Karen Huger Confesses to Pill Addiction and Blames ‘RHOP’ For Getting Her Strung Out On Drugs!
Karen Huger is coming clean about her struggles, admitting to a pill addiction and blaming The Real Housewives of Potomac stress, personal loss, and reality TV pressure for getting her strung out.
Karen Huger is fighting for leniency ahead of her DUI sentencing, arguing that a combination of alcohol and prescription medication led to her arrest — and revealing that she recently endured withdrawal after stopping her anti-depressants.
The Real Housewives of Potomac star, 61, filed a motion with her new legal team, David A. Martella and Barry Helfand, after parting ways with her previous attorneys. In the court documents, obtained by In Touch Weekly on February 24, Karen detailed the personal struggles she claims contributed to her March 2024 DUI.
According to the filing, Karen began increasing her use of anti-depressants following the devastating deaths of both her parents. “Ms. Huger’s mother died on Thanksgiving morning in 2017 of kidney failure and sepsis. Her father died seven months later on June 28, 2018, from complications of Alzheimer’s and ‘of a broken heart,’” the motion explained.
The court filing argues that these losses, combined with the pressures of reality TV, led Karen to increase her dosage beyond the recommended amount — while still believing she could drink in moderation.
“The stress of being in the public eye — and the responsibility of providing leadership on RHOP — continued to wear on her well-being,” the documents state. “As she explains, ‘I was taking one pill after the assault and then I began taking two after my parents’ death. I appeared to be in control and had no noticeable issues that I was aware of.’”
Karen’s defense claims that a combination of alcohol and prescription medication impaired her judgment and coordination when she crashed her car on March 19, 2024. The court documents note that Karen suffered a concussion from the airbag deployment during the crash and did not initially grasp the severity of her impairment.
“She had suffered a concussion from the exploding airbags, along with the alcohol and medication,” the motion states. “Her difficulties that evening were the product of a combination of alcohol and a prescribed anti-depressant medication for depression.”
While Karen initially planned to argue that she had only been drinking in moderation, she changed her stance after watching body cam footage of her arrest during trial. “She was shocked with embarrassment,” her attorneys stated. Karen’s legal team insists that her trial served as a wake-up call, prompting her to enter rehab to treat alcohol abuse, medication dependency, and trauma.
However, before checking into treatment, Karen claims she stopped taking anti-depressants abruptly, which resulted in severe withdrawal symptoms. “She woke up completely drenched in sweat as she went through withdrawal,” her lawyers stated.
Prosecutors, however, are pushing for a harsher sentence, arguing that Karen has a history of DUI offenses and failed to seek treatment until after she was convicted. “Ms. Huger does not appear to have taken any steps whatsoever to take accountability for her actions on March 19, 2024,” they stated. “In the nine months leading up to trial, she did not enroll herself into any type of alcohol treatment program or support group.”
Instead, they claim Karen spent six days at Miraval Resort in Arizona, which they argue was a luxury retreat rather than legitimate rehab. “Miraval is not a rehab or counseling center of any kind,” the prosecutors said. “It is quite simply a luxury spa.”
They also pointed out that Karen’s latest rehab facility is classified as a “luxury alcohol treatment center”, suggesting that her efforts to seek help may have been more for optics than for genuine recovery. Prosecutors are pushing for six months behind bars, followed by supervised probation.
They are also requesting that an interlock device be installed on any car Karen drives and that she be required to attend a Mothers Against Drunk Driving (MADD) victim impact panel. With her sentencing just days away, Karen’s legal battle isn’t over yet. Whether her claims of withdrawal and medication misuse will sway the judge remains to be seen.
The Real Housewives of Potomac season 9 reunion concludes Sunday, March 2, at 8/7c on Bravo.
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Avigail is an Entertainment blogger at All About The Tea, who specializes in The Real Housewives of Atlanta and The Real Housewives of Potomac. Avigail has a background in marketing. She’s a Brooklynite living in the Bahamas, with a passion for travel, writing, reality TV watching, pop culture and spoken word.
