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Shannon Beador.
Bravo alum Jeff Lewis spoke out about his close friend Shannon Beador hours after she was reported to have been involved in an alleged DUI hit and run accident.
On Monday, September 18, 2023, law enforcement sources told TMZ that the “Real Housewives of Orange County” star drove her car into a Newport Beach, California residence while under the influence. The accident took place at a property on Via Lido and Via Oporto in the early morning hours of September 17, The Los Angeles Times reported.
Beador, who had been driving with her dog, Archie, in the car, reportedly moved her vehicle and got out of it in an attempt to walk away from the scene, but a 911 call had already been placed and police arrived. The Newport Beach Police Department confirmed that Beador, 59, was booked on misdemeanor charges of hit and run and driving under the influence, per the Daily Mail.
Lewis addressed the incident on the September 18 episode of his Sirius XM show “Jeff Lewis Live.” After revealing that he spoke to Beador personally, the former “Flipping Out” star said, “I am happy to say that she is gonna be entering counseling this week, so I’m happy about that.”
Heavy has reached out to a rep for Beador for comment.
Jeff Lewis Said Shannon Beador Was Injured in the Car Accident
On his podcast, Lewis confirmed that he had been out to dinner with Beador on Friday night and had invited her out again on Saturday, but that she told him she was staying in. “But she ended up going out, unfortunately,” Lewis said. “She got a DUI on Saturday night. She was also in a car accident. She was injured so she’s going to be recovering.”
“Aside from Shannon, no one else was hurt in the accident,” Lewis added.
Lewis expressed shock over his friend’s judgment and said it was unlike her. “I will say I’ve been friends with Shannon for a very long time. I was shocked because I have never known Shannon to ever ever drink and drive,” he said. “I will tell you, she’s accepting full accountability. She is ashamed, she is embarrassed.”
While he did not go into detail regarding the type of counseling Beador will allegedly pursue, Lewis said he does not believe The Real Housewives star has a drinking problem.
“I think as her close friend, I think she’s going through a lot of personal struggles right now, and I think that she probably has been leaning on alcohol, but I don’t believe she’s an alcoholic,” Lewis said, later adding, “I’m not justifying it, I’m not condoning it, I just am telling you what I know.”
Beador’s “Real Housewives of Orange County castmate Tamra Judge also addressed the story. While speaking on her “Two Ts in a Pod’ podcast, Judge claimed she spoke to Beador on Sunday and she did not mention the accident at all. ”I’m shaking,” Judge said on September 18. “I don’t even know if it’s true. I talked to Tamra (Sunday), she didn’t say a word to me. I’m literally shaking.”
Judge noted that during a conference call for their “Tres Amigas” live show, Beador was “extremely quiet.”
Shannon Beador’s Lawyer Said She is Accepting ‘Full Responsibility For Her Actions’
Beador’s lawyer, Michael Fell issued a statement to TMZ after spending extended time with her on Sunday. “She is extremely apologetic and remorseful,” Fell told the outlet. “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.”
The car accident took place days after Beador slammed her co-star Gina Kirschenheiter’s accusations about her drinking. On September 13, Beador told Us Weekly that Kirschenheiter made “inaccurate” claims about her on the currently airing 17th season of the Bravo reality show and suggested that everyone “look at other people on the show this season who’ve been drinking a lot.”
Kirschenheiter told the outlet, “I don’t care if Shannon wants to say she has a problem with alcohol or not. I’m not here to judge anybody or diagnose anybody but … her drinking is a problem for everybody else.”
Kirschenheiter was arrested for DUI in 2019, according to Page Six.
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