Karen Huger refuses to be labeled as an alcoholic.
The reality TV alum took a hot seat at the third and final reunion installment of Real Housewives of the Potomac — season 10, to tackle tough moments with her former co-stars. Host Andy Cohen questioned whether the Grand Dame of the Potomac finally considers herself an alcoholic after serving jail time on her fourth DUI arrest.
On September 2, 2025, Huger started a two-year jail sentence stemming from a DUI arrest in March 2024. She was released on February 27, after serving six months in the Montgomery County Detention Center in Maryland (with one year served). She didn’t appear on the RHOP‘s latest season.
Dressed in fiery red like the rest of the panel, Huger spoke candidly about her sobriety journey, stating that it’s going “Absolutely wonderful. I’m in recovery for life on all levels, and I’m at peace.” But she refused to claim the alcoholic moniker.
“I consider myself a person living in lifetime recovery. No, I’m still not,” she told Cohen, adding, “I own everything about it, but there’s also a choice you make which empowers you. To say that I’m a woman that chose to live in complete sobriety, recovery for the rest of my life, I think that says it all.”
Cohen had first questioned Huger about defining sobriety during a one-on-one sitdown in September 2025. There, Huger owned up to several statements about her addiction, including Ashley Darby’s recollection that Huger had been clocked as a day drinker at a local Legal Seafoods on numerous occasions.
Cohen pressed on, stating that many viewers who saw her at BravoCon last November argued over whether they should applaud the situation of someone who put others’ lives at risk and whether Huger should even be on the Bravo platform anymore.
“First of all, I would hope that they would consider facing your addiction a brave act, a brave step. People have a right to their opinions, but I have a right to thrive.”
Gizelle Bryant piped in, “Karen did something that was bad. She served her time for it, and you seem to be accountable … I mean, who can knock that?” Noted for her friendship throughout the whole ordeal, as Huger acknowledged her former castmate had left notes in her mailbox to brighten her day, Bryant also stated, “I used to be very concerned about Karen, about just her on her own, in the wild, on the streets. And I think, unfortunately, what happened to her is what she needed.”
Huger had strong words of advice for fellow castmate Wendy Osefo. Her former friend also spent time in jail last year, stemming from an arrest warrant for fraud. “I wouldn’t have answered anything on this stage today,” Huger exclaimed. “You’re talking too much, Wendy.”
She went on to explain that Osefo’s extended discussion of her interactions with the law could put her in deeper jeopardy. “When you talk, they watch,” she stated, adding it wasn’t worth the posing. Osefo responded that her legal team was very aware of the line of questioning at the panel.
Huger responded, “I’m just praying that everything you’re saying is the truth because they can twist it, and it won’t be in your favor.”
Huger was also not ready to give up her famous moniker, even if she’s tried to shed it in the past. “Let’s be very clear. I never needed the Grand Dame,” she retorted.
“People bestowed that upon me, and I graciously accepted. And until I hand it off, it’s no one’s to have.”