Cameras are expected to pick up on the Bravo show’s next installment at the end of March, an insider tells PEOPLE
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The Real Housewives of New Jersey may have famously paused filming while Teresa Giudice served her 11-month prison sentence for bank, mail, wire and bankruptcy fraud. But The Real Housewives of Potomac won’t be doing that for Karen Huger, who on Wednesday, Feb. 26 was officially sentenced to two years in prison, with one year suspended, for her fourth DUI conviction.
A source tells PEOPLE that production on the Bravo reality show will proceed with its upcoming 10th season as Huger is behind bars. Cameras are expected to pick up officially at the end of March, the insider says.
That doesn’t mean she’s being kicked off the show. Huger, 61, could still return in the future, according to the source, especially if her sentence is reduced. She has 30 days to appeal the judge’s decision, and 90 days to ask the judge to reconsider his order.
Bravo, when reached by PEOPLE, would not confirm filming on season 10. The network also famously does not comment on casting.
A rep for Huger did not respond to PEOPLE’s request for comment.
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Huger was an original cast member since RHOP premiered in January 2016. The series, following the lives of a group of women living in and around the affluent Maryland suburb, helped make Huger a household name and catapulted “The Grand Dame” — a moniker given to Huger by costar Gizelle Bryant — into the Bravo lexicon
The reality star has been a mainstay on RHOP since, never missing a season as a full-time Housewife even during difficult times, like after the death of her parents.
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She was a presence throughout season 9, too, where her March 2024 drunk driving crash and subsequent arrest was a hot topic among Bryant and costars Ashley Darby, Wendy Osefo, Mia Thornton, Keiarna Stewart, Stacey Rusch, Jassi Rideaux and Jacqueline Blake.
The mother of two only missed the RHOP season 9 reunion after checking herself into a private recovery program in Florida. She later explained in a video that aired on the reunion’s first part that she was in treatment to “get to the bottom” of “taking antidepressants and drinking.”
“I’m not an alcoholic, let’s be clear,” she said, later thanking her costars in a second video message that aired on the reunion for their support.
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Despite likely not appearing on season 10, Huger is expected to still be discussed. A source tells PEOPLE Bryant even told attendees at her City Winery event on Wednesday that she would be open to filming a visit to see Huger in jail next season if producers could get clearance.
Many of Huger’s other costars have spoken out about her sentencing already, with Darby telling Tamron Hall that she “cried like a baby” when she heard the news” and Osefo sharing with PEOPLE, “I always wish her well, and I’m just keeping her in prayer.”
As for the show’s future trajectory, Osefo said she believes the RHOP cast can continue without her.
“With this group, we have found a way to navigate with her presence and without her presence,” Osefo said. “Looking at the reunion, I think that we maneuvered in a positive way as a collective, as a unit. I wish her the best, but I think that the Potomac brand still is strong.”
The Real Housewives of Potomac season 9 reunion wraps Sunday (8 p.m. ET) on Bravo. Episodes stream the next day on Peacock.
