“The Real Housewives of Potomac” star Karen Huger has publicly addressed her DUI conviction, offering a heartfelt apology and vowing to use her platform to advocate against drinking and driving.
Huger’s full testimony, released by Fox 5 D.C., reveals her reflections on the incident and her commitment to personal accountability and community safety.
Huger was sentenced to two years, with one year suspended, after being found guilty of DUI and other charges stemming from a March 2024 car crash.
According to body camera footage from the night of the incident, she appeared visibly intoxicated and refused both a breathalyzer and field sobriety tests.
In her court statement, Huger admitted to drinking while taking antidepressants, acknowledging the dangers of mixing alcohol with medication. She described her trial experience as a “mirror” that forced her to confront her past decisions.
“I understand how lucky I am that I hit a tree,” Huger said in her testimony. “Thank God I did not hit a pedestrian. In recovery, I was told of a young man named Kevin who hit a tree when he was 17 years old. Kevin was in a coma for 30 days. Kevin is now permanently brain damaged and his life will never be the same. I asked God, why not me?”
Expressing remorse, she apologized to the first responders who assisted her that night, acknowledging her initial attitude toward law enforcement.
“The body cameras definitely prove that they were right and I was wrong,” she admitted.
Huger also emphasized her commitment to sobriety and using her experience as a cautionary lesson for others.
“I will not let you down. I will not let my community down,” she vowed, pledging to continue her efforts toward maintaining sobriety and fulfilling all court-ordered requirements.
With her sentencing behind her, Huger’s legal troubles may be resolved, but her public image and future on “The Real Housewives of Potomac” remain uncertain.
Read a text of her full public apology below:
Your Honor, I want to apologize for taking this case to trial. But I also want to thank you for allowing me to have the trial. I think it was the mirror I needed to take a hard look at myself and the direction I was headed in.
I think my prior cases I showed up to court, followed the advice of my lawyers, got the case resolved and went my way. I like to think I took the cases seriously, but this certainly has been such a much different experience for me. An experience that demanded that I take a look at myself, truthfully.
I think for many years I was putting a band-aid on some personal history that was leaving me very unhappy. It is possible that just like taking daily medication for high blood pressure and cholesterol, I just thought medication for depression and anxiety was something that came with the territory of getting older and having more responsibilities and more to worry about. And certainly there was a sense of entitlement that I should be allowed to keep on consuming alcohol. I have been successful. It’s been 15 years since my last DUI. Why should I give up the social indulgence? Well, this case is why. Drinking responsibly, especially while taking medications, mean not drinking at all. I failed at that miserably. I understand how lucky I am that I hit a tree.
Thank God I did not hit a pedestrian. In recovery, I was told of a young man named Kevin who hit a tree when he was 17 years old. Kevin was in a coma for 30 days. Kevin is now permanently brain damaged and his life will never be the same. I asked God, why not me? The only answer I could come up with was that I was spared because I have a responsibility to use my unique optic lens and teach others and affect quite possibly millions of people with the message of not drinking and driving. I understand better the brutal clarity of the fact that when you’re behind a car driving, you’re not just driving for yourself. It’s my responsibility to make sure my community members make it to their destination safely as well.
I want to thank the officers who came to my assistance that night and apologize for my attitude back on March 19th. They were truly professional and gracious toward me at a time when I was not. The body cameras definitely prove that they were right and I was wrong.
I should have handled the situation differently. Your honor, I have a lot on my plate now, but I understand this is all for a very good reason. I will not let you down. I will not let my community down. I will follow through on everything I am currently doing to maintain my sobriety and everything you ordered me to do.
