‘RHOSLC’: Jen Shah Says Unaired Confrontation With Jennie Nguyen Changed Dynamic With Meredith Marks
The Real Housewives of Salt Lake City parted ways with new cast member Jennie Nguyen after a series of racist tweets resurfaced. Jen Shah claimed she and Meredith Marks confronted her over the posts which strengthened her relationship with the jewelry designer.
Jen Shah says an unaired confrontation with Jennie Nguyen changed her dynamic with Meredith Marks
Former Housewife Jennie Nguyen was fired from Bravo after several racist posts from her Facebook account surfaced.
The content came to light during the filming of Real Housewives of Salt Lake City Season 3, which would have served as Nguyen’s second season.
In an interview with Up and Adam, Jen Shah explained she confronted Nguyen about the offensive posts at a luncheon. She pointed out that Meredith Marks was the only other RHOSLC cast member to show up, surprising Shah.
The Housewife noted she thought Lisa Barlow, who’s had a decade-long friendship with Nguyen and brought her on the show, should’ve shown up to get answers. However, Shah was grateful Marks confronted the former Housewife as well because it showed her they were both passionate about equal rights. She considers it a “turning point” in her friendship with the jewelry designer.
Shah and Marks previously butt heads
After initially starting RHOSLC Season 1 as friends, Shah upset Marks’ kids when she lifted her leg as they insisted they saw her lady parts.
However, Shah insisted they never saw anything and attempted to prove her point on social media. Through the back-and-forth, the Housewife apparently “liked” negative comments about her son’s sexuality, upsetting Marks.
However, they made up when Shah apologized to her and her son, Brooks. When her close friend Barlow began a friendship with Shah, it irritated the jewelry designer, drawing a wedge in their relationship. The chasm continued to grow as Marks got closer to alum Mary Cosby, ultimately resulting in an unforgettable tirade by Barlow.
They still haven’t been able to patch things up. During season 3, Shah and Marks have a better relationship, sparked by the unaired Nguyen confrontation. The designer publicly supported Shah through her legal troubles until the Housewife changed her plea to guilty in a surprise July 2022 hearing.
Nguyen fired from Bravo for controversial social media posts
When filming for RHOSLC Season 3 began, someone released several controversial Facebook posts shared by Nguyen.
Posted as recent as 2020, the offensive content included memes that endorsed the Republican Party and former President Donald Trump. One aimed at Vice President Kamala Harris and accused her of receiving her position by exchanging sexual favors.
Additionally, she expressed anti-vaccination sentiments in her posts, comparing those willing to get vaccinated to drinking the “Kool-Aid.” Much of the content she shared centered around the Black Lives Matter movement and the police-involved murder of George Floyd. The posts referred to BLM protesters as “thugs” and included misinformation about Floyd’s death.
A couple of weeks after the release, Bravo announced their decision to part ways with Nguyen over the content and apologized for not acting sooner. The current cast hasn’t mentioned the fired Housewife in the new season. She later went live on Instagram to acknowledge the posts but blamed it on a social media team. The Real Housewives of Salt Lake City airs Sundays on Bravo.
