After spending 33 months behind bars, Jen Shah from The Real Housewives of Salt Lake City is ready to start a new chapter.
Bravo fans have followed her case from the moment the FBI showed up at Beauty Lab + Laser, but in her first interview since her release from prison, she’s opening up about her path to the guilty plea. Apparently, there’s more to the story than what we’ve seen in the headlines, and she broke down in tears talking about it all.
The former RHOSLC star says she is “more than just the headline”
On Bravo, we saw Jen screaming, “I’m innocent,” all the way up until she pleaded guilty. These days, she’s singing a much different tune. In a new interview with People, it sounds like she might have learned her lesson.
“I was wrong,” Jen admitted. “I made wrong decisions.”
She continued, “I should have done things differently. I should have been more diligent. And I’m deeply remorseful and sorry for my actions and for my part. I take full responsibility.”
With that said, Jen also claimed she wasn’t fully aware that her “business” teetered into the dark side. She said she trusted the wrong people and ignored some “red flags” with her co-defendant, Stuart Smith.
“I thought I was doing the right thing for the majority of the time,” Jen said. “I was working under people who were running these companies.”
Later in the interview, Jen broke down in tears discussing the support she received from her family. She said that her marriage with Coach Sharrieff Shah is stronger than ever after prison, despite hitting a rough patch right before the indictment.
Jen said, “Most people would have run. Most people would have left. Most people that I was incarcerated with, very few of them, do they have their family still intact.”
“But I had that,” Jen continued. “And so that’s just one of the things I’m so grateful and so blessed—that my husband and my children were there for me.”
While Jen looks ahead to her future, Andy Cohen has made it clear that Bravo has zero interest in bringing her back to RHOSLC. However, she’s still itching for a second chance at life. While behind bars, she earned personal training and nutrition certifications.
“I understand that people have their opinions based on what they saw,” Jen said, “But I would hope they would give me the grace to at least hear me and understand that I’m more than just the headline.”
Jen will stay in home confinement until August and remains focused on making things right with the victims impacted by her schemes. She owes $6.6 million in restitution, and she says it’s her “mission” to make sure everyone gets their money back.
The Real Housewives of Salt Lake City is streaming on Peacock.
TELL US – WHAT ARE YOUR THOUGHTS ON JEN’S FIRST INTERVIEW AFTER PRISON? ARE YOU GLAD TO HEAR HER FINALLY ACCEPTING RESPONSIBILITY FOR THE CRIMES?
