Karen Huger, best known as the self-styled Grande Dame of Potomac, has been released from prison after serving just six months of a year-long sentence for her 2024 DUI crash. The 62-year-old Real Housewives of Potomac star walked free from the Montgomery County Detention Center this week, marking a dramatic turn in one of Bravo’s most scandalous storylines.
Huger’s conviction stemmed from a high-speed crash in her 2017 Maserati, where she lost control and collided with a median and crosswalk. At the time, bodycam footage showed the Bravolebrity visibly intoxicated, admitting to being drunk and even bizarrely referring to herself as Thomas Jefferson’s “concubine” during police questioning. In December 2024, she was convicted on seven DUI-related counts and sentenced to two years, with one year suspended, along with $2,900 in fines.
Despite the severity of the case, Huger’s good behaviour cut her prison stay in half. During her incarceration, her RHOP co-stars did not shy away from weighing in. Gizelle Bryant claimed Huger was “running” things behind bars, telling Andy Cohen that inmates “absolutely love her” and describing her as thriving despite the circumstances.
Fans, meanwhile, have been left speculating whether Huger will return to the Housewives franchise now that she is free. Earlier this year, Huger addressed the bodycam footage on the show itself, admitting she had initially refused to watch it and confessed she did not recognise the woman she saw on screen. She later explained she had blacked out before the crash, though the court ultimately dismissed her claims of disconnection.
Huger’s release has reignited debate around her history of driving violations, with reports confirming at least four prior incidents since 2006. For now, her next chapter remains uncertain, but Bravo watchers are already anticipating whether the Grande Dame’s redemption arc will unfold on camera or quietly fade from Potomac’s gilded social stage.
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