Kelly Dodd Net Worth Reveal

There's always some kind of bickering going on in The Real Housewives of Orange County (RHOC) set. And despite being one of the newer members (relatively), Kelly Dodd knows how to stay on top of anything. And despite not earning as much as her other co-stars, she knows how to splash the cash and also, bring loads of it in. Being a stay-at-home mom isn't surprising, but considering she doesn't have a job, you'd be surprised how she collected her massive net worth.

Born on September 26, 1975 [age 44], in Scottsdale, Arizona, as Kelly Meza, she joined the Bravo TV's reality show in its 11th season in 2016. Don't let it fool you, she already has eyes on veterans Tamra Judge and Vicki Gunvalson. Plus she's also had some beef with their bestie, recently divorced Shannon Beador, after she sent Beador for the emergency room check-up when she hit her in the head as a joke.

There's more to Kelly Dodd's net worth than the 'RHOC' salary.
Photo from: Getty Images

In contrast to her earnings, other members make quite a bunch from the show. But Dodd isn't the one to care about the fact. She has many other ways of earning her money. Plus, she very much likes to flaunt her price tag with expensive items. Here's her net worth value which might surprise you.

Kelly Dodd's Net Worth is $10 Million, As of 2019 — Sources of Income, RHOC Salary, and Comparisons

As of January 2020, Kelly Dodd's net worth is estimated to be around $10 million. Aside from her job in RHOC, Kelly's other income sources include that divorce settlement with ex-husband Michael Dodd (which includes the amount he earned as the COO of LeapFrog and from the sale of their house), the life with new boyfriend-turned fiancé Rick Leventhal and her entry into the business world.

You know, she might leave RHOC for RHONY one day right?
Source: Bravo TV

As for her salary, Dodd was offered $150,000 per season for coming back to her second season of RHOC (12th season) in 2017, which she obviously took. That amount is much less than the other housewives' yearly salary from the show, presumably four times less than Judges' and others. But in retrospect, she has one of the best net worth values in the show. Also, the value may have been pumped up by now.

Here's a comparison of her castmates' net worth:

Shannon Beador - $10 million
Vicki Gunvalson - $7.3 million
Braunwyn Windham-Burke - $3.3 million
Tamra Judge - $3 million
Gina Kirschenheiter - $1 million
Emily Simpson - $900,000

Of course, the net worth values are just presumptions, and there are several loopholes in the calculations. But when comparing every Real Housewives' fortune, there will obviously be that edge some will get from the others. And Dodd (now Meza again) pretty much stands out. Her marriage was a big one, after all.

Before the Divorce, Kelly's Ex-Husband's Job at 'LeapFrog' Made Millions — The Marriage That Cracked Twice

Kelly Meza-Dodd and her now ex-husband Michael Dodd were together since 2004. They got married in 2006, and it wasn't a pretty marriage, except for the first few years. Their daughter, Jolie Dodd, was born the same year (Wow! She's already 13 now!). You could say it was quite a beautiful time in their marriage when raising little Jolie. But as soon as the first decade of the 21^st century was over, trouble started brewing.

Even the presence of a daughter couldn't help survive their marriage.
Photo by: Kelly Dodd

Before Jolie was born, Michael was the Chief Operating Officer at the educational tech and entertainment company, LeapFrog. You know, the company that invented a thing called LeapPad, way before iPads were around? Yeah. When the company's finance went public in 2002, LeapFrog was the best-performing new stock of the year after raising $115 million.

The 60-year-old's tenure ended after their daughter was born though. He reportedly cashed out of the company at the time, and you can imagine how much she, too, added to her net worth after the success. LeapFrog wasn't heard of since either.

As a businessman, however, Michael traveled a lot. When he came home, he wanted to stay in, but she was more of an outgoing person. After leaving the COO job, nothing clicked anymore. Kelly believed it was also a toxic environment for their daughter either.

The mother-of-one took him by surprise when she filed for divorce in 2012. He didn't want it. But after filing the paper, she'd already moved on. She was even engaged while technically already married to Michael. The divorce took long, but it seemed, at the time, as though it was for the best at the time. She ended the engagement, and they later moved in closer to each in Orange County to co-parent their daughter more effectively. But they were not getting back together.