“We have been since the first day when I met him. It’s been almost two years. We go to dinner together. We hang out together. We get along really well. I didn’t lose him as a friend when he split from Kelly [Dodd].”
“He was hurting pretty good and going through all the emotions that people getting divorced usually go through,” he continued. “After a little bit of time went by … I thought this may be a good fit. So I invited [him and his new girlfriend] over and we went out to dinner and they hit it off. It was me that set them up. I think they make a nice couple. I asked Vicki not to say anything to Kelly because I didn’t think it was our business to tell her. Whether she takes offense to it or not, that’s just the way it is. I didn’t want there to be an issue. When they want to tell Kelly, it’s up to them.”
“Everybody has to move on, right?” he added. “He wasn’t looking for a divorce, so why would she care who he’s dating anyway?”
The publication originally reported that Lodge set up Dodd with one of Gunvalson's friends in early December.
An insider revealed that Vicki and her pal took a trip to Las Vegas together, and Vicki “FaceTimed with her boyfriend Steve [Lodge]. He and Michael are really good friends and Michael was with him so they waved ‘hi.’ Michael said he was having a rough time, and the women said they felt awful.”
Vicki had a dinner party shortly after and invited both her friend and Dodd.
“They really hit it off because they both have awful exes,” the insider told Page Six. The insider said that Michael’s new girlfriend “doesn’t want to be dragged into Kelly’s mess” so she’s “being really careful” while “having fun.”
“Vicki’s scared too because she has to film with Kelly,” the insider said, noting that Michael’s new girlfriend doesn’t want to be on the show and already turned down the opportunity to be on “The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills.”
“He’s not how he comes off on the show,” the insider added. “He’s a great dad. He’s trying to work on two startups but [Kelly is] trying to portray him as a househusband. He’s such a gentleman. He’s a brilliant guy.”
Dodd and his new girlfriend have not gone public with their relationship yet, and the insider said that “Kelly has no idea” that Michael is dating again but Vicki told Bravo about Michael’s new relationship.
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