Being a Real Housewife can be messy, including on camera screaming matches, legal woes and event arrests. However, there are only a few franchise stars who have actually gone to jail for their scandals. The Real Housewives of Salt Lake City star Jen Shah began a six and a half-year prison sentence in February 2023 after pleading guilty to her role in a telemarketing scheme that defrauded hundreds of victims.
The Real Housewives of New Jersey ’s Teresa Giuidce , meanwhile, spent 11 months in jail after being involved in a federal fraud scheme. (Her now ex-husband Joe Giudice also served time for the crime, 41 months in prison.) In February 2025, The Real Housewives of Potomac ’s Karen Huger was sentenced to one year in jail following a 2024 DUI arrest.
Scroll down to see which Real Housewives women have been behind bars: Teresa Giudice Teresa and her then-husband, Joe, pleaded guilty in 2014 to 41 counts of fraud, including mail, wire and bankruptcy fraud. She served 11 months in prison for her involvement after being sentenced to 15 months. Joe, meanwhile, was sentenced to 41 months in jail.
(Joe also admitted that he did not pay approximately $200,000 in taxes.) After Joe completed his sentence, he was taken into ICE custody in March 2019 and was deported back to his native Italy that October. He has since moved to the Bahamas.
Kim Richards The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills star was arrested at the Beverly Hills Hotel in April 2015 and charged with public intoxication.