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Karen Huger is trading her Grande Dame title for that of an inmate. Earlier this week, a Maryland judge handed the ‘Real Housewives of Potomac’ her two-year sentence for drunk driving in March 2024 and crashing her luxury car into a street sight. The 61-year-old lucked out with one suspended year, but she still has to spend at least one year locked up. This week, her OG ‘RHOP’ co-stars Ashley Darby and Gizelle Bryant have weighed in on Karen’s life update.
Darby spoke on Karen’s situation during a sit-down on the Tamron Hall show. Ashley, who has been on ‘Real Housewives of Potomac’ with Huger since season one, admitted that she shed tears over her on-and-off again friend.
“I really do encourage everyone to keep Karen in your prayers; I really care about her,” Ashley said. She learned about Karen’s sentence while traveling to appear on the show. “And I cried like a baby.”
Bryant didn’t say whether she cried like Ashley Darby did but revealed feeling “shook.” However, she spoke about the situation at a ’21 Shady Questions’ event on Wednesday, the same day Karen Huger was sentenced.
“I do not have her wigs. I am concerned. In all seriousness, I am concerned for her safety. Karen aint cut out for jail,” Bryant told the audience, per U.S. Weekly. Adding, “I pray that she’s OK and that the Lord is with her.”
As mentioned, Karen’s DUI incident developed into a conviction, particularly in light of her being a repeat offender. According to local prosecutors, Karen Huger had been arrested at least three other times for related cases. Montgomery County Circuit Court Judge Terrence McGann highlighted that past, too.
“Can we believe that shes only driven while intoxicated four times in the last 17 years, or is it more likely that shes been very lucky and her inebriation has gone undetected?” the judge reportedly said, per Page Six.
Meanwhile, Montgomery County State Attorney John McCarthy also reassured the public that the 61-year-old wasn’t given special treatment in her prosecution.
“We prosecute thousands of D.U.I. cases every year and take them seriously,” Attorney John McCarthy said. “This defendants case was not handled any differently based on the facts and her traffic history. We encourage the public to always drive sober and practice safety on the roads.”
In December, after her conviction, a video surfaced of Karen Huger’s drunken interactions with the police who pulled her over. Her legal team pushed for rehab instead of jail time, but that didn’t work, even with the brief stint she did. Huger has been in custody since her sentencing, at which she was remanded.
