Season 9 of RHOP kicks off with a bang as the ladies rally around Karen Huger following her DUI arrest, but not without asking the OG a few probing questions.
The Real Housewives of Potomac season 9 premiere was full of “hattitude” and drama. Thanks to Karen Huger’s DUI, drama is the name of the game as the ladies of Potomac return to Bravo.
During episode one of season 9, the ladies of Potomac try to piece together what went down leading up to Karen’s DUI arrest. However, the Grand Dame of Potomac is keeping mum on the subject. Fellow RHOP OG Gizelle Bryant hosts a hattitude party for Karen’s birthday, which goes awry when Mia Thornton’s relationship drama gets put in the spotlight.
Season 9 of RHOP started off with a reenactment of the night of Karen’s DUI, which took place in March 2024. The charges against Karen, which include DUI, DWI, and more, flashed across the screen. Not surprisingly, the ladies of RHOP were shocked by the news of Karen’s arrest and DUI. Ashely Darby admitted that she was concerned about Karen since this DUI was a repeated offense. This isn’t the first Karen has been charged with driving under the influence. Over a decade ago, long before she starred on RHOP, Karen pled guilty to “Driving While Impaired By Alcohol” and received probation. Mia noted that Karen was a danger to herself, while Gizelle said that the Karen that she knew would not act like this.
A month later, we see Gizelle pick up Karen for lunch, and the two quickly get down to business discussing Karen’s DUI. While Gizelle attempts to pepper Karen for answers, the Grand Dame keeps her lips zipped. She claims she can’t say much about her case as it hasn’t been adjudicated yet. However, Karen does admit that her parents’ deaths and marriage issues with her husband, Ray Huger, affected her state of mind and emotions that night. The conversation quickly shifted to Gizelle throwing a birthday lunch for Karen.
Mia and Gordon are in a much better place than the last time fans saw them. The two are living in the same building. While Mia isn’t happy that she can’t have her “sneaky links” with Inc., she admits the living situation is best for her and Gordon’s kids. Mia asked for a paternity test to confirm that Gordon is Jeremiah’s father after Inc questioned his paternity since he and Mia had an affair shortly after her IUI. Gordon warned Mia that Inc needs to drop the false claims.
Speaking of life changes, Ashley Darby and Wendy Osefo are going through some big shifts in their lives as well. Ashley is finally ready to start the divorce process and is hopeful that Michael will be reasonable when it comes to custody of their sons. On the other hand, Wendy is making major career moves. She resigned from her role as a professor is order to spend more time with her family and find a more fulfilling career path.
Later on in the episode, Karen met up with RHOP newbie Stacey Rusch to go dress shopping for Gizelle’s hattitude party. Stacey explained that she just moved to Potomac after quitting her job at QVC and going through a divorce. While Stacey admitted her life has been rough lately, she also expressed concern about sipping on champagne in front of Karen. However, Karen assured Stacey that she would be having drinks with her later on.
It’s finally the day of Gizelle’s hattitude, which the OG says is about love, grace, and style, party for Karen’s birthday. Ashley was the first to arrive and attempted to get the low down on Gizelle’s chat with Karen about her DUI. Gizelle informed Ashley that Karen shut her down but wondered if maybe Ashley could get some answers out of the Grande Dame.
When Wendy arrived she wanted to have a chat with Gizelle about their relationship. Gizelle also hoped to mend fences with Wendy as she is all about peace these days. Others including Mia and her frenemy Jacqueline arrived at the party. Jacqueline spilled some tea, claiming that Karen sounded tipsy on the phone when they recently chatted. While Jacqueline didn’t have proof to back up her claim, the accusation left everyone raising their eyebrows.
Karen arrived at the celebration and wasn’t thrilled to learn there was a non-alcoholic drink called “The Grande Dame” on the party menu. The Grande Dame opened the floor for questions because she wanted to know who among the RHOP cast were her real friends and who were “fake bitches.”
The party then turned shady when Wendy joked about Ashley and Gizelle not having any apparel on their website when they announced their upcoming GnA Fusion event for their sportswear line. Gizelle then got even shadier when she asked Mia if she’s shared her man Inc with Jacqueline yet. RHOP newbie Stacey was taken aback by the ladies lack of boundaries.
Mia joked that she and Inc had done laundry for Gordon but Karen and Gizelle stirred the pot when mentioning that Gordon revealed their kids had seen her in bed with Inc. They both admitted they didn’t think Mia was protecting her kids by allowing them to know she’s seeing both Gordon and Inc. Wendy swooped in to defend a flabbergasted Mia, who then screamed that her kids were thriving and they had no right to talk about her children. She then stormed out of the event.
The Real Housewives of Potomac airs Sundays at 8 p.m. ET on Bravo.
