Shannon Beador defended her drinking during the Real Housewives of Orange County season 17 reunion — which was taped days before her hit-and-run and DUI arrest.
During part two of the reunion, which aired on Wednesday, October 11, Shannon, 59, called out her costars for discussing her tendency to overshare after drinking alcohol. In response, Heather Dubrow pointed out that Shannon’s behavior was becoming a pattern.
“Don’t get mad at me, you tend to drink and call some of us,” Heather, 54, said, to which Shannon responded, “That’s a f–ked up thing to say to me.”
Shannon argued that she doesn’t have a drinking problem. “Do I go out and drink sometimes? For you to say I need rehab, for you to paint a picture that I’m calling people every single night, [is wrong],” she added.
After Gina Kirschenheiter, who was arrested for a DUI in 2019, suggested Shannon should examine how she chooses to deal with personal turmoil. Shannon, meanwhile, argued that her tension with Gina, 39, was actually a result of onscreen gossip.
“From the beginning of you starting the show, you said in your first season when I was going through my acrimonious divorce [from David Beador], you said I masked with alcohol,” Shannon recalled to Gina. “And I said, ‘Did I drink more this year? Abso-frickin’-lutely I did.’”
The reunion was filmed on September 7. Us Weekly later confirmed that Shannon was arrested on September 16 for a hit-and-run and a DUI. She was booked for two misdemeanors after driving erratically through Newport Beach, California.
Shannon drove onto a residential property and clipped the house while trying to park her car, according to authorities. She got out of the vehicle with her dog Archie when the police arrived in an attempt to pretend she hadn’t been behind the wheel.
Following her arrest, Shannon’s attorney noted in a statement, “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.”
While Shannon has laid low in the wake of the drama, her fellow RHOC stars have offered their opinions on her behavior.
“I hope Shannon continues to take some space and figure out her next steps,” Heather said during a September 27 episode of Watch What Happens Live With Andy Cohen, noting she had not spoken with Shannon since the incident. “Of course, I’m glad no one was hurt and that’s the most important thing.”
