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"If you're saying my mother was a dumb woman to ever get pregnant with me because I'm disgusting on this earth?" says Mellencamp. "I'm not really taking your feedback."
Teddi Mellencamp is calling out toxic Bravo fans for lobbing vicious insults and death threats at her over a statement she says was misreported in the media.
Even Lisa Vanderpump, who was the subject of Mellencamp's comment, tweeted, "Fake news." Mellencamp says it was just a joke. Six words sure stirred up a lot of drama ... and a lot more words!
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View StoryThe line in question came when the former "Real Housewives of Beverly Hills" star visited Melissa Gorga's "On Display" podcast. There, she said of her former co-star, who is star and executive producer of "Vanderpump Rules," that "she probably paid Raquel to do this."
Raquel Leviss, of course, is embroiled in the cheating scandal that has rocked the "Pump Rules" world so hard it sent camera crews flurrying to film additional content for the current tenth season. Tom Sandoval and Leviss were outed as having an affair on Sandoval's longtime girlfriend Ariana Madix.
"Clearly I was making a joke and I'm being eviscerated for making a joke, which wasn't even being reported correctly, because everyone conveniently leaves out I said 'probably' and was laughing," Mellencamp told ET, referring to media coverage of her comment.
Even had she not been joking, though, Mellencamp said the outsized response was way over the top and unnecessary. She said she got reactions saying things like, "I wish you weren't alive, I wish you died!" or even more graphically, "You're a waste of c--."
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View StoryThe reality star said that she's fine with taking criticism of her joke, and might even reconsider her words if it was presented with some class. "I can be reflective if you're coming to me in some way that is logical," she said. "If you're saying my mother was a dumb woman to ever get pregnant with me because I'm disgusting on this earth? I don't know if you really have a leg to stand on there. I'm not really taking your feedback."
Ultimately, her message was that people can feel free to sound off or engage as much as they want when someone says something, but take a beat, maybe, first.
"Take a breath before making a comment that could ultimately hurt somebody," she said. "Agree with me, or disagree with me. Think I'm funny, or think I'm annoying. Have an opinion, but you don't need to go to that level."
She also cautioned that this kind of escalating vitriol in the Bravo fanbase could ultimately hurt the franchises. "I'm not delusional, but it's not necessary," she said of the aggression. I don't want this to happen to [cast members who go against 'fan-favorites'] and then not give us the full potential they possibly have because they're being beaten down by the fans."
