After Lauri Peterson exited “The Real Housewives of Orange County” in 2008, she told The Orange County Register that her son’s substance use issues had influenced her decision. He’d been arrested for possession of heroin, which made Peterson decide to prioritize him over the show. “I was traumatized by Josh’s arrest. I truly was completely emotionally unavailable. I was crying continually, and I wasn’t helping my son,” she said. She argued that her family’s participation in the show had nothing to do with Josh Waring’s substance use issues and revealed that he had wanted to keep appearing on “RHOC” with her at the time.
In the years that followed, Waring had multiple brushes with the law. In 2016, he was jailed for attempted murder and spent the next four years behind bars. As reported by The Blast, he reached a plea deal and was released in 2020. A year prior, OC Weekly reported that Waring had organized a hunger strike protesting the Orange County Sheriff’s Department’s alleged unlawful surveillance and mistreatment of inmates. His attorney believed that jail officials were engaging “in a scheme to severely injure or kill” Waring because he was drawing attention to their alleged corruption.
Following his release, Waring added several arrests for drug-related charges to his record, according to The Orange County Register. In February 2024, he was arrested for allegedly assaulting a security guard and given a 90-day jail sentence for violating his release terms.
If you or anyone you know is struggling with addiction issues, help is available. Visit the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration website or contact SAMHSA’s National Helpline at 1-800-662-HELP (4357).
