‘RHOSLC’: Andy Cohen Prepping 1:1 Interview With Jen Shah Before She Heads to Prison
The Real Housewives of Salt Lake City star Jen Shah is spending her last few weeks as a free woman. The reality star is set to turn herself into federal prison after pleading guilty to being the mastermind behind a telemarketing scheme that targeted elderly clients. Obviously, the sentencing impacts her time on the Bravo show, and Andy Cohen says he’s going to try and get as many distinct answers out of her in a sit-down interview before she turns herself in.
Andy Cohen reacts to Jen Shah’s sentencing
After pleading guilty, Shah was sentenced to 6.5 years in federal prison. She must turn herself in on Feb. 17 in a Texas prison. The reality star will also have to serve five years of supervised release amid her release from prison.
In an episode of his SiriusXM radio show, Cohen revealed how he felt about Shah’s sentencing. When his co-host claimed Shah got off easy, Cohen asked why. He then directed his remorse to the victims.
“Any old person or anyone who just doesn’t understand with the internet or how many scams are going on, people are susceptible to stuff like this,” Cohen said. “And if you read the victim impact report, it was pretty stunning.”
Cohen also revealed that he assumed Shah wouldn’t spend much time in prison regardless of how many years she’d be sentenced to. “When I saw the 6 ½ year sentence, I thought she’ll do close to three years. But for a federal crime, you have to do 85% of the [sentence],” he said.
The Bravo honcho says he is hopeful for a 1:1 with Andy Cohen
Shah hasn’t done any interviews since her sentencing, but she did speak in court after being handed down her 6.5-year prison sentence. An emotional Shah sobbed as she told the court that “with the proper medication, I can now see what happened,” TMZ reports.
Her attorney later told the media outlet that she agrees with her sentence and “vows to pay her debt” to victims. Her lawyer added: “Jen Shah deeply regrets the mistakes that she has made and is profoundly sorry to the people she has hurt.”
Now, Cohen wants his chance to get answers on how this ordeal even happened. “I’m hoping to go talk to Jen this weekend. I’m hopeful that I can do that sit-down with her in front of some cameras and deliver that to you. I’m really hoping to do that,” he explained on his radio show.
Jen Shah skipped the Season 3 reunion taping
Cohen previously revealed that Shah’s return to the show would be unlikely. In his update, he says they already began casting for Season 4. The Season 3 reunion was taped before Shah’s sentencing, but she skipped the reunion taping. She alleged in a lengthy Instagram post that producers tried to force her to discuss her case, which she says she was not legally allowed to do at the time. He did admit on his radio show, however, that Shah’s sentencing is a “big loss for the show.”
