‘RHOP’ Star Gizelle Bryant Calls Karen Huger’s Potential Jail Time ‘Sad’ But Wants Grand Dame to ‘Take Accountability’
Last year was not kind to Karen Huger, who struggled with legal woes and then entered rehab right before The Real Housewives of Potomac Season 9 reunion. Now, longtime castmate Gizelle Bryant is weighing in on her costar’s sentencing and whether Huger is finally taking accountability for her actions.
What led to rehab for Huger? The Grand Dame was arrested for DUI in May 2024 after crashing her car in Maryland. Reports say she failed a sobriety test but was cooperative with police. In December 2024, Huger was found guilty of failure to control speed to avoid a collision, negligent driving, and failure to notify authorities of an address change. The 61-year-old was acquitted of reckless driving.
As Huger’s legal troubles unfolded, Season 9 of The Real Housewives of Potomac delivered high drama and shifting dynamics. Viewers felt the absence of longtime cast members Robyn Dixon and Candiace Dillard Bassett. Newcomer Stacey Rusch challenged the established RHOP hierarchy. Gizelle Bryant stepped up to fill the void left by Dixon, becoming a central figure in the unfolding drama. Huger’s DUI arrest cast a shadow over the group as she forwent the reunion taping to enter a recovery program.
Gizelle Bryant recently sat down with Us Weekly correspondent Christina Garibaldi to discuss Huger’s fate. Facing up to two years in jail, Huger will receive her sentence on February 26. Garibaldi asked Bryant, “Do you think maybe she should’ve taken this season off? “No,” Bryant laughed. “We need Karen. Karen is too much fun.”
Despite wanting Huger to remain on the Bravo reality show, Bryant says the cast would be “fine” without her. “Having nothing to do with the show, I don’t want to see Karen go to jail,” she continued. “No, I don’t. But if that were to happen, I mean, we’ll be there for her.” Bryant shared that Huger’s timing could’ve been better. “I think she should have done it right after [the reunion] — gone to rehab right after the accident,” the EveryHue Beauty founder clarified. “I think it actually would have helped her with her case.”
Garibaldi asked Bryant, “Do you feel like she’s finally starting to take accountability for it?” The TV personality paused for several seconds before responding, “I think so. I think so, for sure. I mean, I don’t know. I have not spoken to her since before we taped the reunion and before she went to rehab. So, yeah, I don’t know.” The Us Weekly correspondent continued, “What was [Huger’s] mindset before that?” Bryant elaborated, “She’s appreciative of the support, but as it relates to really understanding what she did and how that could have ended in such a more horrible way, I think she’s now starting to realize that.”
Bryant and Huger, along with Ashley Darby, are the only cast members who have starred in all nine seasons of The Real Housewives of Potomac. With such a storied history together, it’s understandable why Bryant finds Huger’s potential sentence “sad.” She explained to Garibaldi, “I mean, do I want to see her go to jail? Absolutely not. But do I want to see her take accountability? For sure. So, I don’t know. I mean, Karen going to jail — that would break my heart. So we’ll see.”
Many fans noted that Season 9 of RHOP seemed to take a toll on Huger. Garibaldi mentioned that the maligned reality star “lost a lot of weight.” Bryant agreed, saying, “It was hard to watch her navigate through it and just try to get through the season because I know her well enough to know, like, ‘You’re struggling.’ But again I’m just gonna wish the best.”
