Clearing the air. Kelly Dodd addressed running a contest that predicted the end of her former Real Housewives of Orange County costar Meghan King‘s marriage to Cuffe Owens.
“It’s not as bad as it sounds! Wishing Meghan happiness and a fresh start in the new year …” Dodd, 46, tweeted on Monday, December 27, alongside a link to her interview with The Sun about the split.
Dodd and husband Rick Leventhal explained that their “Rick & Kelly Unmasked” podcast patreon page set up “an impromptu contest” after learning that King, 37, tied the knot with Owens, 42.
“We actually talked about her nuptials on our ‘Rick & Kelly Unmasked’ podcast on Patreon.com right after she tied the knot in October and both of us predicted it wouldn’t last,” the duo told the outlet on Monday. “On our show in October, Kelly predicted Meghan’s marriage would last no more than ‘a year and a half’ and [Rick] predicted ‘less than a year.’”
After asking their supporters to weigh in on the possibility via email, the couple rewarded the winner for guessing less than six months, noting, “We realize this might sound bad but we weren’t being heartless, just realistic, based on our own experiences, and we both truly hope Meghan finds happiness because she deserves it.”
Dodd took to social media on Wednesday, December 29, to clarify her decision, tweeting, “I didn’t troll, idiots!! I spoke to her! Who didn’t see this coming after a 2 month relationship? Not being mean, just being real. Don’t blame me for poor choices …”
The podcast host’s comments come after King confirmed her split from Owens on Monday.
“I am rattled. This situation is profoundly devastating,” the reality TV alum wrote via her Instagram Stories on Monday. “This is obviously not what I imagined when I made my vows — and I’m shocked and saddened by the way things turned out. I am moving forward with my children as we privately process our pain and begin to let go of shattered dreams.”
Shortly before she removed the title “wife” from her Instagram bio, King asked for “grace and gentle kindness” as she navigates “this labyrinth of grief.”
King and Owens tied the knot in October after three weeks of dating. Following their nuptials, the Bravo personality recalled knowing that she found The One after meeting Owens on the dating app Raya.
“We didn’t leave each other’s side for weeks,” she told Brides Magazine in October, adding that “Cuffe was booked and packed for a flight to St. Louis” days after they started communicating.
Earlier this year, King revealed that she was “looking for a life partner” after calling it quits with ex-husband Jim Edmonds after five years of marriage.
“Let’s be honest, like, to be in a rush might not be the smartest decision. I definitely just enjoy my time and I don’t feel like I have to do anything quote unquote by the book anymore,” the Missouri native, who shares daughter Aspen, 5, and twin sons Hart and Hayes, 3, with Edmonds, 51, exclusively told Us Weekly in May. “So I feel really comfortable with who I am, where I stand and I don’t need, you know, paperwork to tell me who I love.”
