Andy Cohen Is 'Especially Upset' for Fraud 'Victims' After 'RHOSLC' 's Jen Shah Enters Guilty Plea

Mar. 15, 2025

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Andy Cohen’s feelings aboutJen Shah’s recent court plea have changed.

TheWatch What Happens Live with Andy Cohenhost, 54, reacted in real time on Monday to news that theReal Housewives of Salt Lake Citypled guilty to charges of conspiracy to commit wire fraud and money laundering, admitting on his SiriusXM showRadio Andy, “I don’t know how to feel about this.”

Shah, 48, had previously pled not guilty to the charges. She spent months maintaining her innocence, especially to Cohen during the season 2RHOBHreunion.

Discussing the news on his show Monday, Cohen’s guest questioned the meaning of Shah’s change of heart to guestJonah Hill.

“When you say you’re guilty of something, it maybe means you’re guilty,” Hill said, to which Cohen replied, “All it means is she’s changing her plea.

He went on to say that part of the reason he feels conflicted about Shah’s latest legal move is because he’s grown close to her (Cohen is an executive producer onRHOSLC). In fact, the 48-year-old reality star recently surprised his 2-month-old daughterLucywith a present.

“And I was like, ‘Jen Shah, with everything you have going on, that you thought to send to send Lucy a gift…,'” he told Hill. “I just thought that was so nice of her.”

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But on Tuesday, Cohen had more to say on his radio show, telling listeners that he had spoken too soon the day before. “I did not have time to read anything about it, [or] process it. I really didn’t have time to react,” Cohen said.

After reading what he called Shah’s “pretty stunning confession,” he said he was left feeling upset.

“I’m especially upset for her victims,” Cohen said, adding, “I’m upset that 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. You want to cheer them on, and you hate to think that they’re capable of this behavior.”

Cohen said he hopes “to get the opportunity to speak with [Shah] to ask those questions.”

Shah and one of her assistants,Stuart Smith, werearrestedduring production of season 2 ofRHOSLCin Marchfor their connection to a nationwide telemarketing scheme. She originally plead not guilty to the charges, but appeared in a New York City court on Monday tochange her plea.

Per aTwitter threadfrom Inner City Press’s Matthew Russell Lee, ShahtoldJudge Sidney H. Stein on Monday that she had committed “Wire fraud, offering services with little to no value.”

“We used interstate telephones and emails. I knew many of the purchasers were over the age of 55. I am so sorry,” she added.

Judge Steinthen askedthe reasoning for these things being purchased, Shah explained she had offered “misrepresentations, regarding the value of the product or service, of which it had little to none.”

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Shah’s guilty plea means she will not stand trial, but she faces a maximum penalty of up to 30 years in prison. In court, Shah also agreed to not appeal if she is sentence to “168 months’ prison or few,” which equates to 14 years.

“Ms. Shah is a good woman who crossed a line,” Priya Chaudhry, an attorney for Shah told PEOPLE. “She accepts full responsibility for her actions and deeply apologizes to all who have been harmed. Ms. Shah is also sorry for disappointing her husband, children, family, friends, and supporters. Jen pled guilty because she wants to pay her debt to society and put this ordeal behind her and her family.”

Despite her guilty plea, Shah willstill be a part of the upcoming third seasonofThe Real Housewives of Salt Lake City, according to a source.

This case is “a very big part of Jen’s story,” the source continues.

“Producers don’t want us to stop following it now,” the insider adds. “They’ll keep filming with her as long as they can, just like they did with Teresa [Giudice].”

Shah is set to be sentenced on Nov. 28.

source: people.com