Andy Cohen Defends His Controversial Opinion On Jen Shah's Prison Sentencing

Since Jen Shah's arrest played out in "The Real Housewives of Salt Lake City" Season 2, fans have been eagerly awaiting her fate. At the time, Shah pleaded innocent to conspiracy to commit laundering and wire fraud, and her trial was scheduled for July 2022, per Today. However, Shah shocked fans and her "RHOSLC" castmates when she changed her plea to guilty just days before her trial.

While Shah was able to film "RHOSLC" Season 3 during her ongoing legal battle, many viewers wondered what would become of the show once she started her prison sentence. Producer Andy Cohen told Us Weekly, "I don't know what to say to people who want her on the show. I hope that she gets no jail time whatsoever and she can come right back ... but I have a feeling that she's not going to be available to be on the show."

On January 6, Shah received her sentencing of 6.5 years and was ordered to report to a facility on February 17, per NBC News. Now that her fate is clear, Cohen's wish that Shah wouldn't go to jail has come back to bite him and he found himself having to go back on his words.

There were many people hoping Jen Shah wouldn't go to prison and Andy Cohen was one of them — until now. In a sit-down with Chris Wallace, according to CNN, Cohen was grilled about his previous statement about wishing Jen Shah wouldn't face jail time and was asked, "Why would you take her side against the thousands of people she defrauded?" To which the "Real Housewives" producer answered, "I think I was hoping that she was actually innocent. That was before she pled guilty that I said that, I would think." 

When Wallace told him it was after, Cohen visibly squirmed and replied, "Look, I think that I don't know what the context of me saying that was, but I think that the context was people kept demanding of me, 'What is her status with the show?' And I'm like it's up to the judge!" The CNN host pointed out that Shah "did something bad," to which the Bravo producer agreed, "Yes she did. And she should go to jail."

"The Real Housewives of Salt Lake City" fans were disappointed when Shah announced she wouldn't be attending the Season 3 reunion, per Page Six. Cohen shared on "Radio Andy" that he was hoping for a one-on-one interview with the reality star. It's unclear whether or not Shah agreed to the sit-down, but many fans are hoping to get some answers from her.