting videos aimed at Dr Srinivasa, which included mocking her name and claiming she may be in an abusive marriage.
The surgeon clapped back, saying she was happily married and added:
“Unlike you, I’m not divorced and also unlike you, I don’t depend on a divorce settlement for my net worth.”
In one video, Dodd told Dr Srinivasa to “get a job” and claimed her medical career as the “lowest on the totem pole.”
However, Dr Srinivasa stated that she is a “double board-certified fellowship-trained microvascular reconstructive surgeon for women with breast cancer”.
The surgeon also pointed out that although Dodd’s videos were deleted, they will remain on the internet forever.
Following the online dispute, Kelly Dodd has suggested she may take legal action against Dr Srinivasa, claiming she lost brand partnerships following the online dispute.
But Dr Srinivasa appeared unfazed, asking:
“You’re going to sue me, Kelly? For what?
“Those are your words. Your words. Your videos.”
@kezhaldashtea Kelly Dodd’s Deleted Racist Rant Backfires After Doctor’s Viral Clapback #kellydodd #drdhivyasrinivasa #rhoc #realhousewivesoforangecounty #realitytv ? original sound – Kezhal Dashti | Pop Culture
This is not the first time that Kelly Dodd has been accused of racism.
In 2016, a leaked video appeared to show Dodd saying, “I don’t like Black guys”, and “I don’t even know any Black guys.” The context of the footage was unclear.
In 2020, Dodd faced further criticism after wearing a “Drunk Wives Matter” hat. Some viewers interpreted the slogan as a reference to the Black Lives Matter movement.
She later addressed the backlash, stating: “I’m Black.”
That same year, her former co-star Braunwyn Windham-Burke accused Dodd of sending “racist” text messages.
Dodd has previously denied being racist.
Loading ...