Shannon Beador breaks silence on traffic citation following DUI

Shannon Beador has broken her silence on her recent traffic citation following her 2023 DUI, insisting she “didn’t do anything wrong.”

The “Real Housewives of Orange County” star, 61, was pulled over and cited for “operating a handheld wireless telephone or electronic wireless communication device” while behind the wheel in Orange County, Calif., in May.

“Everything’s fine! I was coming from an interview confessional, and I got a new puppy, and when I was at a red light, my phone buzzed,” Beador explained to Kelly Ripa on the latter’s “Let’s Talk Off Camera” podcast Wednesday.

Emphasizing that she “wasn’t driving,” the Bravolebrity said she “looked at it” and realized it was “one of those political texts,” so she “put the phone down.”

That’s when a police officer stopped her, allegedly citing California’s new “no-touch” phone law that prohibits drivers from making physical contact with their cell phones.

However, Beador noted that the cop pulled her over “before” the law, which she didn’t know about, went into effect.

“It’s not a moving violation, but people like to report!” she added, admitting that the ordeal was triggering.

“I said, ‘I didn’t do anything wrong. What did I do?’” she recalled asking the officer, who allegedly responded, “You were texting.”

Beador said she replied, “I wasn’t. I was at a red light, picked the phone up and put it down.”

The reality personality, who is on probation until November 2026, was required to pay a $20 fine but did not receive any points on her record.

Beador was arrested in September 2023 for driving under the influence and hit-and-run after she drunkenly crashed her car at a high rate of speed into a house in Newport Beach, Calif., before fleeing the scene.

The mother of three then parked her vehicle in the middle of the street and pretended to walk her Golden Retriever, Archie, who was in the car.

She was sentenced to three years of probation, 40 hours of community service and a nine-month alcohol program.