Does Jen Shah’s pushed sentencing mean she’ll be in attendance at the season 3 reunion of The Real Housewives of Salt Lake City? Meredith Marks hopes so.
The topic came up at the “Virtual Reali-Tea” podcast taping at City Winery in New York City on Monday, December 5, with Meredith addressing whether Jen will join her, Heather Gay, Lisa Barlow and Whitney Rose for the upcoming sit-down.
“[I hope] she has a chance to have a voice. Look, she’s been a huge part of not just season 3 but this entire, you know, show and for her to not have a chance to close all of that out?” Meredith said. “You know, obviously, as this season progresses and transpires, she’s hearing things she didn’t know about. That’s what happens to all of us. So for her to not have a chance to address that, to me, would be very sad.”
Bravo has yet to announce a filming date for the RHOSLC reunion, but Andy Cohen tweeted on November 29 that his team is “gearing up” for the special, asking fans to send questions for the ladies. Jen’s future on the series has been put into question since she pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit wire fraud in July after previously denying the allegations against her when she was indicted as part of an alleged telemarketing scheme.
“She’s being sentenced on December 15, so I don’t know what to say to people who want her on the show,” Cohen told Us Weekly last month. “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.”
Jen’s sentencing has since been changed to January 6, 2023. While the conspiracy to commit wire fraud charge carries up to 30 years behind bars, the reality star’s plea agreement recommends 14 years in prison.
“That’s a long time,” the producer continued to Us. “Some people on Twitter were saying, ‘We want Jen next season.’ And I’m like, ‘OK, well, talk to the judge.’”
Cohen first addressed Jen’s future at BravoCon in October, hinting he didn’t expect her to be at group events going forward. (Jen wasn’t part of the fan convention and isn’t featured on the RHOSLC aftershow this season.)
“Once we wrapped she pled guilty, I think that was kind of, unfortunately, the end of, you know, the engagement there,” the Most Talkative author said. “But I hope to sit down with her and talk to her at some point on camera, because I have a lot of questions for her.”
Cohen previously said he was “extremely upset” for Jen’s “victims” and because she “lied for so long and claimed to me that she was an example of someone being wrongly accused.”
“I’m also upset because, frankly, you get to know someone and you get to like them,” he said on Radio Andy in July.
The Real Housewives of Salt Lake City airs on Bravo Wednesdays at 8 p.m. ET.
