As Bravo’s The Real Housewives of Potomac season 7 is quickly approaching, fans are recalling their favorite franchise moments featuring "The Grande Dame," Karen Huger. Over the past six years, Karen has been a staple of the Potomac-based series. Her glamour, style, and attitude bring balance to the RHOP cast. From her fights with Gizelle Bryant and Robin Dixon (whom she affectionately refers to as “the green-eyed bandits” on the show), to her extravagant wedding anniversary parties, Karen always wins over fans. Viewers have delighted in all of her anecdotes since the show’s debut, and with season 7 around the corner, they are looking forward to her return.
Through her ups and downs on the show, Karen evolved from the villain that viewers loved to hate, into the ultimate relatable girlfriend. However, during The Real Housewives of Potomac season 1, she was unafraid to shade the other women about their improper etiquette. Her comments on Gizelle’s behavior at a party put her at odds with her fellow Potomac housewives. By season 2, the women had turned their attention to Karen and Ray's financial situation, as her family had secretly moved into a rental home outside the Potomac area, without telling the other cast members. Questions were also swirling about the stability of Karen and Ray Huger’s marriage.
In season 3, Karen came clean about the financial troubles that she and Ray were having, after Ashley Darby exposed Karen’s money woes to the other cast members. The couple was millions of dollars in debt, but in the words of reality TV queen herself, via the show,“You gotta make millions to owe millions.” After overcoming her fair share of controversy during the first three seasons, Karen started to become more popular, and ended up a fan favorite in the Housewives franchise.
RHOP's Karen Huger Had A Major Comeback
Karen and Ray remained a united front, and seemingly overcame the financial issues that had them in the hot seat in the prior season. After defending herself from insults centered on her debts, Karen launched her perfume line, La'Dame, and successfully rebounded. She continued her entrepreneurial ventures by starting her three-wick candle line, as well as an exclusive wig line with hairstylist, Steven Thomas, aptly titled, La Dame by Karen Huger. She was also the first housewife on the show to call out Ashley for being a hypocrite, when Ashley’s husband Michael Darby found himself at the center of controversy. Despite the drama, Ashley and Karen made amends by the end of season 4, and have remained supportive of one another in seasons 5 and 6.
The RHOP Star Karen Huger Gets A Spin-Off Show
The Real Housewives of Potomac season 6 ended last October, but Karen did not rest for very long. In April, she starred in a spin-off show that followed her, and her Surry County relatives. It was called The Real Housewives of Potomac: Karen’s Grande Dame Reunion. She is the only Potomac cast member to get her own spin-off series since the show first premiered. If that was not enough to solidify Karen’s fan-favorite status, her high-profile fans catapulted her into a league of her own.
RHOP's Karen Huger Has Celebrity Fans
For last season’s The Real Housewives of Potomac season, mega-star Nicki Minaj hosted part four of the show’s reunion, after Andy Cohen moderated the last three installments. Before the reunion, fans wondered how Bravo managed to get Nicki locked in as a special guest. Last October, Karen revealed that she and Nicki followed each other on social media before they met at the reunion. Nicki is a big supporter of Karen and her husband, Ray. Rihanna and KeKe Palmer also follow the popular reality icon on Instagram.
Karen overcame her fair share of controversy during her past six seasons of The Real Housewives of Potomac, emerging as a show veteran and fan favorite. Although her storyline for the upcoming season is unknown, she will be a sure source of entertainment, inspiration, and good times.
The Real Housewives of Potomac season 7 will premiere on October 9.