'RHOP' Star Karen Huger Admits She Was a 'Functional Addict': 'I Was Wrong — Dead Wrong'

Karen Huger is speaking with new clarity about the mistakes that led to her DUI conviction — and she’s not softening the language.

Speaking with Sherri Shepherd on the Sherri show on February 12, the Real Housewives veteran addressed her six-month jail term, her recovery journey, and the scrutiny that followed her release.

Early in the conversation, Huger acknowledged the seriousness of her actions without hesitation. “No one should drink and drive,” she said. “I was wrong. Absolutely dead wrong.” She added that she’s grateful no one was killed and that she survived the crash herself.

Huger described her time in county jail as far from glamorous. “I was on a metal bed facing a cold cement wall for six months,” she said, clarifying she was not in a federal facility.

She called the experience “humbling,” explaining that incarceration stripped her of everyday freedoms but also forced her to confront addiction head-on.

During the interview, Huger admitted she had been what she described as a “functional addict.” She said she maintained discipline while filming Real Housewives, insisting viewers would not have seen her unravel on camera.

“You could say I was a functional addict at that time,” she said. “I knew when to have the pills with the alcohol and my cocktail. It was never in front of the cameras.”

She emphasized that she’s not proud of that reality but wanted to be transparent.

Huger also revealed that she continued treatment while incarcerated and even led Narcotics Anonymous sessions. “Only a person who has experienced what I experienced can teach it,” she said, explaining that she hoped to help younger women avoid returning to jail.

The legal troubles began in March 2024, when police said Huger crashed her 2017 Maserati in Potomac, Maryland, after driving in what authorities described as an aggressive manner.

In December 2024, she was convicted of DUI, DWI, negligent driving, and additional traffic-related charges.

In February 2025, she was sentenced to two years in prison with one year suspended, and ultimately served six months before being released in September.

Reflecting on the crash, Huger said the worst outcome would have been harming someone else. “Drinking and driving is wrong,” she reiterated, adding that she will “never drink and drive again.”

As for her future on Real Housewives, Huger said whether she returns remains to be seen. For now, she’s focused on sobriety, saying she’s the same Karen Huger — “just clean.”