I Want to ‘Accurately’ Share My Story
Take a pass. Real Housewives of Salt Lake City star Jen Shah has opened up about choosing to skip her interview with Andy Cohen after his January 2023 prison sentence.
“I will not go 1:1 with Andy Cohen and Bravo due to their reluctance to remove contractual provisions that would allow the network to legally misrepresent me and my story, regarding all topics, before and during class. of my participation,” Shah, 49, wrote via Instagram on Thursday, Jan. 19. “The specific 1 on 1 interview was not part of my RHOSLC reality contract. I promised myself and my loving family that I would not allow this part of my life to be sensationalized or conveyed inaccurately.”
The Bravo star explained that she “stood in front of a judge on January 6” and asked her “not to see me as a fictional character, but as the real Jen Shah”, adding that she was now to a point where she could “legally, emotionally, and mentally, where I can answer a few questions and provide a few unknown details about my case” and wanted to share her “truth” with people who “love and support her.”
She continued, “I’d rather keep quiet and wait to be able to share my story accurately than continue to have complete lies and misrepresentations about me in the headlines,” she added. “I intend to speak and you will hear from me. I will be sharing my story and this painful part of my life very soon.”
Earlier this month, the Utah native was sentenced to six and a half years in prison after pleading guilty to conspiracy to commit wire fraud in July 2022. Shah was arrested in March 2021 on a charge wire fraud as well as conspiracy to commit money laundering, but the money laundering charge was dropped after she changed her plea last year.
On January 6, Judge Sidney Stein also ordered the former marketing professional to forfeit $6.5 million and pay restitution of $6.64 million. After her release from prison, she will be subject to five years of probation. the reality star is set to begin his sentence on February 17.
The story continues
Shah has performed on RHOSLC since its premiere in 2020. As Season 3 Reunion Part 1 aired on Wednesday, January 18, the reality star confirmed that she skipped taping the meeting in December 2022.
After it was announced that she would appear at the reunion, Cohen, 54, revealed on an episode of his SiriusXM Radio Andy show that he planned to sit down with Shah before she showed up for jail.
“I’m hoping to go talk to Jen this weekend,” Watch What Happens Live With host Andy Cohen shared earlier this month. “I hope I can do that by sitting down with her in front of cameras and handing it to you. I really hope to do that.
The Bravo exec then made headlines on Sunday, January 15, when Chris Wallace asked about him saying he hoped Shah received “no jail time.” Cohen thought he made the comment before the Salt Lake City resident changed his plea, however, the newscaster, 75, noted he made the remarks several months later.
“Oh really? Oh, my God,” Cohen said during the CNN interview. “Wow, that’s fun.”
On Tuesday, January 17, Cohen took to social media to share his thoughts on the conversation, revealing via his Instagram story that he thought Wallace lacked context to the quote, which he gave to Us Weekly in November. 2022.
“She’s going to be sentenced on December 15, so I don’t know what to say to people who want her on the show,” he told Us at the time. “I hope she won’t be jailed and can come back right away… but I have a feeling she won’t be available to be on the show.”