Credit: CBS Screenshot
“Welcome to Fairmont Crest” took on a whole new meaning this week outside of the exciting premiere of Beyond the Gates on Feb. 24. The actress who uttered that iconic line just happens to be The Real Housewives of Potomac star Karen Huger. She will be spending time behind a different set of gates thanks to her DUI conviction on Feb. 26.
The Bravo TV personality was sentenced to two years in prison with one year suspended after being convicted of driving under the influence, negligent driving, failure to control speed and failure to notify authorities of an address change, according to Fox 5 DC. She managed to escape the reckless driving charge but was found guilty by a jury in the five other charges. The judge in the case was reportedly stern with her, noting, “You were filled to the gills with alcohol.”
When Was Karen Huger Arrested?
The incident occurred on March 19, 2024, in Potomac when Huger crashed her luxury vehicle — a Maserati — into a pole. Her intoxication levels were captured by body camera footage and eyewitness testimony after refusing a breathalyzer and field sobriety test. She’s since taken steps to work on her health by checking into a private rehab program, but the judge in her case was taking no chances because she’s had four DUI offenses in the last two decades.
The judge asked her, “What are we waiting for, the fifth, before we sentence you to jail time?”
Despite her plea for leniency, Huger will not only serve jail time but also five years of probation and pay $2,900 in fines. She will also have to wait a year after her prison sentence to drive again, per ABC News. Her defense attorney, David Martella, shared his client’s reaction to the sentencing with reporters outside the courtroom, “She told me she is fully prepared to get through this, and she looks forward to a brighter day very soon.”
Karen Huger on Beyond the Gates
Huger was welcomed with open arms by the cast of Beyond the Gates even though some people didn’t know they had a reality star in their midst. “I’ll be transparent, I didn’t know who she was when she came on the set,” Tamara Tunie admitted to Us Weekly. “So, I asked, and they’re like, ‘Oh, she’s from The [Real] Housewives of Potomac.” Still, the actress, who plays matriarch Anita Dupree, thought she was a “perfect” fit for the gated community of Fairmont Crest.
Huger’s scene-stealing moment was first revealed in the December 2024 trailer when she uttered, “Welcome to Fairmont Crest” with a snap of her fingers. Viewers got to see firsthand how that scene played out in the series premiere because it was a part of the epic final scene in the Fairmont Crest Country Club. Huger’s side-eyeing, eavesdropping character watched a brawl go down between Dani Dupree (Karla Mosley) and Hayley Lawson (Marquita Goings) — let’s just say it was a little housewarming present from the ex-wife to the mistress.
That’s when Huger seized her star moment and stole the show in Beyond the Gates. As a Bravo TV Housewife, she knows how to deliver drama on and off the screen
