Five months after her early release from prison, the Grande Dame is opening up about her experience behind bars in her “Real Housewives of Potomac” return.
Karen Huger is back home, and in true Bravo fashion, the beloved housewives star is getting ready to share a glimpse of her experience with viewers. At the end of the most recent episode of “RHOP” Season 10, Huger made her season debut after exiting Maryland’s Montgomery County Detention Center. Huger’s appearance teased her long-awaited sit-down interview with Andy Cohen, which is set to premiere during the show’s season finale.
Ahead of the episode airing on Feb. 1, Bravo released a sneak peek of the housewives star’s release from prison and her reunion with her family. The clip shows Huger embracing her daughter Rayvin, her husband Ray, and her little sister Bridget as they compliment her new look, which featured a special braided hairstyle.
“The girls insisted I do jailhouse braids,” she shared. “So what they did was they took their extensions out of their hair, and they braided my hair, and I think it’s so beautiful. They took their hair out their head, and they were like, ‘Miss Karen, we gotta get you together,’ and I’m like, ‘What a beautiful thought.'”
Huger, affectionately known as The Grand Dame amongst fans, was arrested with a DUI in March 2024 after crashing her white Maserati into a median and several street signs just a few miles from her Potomac home in a single-car collision. After publicly released bodycam footage showed her slurring her words and being belligerent while officers tried to conduct a sobriety test, Huger shared a statement about the situation.
“I would like to stress it’s important to understand your emotional state when driving, and may this be a reminder to all to use their seatbelts,” she shared, as previously reported by theGrio. “My mother may be my Guardian Angel, but the seatbelt saved my life.”
In December 2024, she was ultimately convicted of DUI, DWI, and other charges, but was acquitted of reckless driving charges. Huger was later sentenced to two years in jail and a one-year suspension in February 2025. Six months into her sentence, the “RHOP” star was released early on good behavior. In November 2025, she made her first public appearance at BravoCon, where she received a standing ovation from fans.
“Thank you @nbcuniversal and @bravotv for the incredibly warm and welcoming energy,” she wrote on Instagram. “My heart is full.”
“I’m uplifted beyond words reflecting on the overwhelming love from my family and all of the RHOP fans,” she added in a separate post.
Just as Huger is known to mentor new members of the housewives franchise, the Grand Dame reportedly shared her wisdom with the young girls she met in prison.
“I got my hands on them,” she revealed in the teaser. “I was able to reach a few of them. I was like, ‘It took me six decades to get here. Why are you here at 20?’ So I found a purpose. I found a purpose, and I’m happy with it.”
According to the episode’s logline, Huger will sit down with Cohen “to discuss what led to her arrest, the realities of prison life, and what’s in store for her future.”
