By Jenni FinkShareNewsweek is a Trust Project memberFormer Real Housewives of Salt Lake City star Jen Shah is going to be released from prison next week and Andy Cohen is expecting to see her back on television.
Shah was accused of selling lists of people’s contact information to telemarketers who scammed people, especially older people who are more prone to falling for scams. She pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit wire fraud and was sentenced to 6.5 years in prison in 2023. However, after a series of reductions, Shah will be released from prison on December 10.
Shah’s prison sentence did little to temper interest in the former reality star, and questions have swirled about whether she’d be invited back to the franchise. But, Cohen has repeatedly put the kibosh on that possibility.
During Tuesday’s episode of Radio Andy on Sirius XM, Cohen said, “She’s not coming back to the Real Housewives of Salt Lake City.” Cohen added that he couldn’t see Bravo working with her again on a different show, either.
However, that’s not to say Shah won’t be on television, and Cohen predicted that she’ll continue with her reality television career.
“I wish her all the best in her next life,” Cohen said. “I would assume she'll wind up on a reality show of some kind, but it won’t be anything that I’m working on.”
...Shah’s arrest was captured during season 2 of the show and was the main plotline of that season. While the women were waiting on a bus to head out for a trip, Shah got a call and told the women that her husband was in the hospital, and she needed to leave. After Shah left, law enforcement arrived at the bus, asking the women where she was and saying they just needed to make sure she was okay.
The women quickly deduced that something was off about the situation and questioned whether the call she received was actually a tip about her arrest. Shah was later arrested, and cameras captured law enforcement officials at her Utah home.
Shah maintained her innocence throughout the season, telling the women she’s not guilty of what she’s accused of doing. Several of the women went to New York City for what was supposed to be the start of her trial to support her, but Shah ended up pleading guilty right before it was set to begin.
The guilty plea sparked a rift with the women, specifically Heather Gay, who stood by Shah throughout the season and felt betrayed and as if she’d been lied to for months. In August, Gay told Access Hollywood that she doesn’t talk to Shah, and she doesn’t make the decision as to whether she’d return.
Real Housewives of Salt Lake City is one of the newest franchises and has quickly become a fan favorite. Cohen praised the women for thriving after Shah’s exit and credited them with building a huge fan following.
Shah isn’t the first Real Housewife to be incarcerated, and viewers watched years ago when Teresa Giudice was sentenced to 15 months in jail for bankruptcy fraud. Viewers got to see her return home and deal with life after her husband, Joe Giudice, went to prison to serve his own sentence.
While the future of Real Housewives of New Jersey remains uncertain, Giudice has returned to Bravo stardom after her incarceration and has been a principal player on the show.
When asked during Tuesday’s broadcast about whether Bravo has a policy that prevents Shah from coming back to the show, Cohen said, “There has to be a line.”
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