It’s a question that comes up often: Why would someone in the process of committing crimes willingly appear on a reality TV show? But history has shown that it happens more than you’d think. Just today, Real Housewives of Potomac star Karen Huger was sentenced to two years in prison, with one year suspended, after she was found guilty on multiple counts related to her March 2024 single-vehicle crash. It was her fourth alcohol-related traffic case. However, Huger is far from the first or the only reality star to receive prison time. Read on to learn about eight others and for more on Huger’s case.
RELATED: 8 Real Housewives Arrested for Being Under the Influence.
1 | Karen Huger
Karen Huger, also known as “the Grande Dame,” is an original cast member of The Real Housewives of Potomac, which premiered in 2016. Over the years, she’s touted herself as the wise woman of the group.
Her legal troubles began last March when she drove across a median and ran into street signs. Earlier this year, body cam footage of her subsequent arrest was released, painting a grim picture of the events.
According to Maryland Judiciary records obtained by E! News, the 61-year-old was found guilty of the following charges:
- Driving a vehicle while under the influence of alcohol
- Driving a vehicle while impaired by alcohol
- Negligent driving of a vehicle in a careless and imprudent manner endangering property, life and person
- Failure to control vehicle speed on a highway to avoid collision
- Driving a vehicle in excess of reasonable and prudent speed on a highway
- Driving a vehicle on a highway with suspended registration
- Failure of licensee to notify administration of change of address within 30 days
In addition to her one-year prison sentence, Huger will have to serve five years of probation, People reports.
In lieu of attending the RHOP Season 9 reunion, Huger checked herself into a 28-day treatment facility—though she filmed a somber video that played during the show.
2 | Jen Shah
After asserting her innocence on national television and convincing her costars that her hands were clean, in Jan. 2024, Real Housewives of Salt Lake City star Jen Shah was sentenced to six-and-a-half years in prison, followed by five years of supervised release after pleading guilty to one count of conspiracy to commit wire fraud.
Her guilty plea was related to the 50-year-old running a telemarketing scheme that targeted and defrauded the elderly. Cameras were up for season 2 of RHOSLC when Shah was notoriously met by feds from Homeland Security.
Now, having served more than a year at Bryan Federal Prison Camp in Texas, Shah’s sentence has been reduced for the third time, and she’s expected to be released on Nov. 3, 2026, according to Deadline.
RELATED: 5 Celebrities Who Have Done Real Time in Prison.
3-4 | Teresa and Joe Giudice
Real Housewives of New Jersey stars and former spouses Teresa and Joe Giudice both served prison sentences after they pled guilty to multiple counts of fraud, including bank, mail, wire, and bankruptcy fraud.
First, Teresa served 11 months in prison in 2015. Then, Joe served 41 months and afterward was deported to Italy since he is not a U.S. citizen (he now lives in the Bahamas).
The Guidices’ legal troubles were covered on RHONJ, and the show was put on pause while Teresa was in prison. The 2016 premiere of Season 7 features Teresa returning home to her four daughters.
Teresa and Joe divorced in 2020, and two years later, she remarried Luis Ruelas during a star-studded ceremony that was televised for Bravo.
5-6 | Todd and Julie Chrisley
Todd and Julie Chrisley began starring on their family’s reality show, Chrisley Knows Best, in 2014, but it all came crashing down in 2022. In June, the couple were found guilty of various counts of bank and tax fraud. In November, Todd was sentenced to 12 years in prison, and Julie was sentenced to seven years.
They both reported to prison in Jan. 2023, but their 27-year-old daughter Savannah Chrisley recently told People that her parents have not been allowed to speak to each other since.
Their prison sentences have both been reduced—Todd’s by two years, and Julie’s by 14 months—but the family is still trying to appeal Julie’s conviction, while Savannah is asking President Trump for a pardon.
7 | Abby Lee Miller
For eight seasons, Abby Lee Miller and her dance studio were the centerpieces of Dance Moms, a reality series about young dancers, their mothers, and Miller’s big personality as their instructor.
In 2017, she was sentenced to a year in prison after pleading guilty to bankruptcy fraud but served only eight months before being released to a halfway house in March 2018.
However, the now-59-year-old made somewhat of a comeback last year when her new show, Mad House, premiered on the streaming service Brandon TV (the second season premiers tomorrow).
According to IMDB, the premise of the show is as follows: “Inviting a group of young adult dancers to live with her, she looks to test their abilities with challenges, as they compete for a spot on Abby’s new team.”
RELATED: Top 10 Shocking Moments From Popular Reality TV Shows.
8 | Apollo Nida
When Phaedra Parks joined The Real Housewives of Atlanta as a main cast member in 2010, she was married to Apollo Nida. In 2014, while the couple was still appearing on the show, Nida was sentenced to eight years in prison after pleading guilty to fraud and identity theft. He served five years and was released in 2019.
Parks, who has said she did not know of Nida’s illegal activity, filed for divorce the same year he was sentenced, and their divorce was finalized in 2017. Since his release, Nida has made a couple of cameo appearances on RHOA.
9 | Mike Sorrentino
Mike Sorrentino called himself “The Situation” on Jersey Shore, which premiered in 2009. Eventually, it wasn’t just his wild nights out clubbing that were documented on reality TV.
The spinoff, Jersey Shore: Family Vacation, featured Sorrentino’s sentencing after he pled guilty to tax evasion. The reality star served eight months in prison and was released in September 2019.
However, shortly before he began his prison sentence, he married his wife Lauren, and the couple now has three children together. Sorrentino has been open about his struggles with addiction and his journey to sobriety. He is backing a new treatment center brand for addiction and mental health, with the first two locations set to open in New Jersey this spring.
