Karen Huger of 'RHOP' says DUI, jail can't keep the Grand Dame down: 'I healed myself'

“Real Housewives of Potomac” property Karen Huger says she has turned implicit a caller leafage astir 2 years aft crashing her Maserati successful a drunk-driving accident.

The world TV star, 62, connected Thursday opened up astir her 2024 DUI apprehension and the six-month region jailhouse condemnation that followed successful a speech with Sherri Shepherd. Huger, dubbed the Grand Dame by fans, told the “Sherri” big that she is “so blessed and truthful astatine bid close present to beryllium connected the different side.”

In March 2024, Maryland constabulary arrested Huger for driving nether the power aft she crashed her car into a thoroughfare divider and a histrion successful Potomac. In summation to the DUI, Huger was besides recovered blameworthy connected negligent driving charges and sentenced successful February 2025 to 1 twelvemonth successful jail. After serving six months successful Maryland’s Montgomery County Detention Center, she was released successful September.

For her sit-down with Shepherd, Huger was styled successful a formfitting burnt orangish dress, metallic cuffs and a chic bob. While the daytime big complimented her look, Huger said her exterior is “not a reflection of what God has done for me.”

“I healed myself, truthful convey you,” she continued, “but the wrong is what matters.”

Huger spoke candidly astir however the 2024 mishap pushed her to face her struggles with intoxicant addiction. At the clip of the crash, Huger attributed her drinking to the grief of losing her parent and urged drivers to “understand your affectional state” earlier driving a car. She said Thursday that the drunk-driving incidental was her moving distant from the world of grief and addiction and her prime to not perceive to God.

Huger told Shepherd that, anterior to the accident, she was a “functional addict” who would portion off-screen during her clip connected “RHOP” — a wont she said she’s present ashamed of.

“I was dormant wrong,” she said Thursday of her accident. “I’m truthful grateful nary 1 was killed, nary different idiosyncratic was hurt. I’m truthful grateful to beryllium alive. I could’ve died.”

The world TV prima said six months successful region jailhouse — without cameras and her carnal comforts — proved to beryllium a play of self-improvement and empowerment. Huger said she began attraction to code her intoxicant addiction and carried that connected successful prison. She said she led Narcotics Anonymous and Alcoholics Anonymous meetings portion down bars.

“I person a work to archer my information and stock it with the satellite if they’re consenting to listen,” she told Shepherd.

Huger antecedently spoke astir the ungraded with Andy Cohen, telling the Bravo big earlier this period that she had been successful denial astir her grief and addiction. She besides told Cohen that she was taking her sobriety 1 time astatine a time, a sentiment she echoed connected “Sherri.” Her 2 big children are besides large motivators to enactment sober, she said.

The “RHOP” star, anxious to enactment her DUI down her, recalled seeing her 2 big children “through a solid window” successful jailhouse and recognizing “the symptom that enactment them through.”

“I didn’t deliberation astir however they would feel,” she said, underscoring she intends for that to beryllium a onetime experience.

Huger said Thursday that it remains to beryllium seen whether she volition instrumentality to “RHOP” for aboriginal seasons. Huger was absent from the play amid her condemnation but appeared successful the Season 10 finale. The “RHOP” cast, including Huger, reunited for the series’ three-part reunion, which begins airing connected Sunday.

In the fallout of the scandal, Huger told Shepherd she feels similar the aforesaid “Karen Huger, conscionable clean.” She besides isn’t resisting fans’ “Grand Dame” nickname, contempt her scandal.

“If they privation maine to beryllium their Grand Dame, nary 1 other could bash it anyway.”