Top Chef winner Kelsey Barnard Clark has found herself in hot water after being arrested for driving under the influence of alcohol, Us Weekly can confirm.
Clark, 35, was arrested for a DUI on Wednesday, January 21, in Dothan, Alabama, per documents obtained by Us on Thursday, January 22. Once booked Clark’s mugshot was taken and posted on the Dothan Police Department website.
A Dothan City Jail spokesperson later confirmed to Us that Clark was released from custody early on Thursday morning.
Clark was initially taken into custody on Wednesday evening after police responded to a call that she allegedly drove her car into a mailbox, according to TMZ, which was first to report the news.
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The Next Gen Chef judge reportedly smelled of alcohol and showed signs of driver impairment, according to the police report cited by TMZ. The outlet also reported that Clark allegedly participated in sobriety tests at the scene and was reportedly unable to stand on one foot or walk in a straight line.
“We received a call regarding a vehicle striking the mailbox in the 1300 block of Selkirk Drive,” police spokesperson Officer Lieutenant Scott Owens said after the arrest according to local CBS affiliate WTVY. “Our officers who responded to the scene determined that Ms. Clark was under the influence.”
The news outlet reported on Thursday that Clark’s two children were in her car when the crash occurred. (Clark shares son Monroe and daughter June with her husband, Deavours, whom she wed in 2015.)
Neither the chef nor her children were reportedly injured. The local station added that the kids were “allowed to go home with a family” following the incident.
Us Weekly has reached out to Clark’s rep for comment.
Clark, who is an Alabama native, rose to fame after winning season 16 of Top Chef in 2019.
“When I decided to do Top Chef, I was really concerned that it was going to be the biggest mistake of my life. I’m glad that I couldn’t have been more wrong,” Clark wrote via Instagram in March 2019. “The best bonus was getting to share the journey with this group of inspiring chefs I now call friends.”
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Clark was later a contestant on Tournament of Champions and was a judge on NFL Tailgate Takedown in 2023. She was also one of the judges on Netflix’s Next Gen Chef in 2025.
The celebrity chef opened her KBC restaurant in her hometown of Dothan, Alabama in 2008. She added cookbook author to her resume in 2021 with Southern Grit: 100+ Down-Home Recipes for the Modern Cook.
Her second cookbook, Southern Get-Togethers: A Guide to Hosting Unforgettable Gatherings―Plus Entertaining Inspiration, Tips, and 100+ Recipes, came out in 2024 and her third book, The Flavor of Fire: Recipes for Grilling & Smoking with Southern Flair, is set to hit bookshelves in May.
Prior to her arrest, Clark opened up about her plans for 2026, writing via Instagram on January 8, “J A N U A R Y is all about going dry, being healthy, resolutions, new year new me blah. So with that being said, here’s a list of things that I do daily/ weekly/ on the reg to keep me healthy ish. In no order & also some of them are not healthy bc actual health is LIVING YO one precious LIFE Y’all.”
She proceeded to list things like “share the real stuff,” and “socialize on the reg” as things she plans to do to enrich her life this year.
