Gina Kirschenheiter and Heather Dubrow Address Shannon Beador's DUI

By Emma Chance | Celebrity | September 29, 2023 |

By Emma Chance | Celebrity | September 29, 2023 |

Gina Kirschenheiter is perhaps the most anticipated person to comment on her Real Housewives of Orange County co-star, Shannon Beador’s, recent DUI. Recall, if you will, the year 2019: arguably Kirschenheiter’s worst year, when she was going through a divorce and a domestic violence dispute, and was arrested for driving under the influence in the midst of it all. Beador played a role in getting Kirschenheiter in contact with an attorney, and she has never let her forget it. Then, this season, as the two were feuding about rumors Kirschenheiter allegedly spread about Beador’s then relationship, Beador made the claim that Child Protective Services would have taken Kirschenheiter’s children had she not stepped in.

When it came out that Beador said the CPS thing, she claimed she absolutely did not (read: she lied.) But the statement was made at a party of Beador’s where, as is typical for her, the tequila was flowing freely. Therein lays the unfortunate thing about Shannon Storms Beador: she can really put that liquor back. Her tagline for this season was literally, “In Orange County, I always call the shots, and it’s always tequila.” Yeah. Sad.

So, everyone’s been waiting to hear what Gina has to say. Luckily, she has a podcast aptly named the Orange County Podcast, to do just that.

“As easy of a target as she is right now, I know you, Gina, well enough to know that is not the stance you would take, and certainly not where I wanna come from, but people are expecting you to say something,” Kirschenheiter’s co-host, Shane McAnally said.

“Obviously you can’t ignore the fact that this is … the irony of it, right, is major, but honestly really at the end of the day—I’ve been thinking a lot about this and Shannon in general—and I just don’t have it in me. I’m not gonna kick someone when they’re down. You know what I mean? And I’ve been down. I know where she’s at right now. It’s not a good place to be,” Kirschenheiter responded.

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“I feel bad for her,” she said, explaining that part of her did think it was “karma” at first, but, “I really now have settled into appropriate sympathy for the situation and for her, and I don’t want to see anybody down. I never have. I just didn’t want to be put down, you know?”

Meanwhile, Heather Dubrow said on Watch What Happens Live that she hopes “Shannon continues to take some space and figure out her next steps.” When Andy Cohen asked her, “What do you think should happen?” she answered, “We don’t have time for that.”

I think we can all read between the lines and say what should happen: lots and lots of therapy and no more tequila, ever.