Real Housewives: Jeanna's Husband, 6 Months in Jailhouse

Real life means jail time for one of the reality "stars" of the Real Housewives of Orange County.

Jeanna's soon to be ex-husband, Matt Keough, was sentenced to six months in jail and had his probation reinstated. Judge Thomas Borris had the discretion to sentence Keough to up to 5 years in prison for violating the terms of his parole. The site, The Insider, has more.

An ex-all star pitcher for the Oakland A's, Keough's troubles with the bottle has been a taboo topic on the popular Bravo TV reality series, Real Housewives of Orange County.

Keough, rarely seen during the series' first two seasons, was battling his own demons, that of probation officers, rehabs, and attempts to curb binge drinking.

This season on Real Housewives has Jeanna dealing with the breakup of her marriage with Matt. The reasons given didn't include Matt serving a seven week sentence in the Newport Beach City Jail.

Matt had been released less than a week earlier from the Newport Jail. His parole was based on an incident in 2005 where Keough's life began to spiral further out of control after getting convicted of DUI and leaving the scene of an accident.

Keough checked himself into the Betty Ford Clinic for a month plus a five months' stint at Sober Living by the Sea, a Newport Beach outpatient program. Matt's absences from the show were explained as "Dad's away working."

Keough was arrested on December 18th after spending "several" days binge drinking at a local hotel. This violated the terms of the 2005 incident and incurred the wrath of the judge who ordered Keough to remain in jail until the January 11th decision by Judge Borris. Borris told Keough that this was his "last chance."

Keough's attorney, Joseph McGinley, said his client was committed to getting the help he needs.

Keough's life wasn't always a grim fight with alcohol and irate judges. He was named to the All-Star Team his rookie season in 1978 with the Athletics with an ERA of 3.24 and a 8-15 won-loss record.

Matt's success was up and down. The next season his pitching was dismal, but by the next year he had a resurgence. He married Jeanna, a former Playboy centerfold, in 1980. By 1983 he was traded to the Yankees and struggled with a rotator cuff injury which placed him on the disabled list.

In 1984 his career landed in the minors. He went over to Japan in 1987 where he pitched for the Hanshin Tigers until 1990.

Matt tried out with the 91' Angels and failed to make the cut. The following year he was in the process of trying out once again for the Angels when he was hit by a foul ball while sitting in the dugout.

In 1992, Keough was nearly killed when he was hit in the head by a line drive while sitting in the dugout during an Anaheim Angels exhibition game at spring training in Arizona.

"We're convinced that this (drinking) is related to the brain injury that he suffered," Keough's attorney, Dan Grigsby, said Friday.

Grigsby said. "I've known him since high school and he hasn't been the same since."
Source - SFGate

The ball struck him in the right temple. His injury, life threatening, was the final blow to his career.

Matt worked as a minor league scout for the Angels from 92 to 99. He went to work for the General Manager of the Oakland A's, then alcohol came into play.

In April of 2005:

Keough, 52, spent three months behind bars after pleading guilty to drunken driving for a 2005 accident. Authorities said Keough was driving to his home in Coto de Caza when his sport utility vehicle rear-ended another SUV at a red light in Rancho Santa Margarita. The other car was pushed into a man who was pushing a bicycle across the street. The man was briefly hospitalized for a knee injury.

The incident occurred after a family fight and Keough's blood-alcohol level was found to be 2 1/2 times the legal limit, authorities said. Source - SFGate

One month earlier, the hit Reality series, Real Housewives of Orange County made its premier.

The Real Housewives of Orange County" will follow five sophisticated women and their families who lead glamorous lives in a picturesque Southern California gated community where the average home has a $1.6 million price tag and residents include CEOs and retired professional athletes. Orange County "housewives" Kimberly, Jeana, Vicki, Lauri and Jo are used to the good life and will do everything they can to hang on to it. The women each have their own personal story to share, and they've granted Bravo an all-access pass into their lives, families, friendships, careers, and homes. From diamond parties to Botox sessions to the stress of having a high-powered career, the women take viewers along for the ride and into their real-life dramas that show how life isn't always perfect behind the gates. Just what lies beneath the surface of this "perfect" community? Source - Reality TV

Image - Bravo

Meet Jeanna:

Full name is Jeana Keough.
40-something.
Former Playboy Playmate and actress.
Wife of Matt Keough, a former major league baseball star.
Mother of three teenagers.
Sells real estate "for fun."
Source - About.com

Jeanna and Matt's problem with alcoholism are no different than millions of other Americans.

According to the National Council on Alcoholism and Drug Dependence, almost 18 million Americans abuse alcohol. Each year more than 100,000 Americans die of alcohol-related causes. Alcohol is a factor in nearly half of all U.S. traffic deaths.

Alcoholism and alcohol abuse cause major social, economic and public health problems. Various treatments are available, and self-help groups can provide ongoing support for people recovering from alcoholism. Source - Mayo Clinic

The Judge's sentence was Matt's second strike but it might also save his life. As for Jeanna, perhaps her life is the most "real" of the Real Housewives, her recent success grounded by the sobering reality of Matt's struggle with alcohol, their problems, too taboo for even the "reality" of Real Housewives.

By LBG
Image - SMH
Source - The Crime Scene
Image - Keough - Image - Matt Keough [Andy Templeton, For The Orange County Register]
Source - Baseball Reference.com





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Real Housewives of Orange County: Dysfunctional Like the Rest of Us

Image [tcvillas.com]

Into its 3rd season, the hit Bravo reality TV show, The Real Housewives of Orange County, has given us a glimpse into the lifestyles and mini-dramas of a Southern California gated community.

We’ve been following the “lives” of four “housewives”: Vicki, the driven to succeed Midwest transplant, Lauri, the elegant blonde bombshell engaged to George, the handsome millionaire. Tammy, the once married to a super-rich older man who filed for massive bankruptcy, and Jeana, former Playboy bunny, actress, now successful realtor, separated from her long time husband and ex-major league pitcher, Matt Keough.

In three seasons we’ve watched what the producers wanted us to know. The “real” lives lived in beautiful houses in the super-beautiful community of “Coto”.

We’ve followed the lives of Lauri, Jeana, Vicki, and Tammy along with their family members: kids, spouses, boyfriends, ex’s, decorators, and neighborhood “extras.” We’ve been privy to the nip and tucks, botox, boob jobs, hair dyes and the women’s bratty and not so bratty kids as they grew up before our very eyes.

Jo, the youngest “housewife” has moved on to LA; a new reality show in the works, her ex-older boyfriend, Slade, still “clinging” to her. When Jo and Slade “broke up” we thought we spied a tiny bit of spine in Slade when he grabbed a screwdriver and removed the license plate from Jo’s (leased) Mercedes. (A gift from him)

We watched Lauri work for Vicki and wondered how Lauri could stand having to spend so much time with the workaholic control freak Vicki without resorting to murder. We cheered Lauri when she met George, the successful down-to-earth developer. We were happy when Lauri moved in with George and then became engaged. We wondered why Lauri’s son, in and out of trouble, moved in with George’s ex-wife.

We followed Tammy and her two daughters as they learned how to readjust to living a “meager” lifestyle after Tammy divorced Lou, the much older husband. Lou knew how to get on the show by recruiting his, Lauri’s, and Vicki’s daughter to become the “spokesgirls” for his new bottled water drink. Unfortunately for Lou he dropped dead of a massive heart attack. Now Tammy is helping her daughters cope with the fact that their father “broke his promise” that "they’d never have to work for anything."

What a bastard to drop dead before making sure his kids were set for life.

Then there’s Vicki. Vicki is not the best looking but she is the most fascinating of the “wives.”

We’ve watched Vicki’s drive to succeed and by all accounts she's quite successful. We watched the bombastic workaholic bounce through life and wonder why her husband is so sarcastic and cutting to her. In Vicki’s favor she gives as good as she gets.

Last season she went on a “surprise” visit to see her son during his first semester of college in Colorado. You see his mortification when she showed off her set of boobs to his friends. At least she kept her shirt on. We cringed when she behaved as if she was the same age as her son. We felt immense pity for that kid and a little for Vicki, when, rebuffed by her son, she hid sobbing behind his shower curtain.

And then there’s Jeanna. For three seasons we’ve watched Jeanna in her real estate career, raising her three kids with ex-pro pitcher, Matt Keough.

The kids grew up. The oldest, surly, cocky, and unsure, is now busy establishing his own career in the major leagues and beginning to mellow.

A beautiful and grounded daughter who graduated from high school this year and decided to attend Berkeley. A daughter who hated to see her friends’ drink or smoke and was very adamant about it.

Jeanna’s youngest, her 14-year-old son, a cute kid already in sports, busy being precocious.

And then there’s Matt, Jeanna’s husband and father to the 3 kids.

Every now and then we’d see Matt around the house. We came to know Matt as “surly” and “sour" and mostly unseen. Jeanna mentioned when he was absent that he was away “coaching” or in Vegas.

This season Jeanna separated from Matt. Viewers knew Jeanna and Matt’s marriage was strained. What viewers didn’t see was Matt locked in his own battle, against the bottle, a fight to stay sober.

Matt is being currently held in the Orange County Jail without bail. The fifty-two-year-old was arrested December 18th after he had spent several days “binge” drinking at a local hotel.

Matt violated his probation from a 2005 DUI conviction. Just days before Matt’s arrest at the hotel he had been released from the Newport Beach City Jail where he had been incarcerated for 7 weeks. A probation officer caught Matt drinking at his home, a violation that put Matt in jail.

Matt tried the Betty Ford Clinic and a court ordered 3-month stint at an outpatient program.

We never got a glimpse of this, of Matt’s drinking, or how it affected his family. Or did we?

There was their daughter’s anger over “drinking.” Every now and then we’d hear a comment from the kids about their father.

A huge undertaking, to pretend your life is okay, while a member of your family is in the grips of a problem like Matt’s alcoholism. While cameras follow you around in your “perfect” life, in the “perfect” world of “Coto.”

Matt’s next hearing is on January 14th. Matt could face up to five years in prison.

By LBG

Source - OC Re




gister - Judge Delays Matt Keough’s Arraignment




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