Shannon Beador is kicking off season 18 of The Real Housewives of Orange County being honest about her DUI Arrest September 2023. In a preview of the RHOC premiere posted on the Bravo TV websiteThe reality TV star shares her regrets about the events of the night she was arrested while under the influence of alcohol with her three daughters, Sophie Beador, 22, and twins Stella and Adeline Beador, 19.
In the preview for the episode, Shannon breaks down in tears as she talks to Stella, who is getting ready to go back to school. “I took Sophie to college, I took Adeline to college, and your dad took you, so I intended to come and visit you,” she says. “But because of my mistakes, I couldn’t come. And I feel bad.”
“I’m so sorry and humbled that I let you down,” Shannon continues. “What kind of role model am I at 59?”
“We’re just glad you’re okay and that no one got hurt,” Stella tells her mom, to which Sophie adds, “And that you take responsibility for your actions, learn from them, and grow.”
In a confessional, Shannon tells the camera, “I’ve never broken a bone, never had a concussion, never been in an accident, never been arrested, never been arrested for DUI — and I did it all in 10 seconds.”
Speaking to her daughters, Shannon says she is focused on moving forward.
“God has a plan,” Shannon says. “I totally believe in it.”
According to court documents obtained by ET, Beador was behind the wheel on the night of Sept. 16, 2023, when he crashed his vehicle into a building in Newport Beach, causing $24,000 in damages. The reality TV personality paid for the damages, his attorney Michael Fell told ET.
In September, a person familiar with the accident gave ET an inside scoop about what exactly happened that night.
“Shannon came home from a night out and realized she had left her phone where it was. She was unable to call an Uber without her phone and decided to drive back to the scene, resulting in the accident,” the source told ET. “Shannon is devastated and knows she made a huge mistake. She has always been against drinking and driving and never does. She is telling friends that this lapse in judgment will not happen again.”
The housewife was arrested at the time of the incident and was charged in October with one count of driving under the influence of alcohol, driving with a blood alcohol content (BAC) of 0.08 or more and one count of hit and run with property damage. All three charges were misdemeanors.
According to the criminal complaint obtained by ET, Beador had a blood alcohol concentration of 0.20 percent or more by weight at the time of the crash.
When police arrived on the scene, Beador was “discharging blood from her left eye that was running down her face, chest and hands” when first responders arrived on the scene. Police also said she was crying and “stumbling” on the sidewalk after exiting the vehicle.
Beador was sentenced to 36 months probation40 hours of community service and a nine-month alcohol prevention program on November 2, 2023.
“I am grateful that no one else was injured other than myself in this incident. I have learned a lot from my terrible mistake that night and realize that driving any distance while intoxicated is too far,” Beador said in a statement after the sentencing.
Talking to ET in BravoCon 2023, Beador revealed how she was doing less than two months later she was taken into custody.
“I’ve spent the last month focusing on myself,” Beador told ET. “I went on a program for 28 days and I’m — I’ve started and I’m continuing to eliminate toxic and unhealthy things from my life.”
She clarified that while this means she’s cutting alcohol out of her diet, it’s not the only thing she’s cutting out.
“I don’t drink and, you know, there are certain relationships that I’ve ended as well,” she shared.
The Real Housewives of Orange County season 18 premieres July 11 at 9pm ET/PT on Bravo. Returning Housewives Shannon Beador, Heather Dubrow, Judge Tamra, Gina Kirschenheiter, Emily Simpson It is Jenn Pedranti are joined by new cast members Katie Ginella and her friend Alexis Bellino.
Episodes will be available to stream the next day on Peacock.
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