Keiarna Stewart Talks #RHOP & Karen Huger [Exclusive]

As the next season of The Real Housewives of Potomac looms on the horizon, the newest full-time flute holder is chatting with BOSSIP.

Keiarna Stewart previously made waves as a friend of the show but transitioned into a full-time housewife in season 9, something she’s grateful for.

“I survived [RHOP], girl!” Keiarna recently told BOSSIP. “Its different when you be that friend and you can jump in and out versus when you’re a housewife, and you tell me your business honey, but I survived. It was great. It was a great opportunity for me to step up.”

The upcoming season promises to be one of the most tumultuous yet, with the absence of the Grand Dame Karen Huger casting a long shadow amid her jail sentence. Keiarna got a taste of that absence at the #RHOP reunion, where she was certain that the OG would eventually show up.

“When I first got there, I’m like, ‘No, really, where is Karen. I thought Karen was going to come in and drag one of the girls in the fourth quarter, but they were, like, no, she’s really not coming.”

The reality of Karen’s absence has been difficult for Keiarna, who admitted to BOSSIP that she’s truly sad for her friend.

“Jail is real, you know? I don’t want to see anybody in jail, especially not someone that I love and adore,” said Keiarna. “You know, we think of Karen as a fun, big personality, but I also know her as a mother. I know her as a wife. I know her as a friend, so it makes me sad.”

While Huger’s legal troubles have dominated headlines, another scandal broke during the #RHOP reunion.

As previously reported, Stacey Rusch’s ex-boyfriend, TJ, told Eddie Osefo that he was paid to fake their relationship for the show. The explosive revelation left many cast members and Bravo watchers questioning the authenticity of Rusch’s storyline, Keiarna included.

“When you find out, you let me know because I’m still waiting on the information,” said Keiarna. “I don’t know. It was all very interesting. It was always a little fishy, in my opinion. Stacey says otherwise, so we just have to see.”

Despite the turmoil surrounding the cast, filming for the next season of #RHOP is set to begin. TV Deets reports, however, that instead of a March filming date, the cameras have been pushed back to April.

Either way, Keairna is ready for what’s to come.

“Honey, giddy up, giddy up,” she told BOSSIP. “I got my boots strapped honey, I’m laced up to the top, we ready! If you wasn’t ready, one thing I have learned as a housewife, is you better get ready.”