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Andy Cohenis sharing his candid thoughts afterJen Shahwassentenced to 6.5 years in prisonfor her role in atelemarketing scheme.
TheWatch What Happens Livehost, 54, admitted that Shah, 49, going to prison was a “big loss” forThe Real Housewives of Salt Lake City.
The television personality added that he wants to interview Shah before her prison sentence begins in February, specifying, “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.”
Cohen also teasedRHOSL’s “great casting” for next season after fans' questioned if Shah would still be featured on the show.
“I got so many tweets from people saying this has been such an interesting period where she’s been waiting to be sentenced and people have been saying to me, ‘Well, is she on the show or not?’ I’m like, ‘Do you understand that this woman is being sentenced to jail on January 6th?'” he explained. “They’re not gonna give her no time. So you tell me, is she on the show? Like, what do you want me to say about whether she’s on the show? She’s going to serve her time. So you tell me, is she on the show or not? I don’t understand what people want me to say…. It seems like the judge figured it out for us, didn’t he?”
Cohen added that plans to move forward without Shah are already in the works.
“We have excellent casting for next season,” he teased. “I’m feeling good. But I am saying it is a loss. It’s a loss to lose her from the show.”
Chad Kirkland/Bravo
Shah was initiallyarrested in March 2021alongside assistantStuart Smithfor targeting people in a nationwide phone scam to defraud those over the age of 55. She was then charged with conspiracy to commit wire fraud in connection with telemarketing and conspiracy to commit money laundering.
ThoughSmith entered a guilty pleain November 2021, Shah continued to proclaim her innocence and even entered a not guilty plea in April 2021 before ultimately switching her plea to guilty last summer.
RELATED VIDEO:RHOSLCStar Jen Shah Pleads Guilty to Fraud and Money Laundering Charges
While Shahdid film some episodesofRHOSLCbetween her arrest and sentencing, she revealed on Instagram why she wouldn’t be present for the show’s season 3 reunion. She alleged in the post that Bravo found it “unsatisfactory” that she was not willing to discuss the ongoing legal troubles.
“That expectation has no regard for me or my family’s well-being; so under legal advice, I will not be attending the reunion,” she wrote at the tijme. “I need to focus on the important thing in my life — my family.”
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The Real Housewives of Salt Lake Cityairs Wednesdays at 8 p.m. ET on Bravo.
source: people.com
