Kelly Dodd Might Be One Of The Lowest Paid 'Real Housewives Of Orange County' Stars

Though she’s only in her fourth season of The Real Housewives of Orange County, Kelly Dodd learned pretty darn quick how to make a splash—and score some screen time. (Maybe she’s born with it, maybe she took notes from other Bravolebrities.)

The mom and entrepreneur’s knack for drama has since resulted in not one but two very public social media feuds with fellow cast members Tamra Judge and “OG of the OC” Vicki Gunvalson. Not to mention, that time Shannon Beador ended up checking into the emergency room after Kelly hit her on the head as a joke. And that’s just this season.

But it’s not only Kelly’s penchant for making frenemies that helped solidify her place in the Real Housewives universe—her love for all things lavish certainly helps, too. After all, between luxury vacations and extravagant dinner parties, there is a certain price tag to being a Housewife with a capital H.

So, what exactly is Kelly Dodd’s net worth?

Despite the dramz, Kelly is doing pretty well for herself. CelebrityNetWorth estimates her net worth to be a cool $10 million. While those checks from Bravo certainly contribute, most of Kelly’s money seems to come from her previous marriage. But with a new venture seemingly taking off, Kelly might have found another calling as a businesswoman (eat your heart out, Bethenny Frankel).

In the meantime, here’s how the RHOC star makes her money:

Despite being a headline-grabbing cast member, Kelly’s Real Housewives income is relatively low.

After joining the franchise in 2016, Kelly was offered $150,000 to come back for her second season, according to Radar Online. If that number still stands, she’s one of the lowest paid cast members of RHOC, with more tenured stars of the show (looking at you, Tamra Judge) making quadruple what Kelly is making per season.

But Kelly’s still having the last laugh—all the way to the bank. According to Romper, she’s one of the overall richest Housewives in the OC cast. Plus, with her, let’s just say, ability to be a part of some seriously jaw-dropping rumors, Kelly’s likely to be on the show for a while.

Before joining the show, Kelly’s ex-husband Michael Dodd made the family some sweet cash as the COO of LeapFrog.

While viewers may best know Michael as the man Kelly divorced twice, back in the early 2000s, he was high up at LeapFrog, an educational tech and entertainment company, per Glamour. You might remember the company as the inventor of the LeapPad, a learning tablet designed for kids (years before the iPad).

When the company went public in 2002, it raised $115 million and was the best performing new stock of the year, Fast Company reported at the time. So, it’s probably safe to assume that, as Chief Operating Officer, Michael was well-compensated.

But Kelly was also a businesswoman in her own right. There isn’t much to be found about the company on the internet these days, but according to Radar Online, Kelly was the COO of a cosmetics company based in Newport called Kiss Me Mirrors before she joined RHOC. Last year, she also posted on Instagram that she’s working on a new clothing line called “No Skills,” but there’s been no word on an official launch.

After their divorce in 2017, Kelly and Michael sold their home for $5 million.

Kelly and Michael paid $3.58 million for their house in Corona Del Mar, California in 2014, per the Los Angeles Times. The couple made extensive renovations to the 4,370-square foot multi-level mansion, which was originally listed for $6.25 million.

Miss Kelly’s former abode? Take an inside look into the RHOC star’s lavish house:

After moving out, Kelly moved into an oceanfront bachelorette pad a couple houses down. She made some important changes to her new home, like building a brand new walk-in closet (is there any other kind?) and salvaging a chandelier from her old house to hang above her new kitchen table, she told Bravo.

These days, Kelly splits her time between her beach house and the NYC apartment of her boyfriend, Fox News correspondent Rick Leventhal.

Kelly believes in the curative powers of bling, per Bravo.

Besides bringing some positive energy into her home with one seriously sparkly chandelier, Kelly typically sports a $65,000 diamond-encrusted Cartier watch, according to Bravo, and can be found driving around town in her white BMW.

Oh, and based on the Instagram stories Kelly posted from the luxury yacht she and Leventhal booked to sail around the Amalfi Coast in Italy this summer (ya know, as one does), Kelly is definitely living her best life.

This year, Kelly became part-owner of beverage company Positive Beverage.

Kelly announced her stake in the sparkling, vitamin-infused water company based in Orange County via Instagram this past February. “I’m so excited that I now own part of my favorite beverage company,” she wrote in the post.

https://www.instagram.com/p/BuAcnmNn-IJ/

And her business investment might already be paying off. This month, Kelly took to Instagram to share that the company’s products will now be carried in 196 Target stores.

https://www.instagram.com/p/B3FqH7_lnkL/

Plus, Kelly was given the opportunity to showcase her salesperson skills while at an expo for the company during a recent RHOC episode, according to a press release from the brand.

Now brb, gotta make a Target run just to try these out…

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