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In a February 2026 interview with Sherri Shepherd, The Real Housewives of Potomac star Karen Huger said she had been a “functional addict,” described drinking off camera, and connected her alcohol use to grief and avoidance. Those are Huger’s retrospective statements, as reported by the Los Angeles Times—not an independent diagnosis or a complete account of her history. The legal case followed its own documented timeline: a March 2024 crash and arrest, a December 2024 guilty verdict, and a February 2025 sentence.
What Karen Huger said about her DUI
Speaking with Sherri Shepherd in February 2026, Huger reflected on the drinking and grief she said she had not confronted before the crash. She described herself as a “functional addict” and said she drank off camera while appearing on The Real Housewives of Potomac. She framed alcohol as a way of avoiding grief, according to the Los Angeles Times.
Huger called herself “dead wrong” and said she was grateful that nobody was killed or hurt. She also said, “I have a responsibility to tell my truth and share it with the world if they’re willing to listen.” Both statements are from her interview as reported by the Times; they should be understood as her account of the experience, not as findings about her medical history.
What happened in the DUI case
- March 2024: Huger was arrested after a crash in Potomac, Maryland.
- December 2024: A jury found her guilty of DUI and related charges.
- February 2025: She was sentenced to two years, with one year suspended. The contemporaneous CBS Baltimore report described the sentence as a year in prison; later reporting says she served six months in custody and was released in September 2025.
The sentencing judge, Terrence J. McGann, referred to four drunk-driving offenses over a 17-year period and questioned whether the known incidents represented every time Huger had driven while intoxicated. That remark was reported by CBS Baltimore via the Baltimore Banner; it is the judge’s reported observation, not a separate finding that additional offenses occurred.
What Huger said about incarceration and recovery
In the Times account of the Sherri Shepherd interview, Huger described participating in treatment and leading Alcoholics Anonymous and Narcotics Anonymous meetings while incarcerated. She also expressed gratitude that she survived the crash and that nobody else was injured. These details are reported as Huger’s account; the coverage does not provide independent treatment records or a full interview transcript.
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How to read the “tell all” interview
The interview offers Huger’s explanation of how she now understands her drinking, grief, and time in custody. It does not change the jury’s verdict or establish a clinical diagnosis, and it does not resolve every question about the crash. Keeping her personal reflections separate from the court timeline makes clear what is established legally and what Huger has said about its impact on her.
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