Karen Huger reflects on jail time, accountability and the lessons learned after her DUI.
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“The Real Housewives of Potomac” star Karen Huger has opened up about the events that led to her driving under the influence (DUI) conviction and the six months she spent behind bars.
In an interview with talk show host Sherri Shepherd, The Grand Dame, as she refers to herself, did not try to downplay her charges or dodge accountability.
“I want to be crystal clear. No one should drink and drive. I was wrong, absolutely dead wrong. I’m so grateful no one else was killed, no other person was hurt,” she said. Adding that she’s grateful to be alive because she could have died.
She described her time in jail as a reality check.
Huger said she spent six months sleeping on a metal bed, facing a cold cement wall, and emphasised that it was not a comfortable situation as people assumed. She called the experience humbling and said it stripped away any sense of privilege she once had.
During the interview, Huger admitted that she was a “functional addict” at the time. She explained that while filming "The Housewives of Potomac", she kept her struggles out of sight and believed she was in control.
“I was a functional addict at that time. I knew when to have the pills with the alcohol, and it was never in front of the cameras. You’re not going to catch me melting down, but I’m not proud of that,” she shared.
Huger also shared that she continued her recovery work while incarcerated. She attended treatment programmes and led sessions with inmates, saying she wanted to help younger women avoid making the same mistakes she did.
The legal case dates back to March 2024, when Huger crashed her Maserati in Potomac, Maryland. She was later convicted of DUI, negligent driving and several traffic-related offences.
In February 2025, she was sentenced to two years in jail with one year suspended and ultimately served six months before being released on September 2 of the same year.