Andy Cohen is setting the record straight regarding who nicknamed Karen Huger the Grand Dame.
On Sunday night’s episode of Watch What Happens Live — which featured Real Housewives of Potomac stars Gizelle Bryant and Robyn Dixon — Cohen addressed Huger’s claim in the police camera footage from the night of her DUI that he was the one who coined her nickname.
“Just to point out, Gizelle is the one who gave Karen the Grand Dame name, even though she told the officer it was I,” Cohen said, to which Bryant confirmed, “It was me. And people are confused because they hadn’t seen it. It was done in our sizzle reel. Our sizzle reel, before we were picked up, that’s when I gave her the title.”
TMZ reported in March 2024 that Huger had been charged with one count of driving under the influence and six other traffic violations after totaling her car in a high-speed accident. However, Huger maintained that she had swerved to “avoid the head-on collision” with another car she claimed was coming toward her.
While she promised she would be vindicated of any wrongdoing, she was ultimately found guilty on all charges except reckless driving back in December. Following the verdict, footage from the night of her DUI was released, showing a seemingly inebriated Huger telling a cop that Cohen was the one who originated her Grand Dame title and bizarrely calling herself “Thomas Jefferson’s concubine.”
Dixon, who left The Real Housewives of Potomac ahead of Season 9, reacted to the videos on WWHL, telling Cohen, “That sounded reminiscent of the phone calls I would get from her at 10 a.m. in the morning … 10 a.m., 2 p.m., it doesn’t matter.”
The former Real Housewives star also said she wasn’t surprised by the guilty verdict.
“None of it’s a surprise. None of it,” she said. “The deflections, the lying, the fact that she was guilty, none of it’s a surprise. It’s sad, but it’s not a surprise.”
Watch What Happens Live airs Sunday through Thursdays at 10 p.m. ET on Bravo. New episodes are available to stream the next day on Peacock.
If you or someone you know is struggling with substance abuse, call the SAMHSA National Helpline at 1-800-662-4357.
