Shannon Beador broke her silence after getting arrested for a hit-and-run and a DUI.
“I know it’s been a while since I posted and there’s been a lot of talk about what happened recently,” Beador, 59, said in a video via her Instagram Story on Tuesday, October 17. “But unfortunately right now, I’m not in the position to comment. But there will be a time when I can, and I intend to be open, honest, and authentic.”
In the clip, the Real Housewives of Orange County star took a stroll with her dog, Archie, giving fans a glimpse of the pup and adding,”Right now, I’m focusing on getting healthy, getting back to myself and walking Archie.”
Beador was booked for two misdemeanors on September 16, after driving erratically through Newport Beach. According to the authorities, Beador drove onto a residential property and clipped the house while trying to park her car. She got out of the vehicle with her dog when the police arrived, which is when she allegedly attempted to make it seem like she was walking her pet.
The reality star’s attorney issued a statement after news broke about her arrest.
“I spent quite a bit of time with Shannon yesterday. She is extremely apologetic and remorseful. We will be awaiting the official information on this case as it becomes available, and Shannon is prepared to accept full responsibility for her actions,” Michael Fell told Us Weekly on September 18.
Beador’s friend Jeff Lewis also weighed in on her legal troubles. “She got a DUI on Saturday night, she was also in a car accident. She was injured,” he said during a September episode of SiriusXM’s Jeff Lewis Live. “So she’s gonna be recovering. Shannon and I have been friends for a very long time. I was shocked. She called me yesterday, we talked for a while and I was shocked because I’ve never known Shannon to ever, ever, ever drink and drive. That is something that we have both discussed previously.”
Lewis, 53, slammed the notion that Beador is an alcoholic after the topic previously came up on RHOC.
“I don’t think Shannon is an alcoholic. As her close friend, I think she’s going through a lot of personal struggles right now and I think that she probably has been leaning on alcohol, but I don’t believe she’s an alcoholic,” he continued. “I am happy to say that she is going to be entering counseling this week, so I am happy about that.”
Before addressing her arrest, Beador questioned the accusations coming from her Bravo costars about her reliance on alcohol.
“It’s hard. I know that that’s not who I am. My kids watched the episode with me and they were pretty upset about it. They’re like, ‘Mom, that’s not who you are.’ I feel as though when I’m on the show that I will point out something unkind that a cast member’s done,” she exclusively told Us Weekly in June. “But I try to avoid putting general characterizations out there about people’s personalities because it’s damaging.”
Tamra Judge is just one of the Bravo stars who have speculated about Beador’s alleged drinking problem. Judge, 56, previously claimed that Beador not remembering her behavior after drinking was a sign of a larger problem.
Meanwhile, Gina Kirschenheiter candidly discussed her reaction to Beador bringing up her own DUI from 2019 during season 17. Kirschenheiter, 39, wasn’t thrilled to have her past become a talking point as Beador dealt with her own issues.
“I’m very angry and I’m very disappointed. I’m very upset by it. I don’t understand it. I don’t know why I’m the target of it and I don’t even think she gets it,” she told Us last month. “But also she didn’t really take full responsibility [or] accountability. She didn’t really even admit to actually saying the things she said. And then not only did she say them, but she was giving a speech about it at a table with some people that I don’t even really know.”
Kirschenheiter continued: “I don’t care if Shannon wants to say she has a problem with alcohol or not. I’m not here to judge anybody or diagnose anybody but that and her drinking is a problem for everybody else. And you would think that somebody would want to look at least that part of it.”
