Shannon Beador gets teary-eyed while speaking with her three daughters about her September 2023 DUI arrest.
Shannon Beador is kicking off season 18 of The Real Housewives of Orange County by getting candid about her September 2023 DUI arrest. In a preview of the RHOC premiere posted to Bravo TV's website, the reality star shares her regrets about the events on the night of her DUI with her three daughters, 22-year-old Sophie Beador and 19-year-old twins Stella and Adeline Beador.
In the episode preview, Shannon begins to tear up as she speaks to Stella, who's preparing to head back to school. "I took Sophie to college, I took Adeline to college, and your dad took you, so it was my intent to come and visit you," she says. "But because of my mistakes, I wasn't able to come. And I feel bad."
"I'm so sorry and humiliated that I disappointed you," Shannon continues. "What kind of example am I at 59?"
"We're glad that you're okay and that no one was hurt," Stella tells her mother, to which Sophie adds, "And that you take accountability for your actions and you learn from them and you grow."
In a confessional, Shannon tells the camera, "I've never broken a bone, I've never had a concussion, I've never been in an accident, I've never been arrested, I've never had a DUI -- and I did all that in 10 seconds."
Speaking to her daughters, Shannon says she's focused on moving forward.
"God has a plan," Shannon says. "I absolutely believe that."
According to court documents obtained by ET, Beador was behind the wheel on the night of Sept. 16, 2023 when she crashed her vehicle into a building in Newport Beach, causing $24,000 in damage. The reality TV personality paid for the damage, her attorney Michael Fell told ET.
In September, a person familiar with the crash gave ET an inside scoop on what exactly happened that night.
"Shannon got home from a night out and realized she left her phone at the place she was at. She wasn't able to call an Uber without her phone and decided to drive back to the place, resulting in the accident," the source told ET. "Shannon is devastated and knows she made a big mistake. She has always been against drinking and driving and never does. She’s telling friends this lapse in judgment won’t 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 .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 .20 percent or more by weight at the time of the crash.
When police arrived at the scene, Beador was "expelling blood from her left eye which dripped down her face, onto her chest, and on her hands" when first responders arrived at the scene. Police also said she was crying and "stumbling" on the sidewalk after exiting her vehicle.
Beador was sentenced to 36 months of probation, 40 hours of community service and a nine-month alcohol program on Nov. 2, 2023.
"I am grateful that no one else was injured besides me in this incident. I have learned so much from my terrible mistake that night and realize that driving any distance while impaired is too far," Beador said in a statement following the sentencing.
Speaking with ET at BravoCon 2023, Beador revealed how she was doing less than two months after she was taken into custody.
"I've spent the last month focusing on myself," Beador told ET. "I went to a program for 28 days and I am -- I have started and I'm continuing to eliminate toxic and unhealthy things in my life."
She clarified that while that does mean she is axing alcohol from her diet, it's not the only thing she is cutting out.
"I haven't been drinking 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 9 p.m. ET/PT on Bravo. Returning housewives Shannon Beador, Heather Dubrow, Tamra Judge, Gina Kirschenheiter, Emily Simpson and Jenn Pedranti are joined by new cast members Katie Ginella and friend Alexis Bellino.
Episodes will be available to stream the next day on Peacock.
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