Karen Huger’s Time Behind Bars Only Makes a ‘Real Housewives of Potomac’ Return More Iconic

Karen Huger, star of The Real Housewives of Potomac, is facing a new kind of reality behind bars. The Grande Dame has been part of the show since its premiere in 2016. Now the reality star is at the Montgomery County Correctional Facility in Boyds, where she has been sentenced to two years in jail, with one year suspended. This follows a guilty verdict after a high-profile DUI arrest in March 2024. Huger could be out of jail by the end of the year and therefore could be available for Season 10 of The Real Housewives of Potomac. But the real question is would she want to go back? And would she be wanted back by Bravo, the cast and fans alike?

As an integral cast member of 9 seasons of RHOP, Huger’s storylines have made for some of the most entertaining and explosive moments on the show. Sure, she’s known for stirring the pot and stealing the spotlight from time to time, but that’s what reality TV is all about! Her recent run-in with the law has led fans to wonder whether it might be a good idea for her to sit out a couple of seasons. Huger was missing from the RHOP Season 9 reunion after being sentenced to two years in jail for her March 19, 2024, DUI arrest. But of course, Huger made sure her presence was felt and sent in a video message for her fans and castmates. Now, while Huger claimed that she was ready to return to the show as an improved version of herself after all of this blew over, not many people share her sentiment. But the worst part is that she doesn’t even have the self-awareness to realize that.

Karen Huger’s Apology Felt Like a PR Move

In her reunion message, Huger claimed that her “heart dropped” when the judge announced the verdict. The reality star added that she accepts full responsibility for the consequences of her actions and claimed that all of this has been extremely hard on her family. She apologized to her family, her castmates, and everyone who looked up to her. But strangely enough, Huger refused to accept that she was an alcoholic. Now, it’s important to note that this wasn’t her first alcohol-related offense. In fact, she has had three previous DUI cases between 2006 and 2011. But Huger’s blatant refusal to label herself an alcoholic feels like she’s trying to avoid accountability.

Later on, in a second video message, Huger confessed that she was going to rehab to address her issues with alcohol. This was obviously a direct contradiction to what she had claimed before. Ultimately, it all comes down to semantics, and all of this feels like a very roundabout way for Huger to deflect from the actual problem at hand. For longtime fans of RHOP, this is nothing new. Huger is practically known for always shifting the blame and painting herself as the victim, even when she instigates drama. Even then, though, it’s upsetting to see that she just can’t own up to her mistakes, even when the evidence is right in front of everyone.

The Reality Star Can’t Hide Behind Her Lies Anymore

Sadly, that’s not where it ends, because Huger even refused to take responsibility for her actions in her official statement. The Real Housewives of Orange County star Tamra Judge shared her opinion on Huger’s claims on the Two Ts in a Pod podcast and pointed out how cocky she sounded. There’s no denying that Huger does downplay the situation in front of the judge and even goes as far as to claim that another man was driving the car and fled the scene after the crash. But it’s obvious that when the police checked the traffic cameras, there was no one else but Huger in the car. Once again, this reveals her disturbing pattern of creating ambiguity around situations. But let’s just say that the act is getting old now.

Shannon Storms Beador is another star from the Real Housewives franchise who was arrested for a DUI. She took full responsibility and made amends for her mistakes. Compared to Beador, Huger seems to want the easy way out, and as her castmates rightfully pointed out, her rehab stint might just be a way for her to push for a lighter sentence. If that proves to be true, there’s no way Bravo should let her back on the show.

The Grande Dame Has Always Betrayed Her Most Loyal Friends

In her reunion message, Huger took the opportunity to thank her castmates for having her back as she dealt with all of this. She expressed her gratitude for Gizelle Bryant, Keiarna Stewart, Jassi Rideaux, and even Candiace Dillard Bassett, who left the show after Season 8. Huger even gave a shoutout to Andy Cohen for his support. But fans didn’t fail to notice that Huger didn’t include Wendy Osefo in her list of friends. This came across as a bit strange, especially since Osefo has always had Huger’s back in the past seasons of the show. She would always go out of her way to be a good friend to Huger, but Huger never seems to return the favor. In fact, she had no problem talking smack about Ofeso behind her back and sharing their private conversations with the other ladies.

Not to mention that Osefo invited Huger to visit the White House with her during Season 9. But once again, Huger didn’t even bother to thank her for the kind gesture. This felt like a huge jab after Osefo spent the entire season defending Huger’s increasingly bad behavior with her and the rest of the cast.

Karen Huger’s Negative Energy Makes the Show Hard To Watch

In all honesty, a simple rewatch of the show proves that Huger has always been like this. But there’s a fine line between entertainment and toxicity. The worst part is that she has never been a real friend to any of the ladies. One of the biggest examples of this was Huger and Bryant’s clash during Season 9 when Huger scheduled an awards ceremony the same night Bryant was hosting a charity event to honor her late father. She then downplayed the situation by claiming to have forgotten when Bryant’s event was happening. But thanks to her manipulative ways, she was able to come out of the situation looking like the victim and never apologized to Bryant for what she did.

This cycle of lies was evident once again when she confronted Mia Thornton at Lake Norman and started bringing up the other ladies’ pasts to avoid being called out for her own mistakes. This petty behaviour has become Huger’s personality, and the fans are growing tired of it. While Huger has been an important part of the show, she really needs to clean up her act. If her careless behavior and the need to keep stirring up drama doesn't improve. Though one would assume that after serving jail time, a person's outlook on life would change dramatically, as well as their past behavior. Time will tell, but for now all we can do is hope she gets through these testing times and comes out a stronger person ready to face the world once more. The Real Housewives of Potomac is available to stream on Peacock.