The Grande Dame of Potomac has some thoughts about an OG's return and the unexpected drama set to unfold on season 7 of 'RHOP.'
Karen Huger isn't giving up her "Grande Dame" title anytime soon, even if a challenger approaches on season 7 of The Real Housewives of Potomac in the form of a blast from the past, OG champagne flute-holder Charrisse Jackson-Jordan.
"Who?" Karen cracks to ET when Charrisse's name comes up. "When you bring old dust bunnies around, recycling old dust bunny news, you're going to get old news, you know?"
Charrisse was a full-time Housewife on seasons 1 and 2 of RHOP, transitioning into a "friend of" role in season 3, a role she's reclaimed for the new batch of episodes after an extended hiatus from the show. While some in the group claim Charrisse is the real "Grande Dame" of the DMV and true connector of this cast, Karen begs to differ.
"It's silly to me," she says of the idea that Charrisse deserves the title. "I'm very grateful for the fans for that title, I don't take it lightly. I am who I am, and other people are who they are. Hence, I'm the Grande Dame."
It's clear there's some beef between Karen and Charrisse, aka "Cha Cha." The trailer hints at the friction, featuring one moment of Karen walking away from Charrisse at a group outing, another of her exploding on her, bringing out a side of Karen that viewers haven't really seen before.
"I thought she just had been put away for a minute," Karen quips of the explosive alter ego that surfaces this year. "You know what I'll say? I'm very real and genuine, and I'm a huge fan for family and support of family. And so, you just have to stay tuned and watch it. It is not unfounded, and I think the viewers will understand my reaction once they see it."
The supertease surfaces some challenges to the "institution," as Karen calls her 27-year-long marriage to her husband, Ray Huger. There's talk of "eye candy" and side pieces, suggestions that Karen's been unfaithful.
"I don't pay attention to rumors, but I'll say this: When you bring old news around, it carries old news," she says. "We heard about this seven years ago. We gon' hear about it in the seventh season, cause old folk bring old news. Can we dust the dust bunny off and keep moving?"
"For the record: the Huger Institution is alive and well," she declares. "The rumors are not true, but I am very, very grateful for the rumors. It certainly keeps me in the limelight, thank you. ... I am 5-9 [as in her age, 59], and they're giving me extra men and I got my hands full with Ray?!"
The conversation about the Hugers' marriage goes beyond just Charrisse and Karen. As previewed in the first look at the season, Candiace Dillard Bassett and Ashley Darby also discuss the situation. Karen brushes that chat off as wine-fueled silliness, though.
"I can say that hearing Candiace say that, it did hurt," she admits, "but I will say that you gotta stay tuned, because it doesn't end there -- and what propels Candiace and I forward in our relationship is the following conversation."
That's good news for fans, who saw the duo fall out over the last two seasons after Karen stayed relatively neutral in the aftermath of Candiace's altercation with former co-star Monique Samuels. This year, another physical moment pulls focus: last year's newbie, Mia Thronton, tosses a martini at Wendy Osefo, with Karen caught in the crossfire.
"What I experience this season is 'the lesson' that everyone does on this platform at some point: There's some folk that will go to any level to get the camera turned in their direction -- and that is sad," Karen shares, seemingly referencing Mia. "I was present in that moment -- and everyone knows I am great at paying attention -- and if you watch that trailer very closely, I was on Pluto, not so-- and, no, I missed the splash notice! I missed the cause notice, as we all did. The timing was off and unwarranted, I believe."
"People get caught up in that moment, trying to have that moment, and what makes the OGs so good at what we do is we know that there is no moment," Karen adds. "It's reality. I absolutely adore Mia, but the timing was off, and I didn't understand it."
Karen introduced Mia to this group, but it appears as if their relationships soured a bit in Mia's sophomore season. Mia took a shot at Karen on Twitter, making fun of one of her confessional glam looks.
"Some people need a moment and Mia is better than that," Karen fires back. "I give it nothing because I'm a busy woman, you know, I've raised my children and I wish her well."
Now, Mia's Twitter shade only came after Karen took a shot of her own at co-star Gizelle Bryant, coming for her latest confessional lewk, which features chunky, two-toned highlights. "You’ve got to love her, Skunk Hair design and all," she wrote to her followers. Soon after, Candiace weighed in with, "I think that the network has a responsibility to step in when our interview looks are criminally offensive. Because, my God…"
"I don't know why social media lumped that together either; Candiace was giving her opinion, I was giving mine," Karen says. "I actually was setting the table, because I knew my skunk moment was coming, too! I was trying to get ahead of it. I was like, 'Let me get ahead of this. Let me just chime in.' Girl, you look like Pepé Le Pew."
Yes, Karen's also trashing the look Mia came for in her tweet:
"I have a sense of humor," she declares. "I never really get the opportunity -- and thank you for allowing me -- to share that, just to be genuinely funny about those moments when we think we're hitting and holding in our confessional, we may have a moment."
Karen says she didn't even hear from Gizelle after taking that shot at her, which rings true for their relationship.
"Gizelle and I are grown women," she says. "I don't respond to Gizelle, Gizelle doesn't respond to me. We have a job to do, and we do it well, and we know our role, and it's not to come after me about a skunk, Pepé Le Pew moment. Girl, we save that for real stuff in our frenemy relationship. You don't come after me on social media. That's rookie stuff, no. Gizelle, I don't even know if Gizelle ever gets on social media!"
Social media is sure to light up on Sunday nights as season 7 plays out; and according to Karen, there will be plenty to dissect.
"I can't say this enough: the level that some of the women will go to to have a moment, to be relevant-- they will say or do anything to make that moment happen, and what you'll find is at the end of the journey, they all are connected to me," she teases. "Every last cast member is sitting at my table. Thank god my arms are wide enough and I can handle them all, you know what I'm saying? Line 'em up."
"At the end of the day, I think there's a lot of love here and admiration," she continues, "but I come with facts, you know? I'm a grown woman and I'm going to put a spin on it, I'm going to laugh. I'm going to enjoy it with you. So, I will say that surprised me a lot to see what level people will go to, to try and defame you, maybe, or just be relevant, and I think if they would just take a step back and look at what they admire so much about the OGs, they'll realize that every last one of us -- including Robyn [Dixon] -- is very real."
RHOP hits a milestone this year, with four OGs still standing seven seasons in: Karen, Gizelle, Robyn and Ashley. Karen is confident that lineup contributes to the "epic" heights reached in season 7.
"I don't miss a beat this time," she promises. "You gon' throw a rumor at me and think I'm going to fall? No. And then I'm going to stand and put some humor on it and call it for what it is and turn the mirror on you. It's powerful what happens this season."
The Real Housewives of Potomac airs Sundays at 8 p.m. ET/PT on Bravo starting Oct. 9.
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