Shannon Beador Enrolls In 'Outpatient Behavioral Wellness Program' After DUI Hit-and-Run

By Emily Richardson | Celebrity | October 10, 2023 |

By Emily Richardson | Celebrity | October 10, 2023 |

It is a truth universally acknowledged that a drunk Real Housewife makes for wildly entertaining reality television. See: Countess Luann falling in the bushes in Mexico, Dorinda Medley screaming, “Clip! Clip!” in a New York restaurant at noon, Jennifer Aydin getting tequila-wasted at a Jersey pool party, and every single time a Real Housewife throws a glass of wine in a co-star’s face.

But let’s be real. As amusing as their alcohol-fuelled antics can be, many of these women have obvious drinking problems. Some have been open about their issues (Luann, Leah McSweeney, Kim Richards, Gina Kirschenheiter), while others continue to live in total denial (Dorinda Medley and Sonja Morgan). Up until last month, Real Housewives of Orange County star Shannon Beador belonged to the latter group.

59-year-old Shannon’s issues with alcohol have been a recurring storyline for years. But, this past season, things came to a head when Shannon got tanked at a party and claimed that CPS almost took Gina Kirschenheiter’s kids away after Gina’s 2019 DUI (she’s gotten sober since). When another Housewife told Gina what Shannon said, she was understandably upset. It wasn’t true! When Gina confronted Shannon, Shannon denied everything. Her excuse? She blacked out and didn’t remember saying it. In a confessional, Gina said she thought Shannon should go to rehab.

On September 16, Shannon was arrested for a drunken hit-and-run in Newport Beach. She smashed her car into the side of someone’s house, drove away, parked in the middle of the street, and then pretended she was walking her dog when the cops showed up. They didn’t buy it.

After she was charged and released on bond, Shannon’s lawyer said she was “extremely apologetic and remorseful” and “prepared to accept full responsibility for her actions.” At the time, I hypothesized that Shannon would immediately go to rehab. But she didn’t. Soon, her friend, fellow Bravo star Jeff Lewis, claimed Shannon was researching counselling options, but he didn’t think she was an alcoholic. A week after the hit-and-run, Page Six reported that Shannon was “looking into treatment centers” but hadn’t picked one yet. Then, radio silence.

Last week, the first episode of the RHOC reunion aired, and Shannon’s CPS comments were a major discussion point. Once again, Shannon refused to take accountability for her statements and tried to make Gina look like the bad guy. Bravo bookended the “Shannon vs. Gina” segment with two title cards; the first informed viewers that the reunion “was filmed 10 days prior to Shannon Storms Beador’s DUI arrest,” the second provided the number for the National Drug and Alcohol Treatment Hotline.

Yesterday, TMZ reported that Shannon had finally entered a treatment program. I think. The news outlet described it as “an outpatient behavioral wellness program with an alcohol component.” Now, I’m not sure exactly what that means, but it doesn’t sound like a traditional rehab.

TMZ also reported that Shannon will continue touring her “Tres Amigas” live comedy show with cast-mates Tamra Judge and Vicki Gunvalson. A big part of the trio’s schtick is their love of tequila and partying. But TMZ says the women are “adjusting the show to focus more on their friendship” and Shannon will be sober.

But, even if the “Tres Amigas” focus less on drinking, their fans will still imbibe. Last week, I went to Luann de Lesseps’ Countess Cabaret show in Toronto. As far as we know, Luann doesn’t drink (her sobriety journey kicked off in 2017, when she was arrested for drunkenly assaulting a cop), but that didn’t stop audience members from chugging red wine like it was the last night before prohibition. By the end of the evening, fans had spilled hundreds of drinks, made multiple attempts to climb up onstage, and I counted three women passed out in their seats.

Now, I’m recently sober, and I gotta admit that I was a little jealous of my fellow Bravo fans’ drunken antics (well, not the passed out ones, they missed Lu’s performance of “Money Can’t Buy You Class”). Does Luann also get triggered? It’s gotta be hard to stay sober in such a boozy environment. And how will Shannon fare on her tour? Is she really committed to getting clean, or is this mysterious “wellness program” simply an attempt to look good before she’s sentenced for her crimes? One thing’s for sure: Housewives fans can’t wait to see what happens to Shannon on the next season of Orange County. And Bravo knows it.