Is there a world where Jen Shah could return to The Real Housewives of Salt Lake City? Probably not, according to Lisa Barlow. During a recent interview, Lisa admitted that it probably wouldn’t be a “good thing” for Jen to return to RHOSLC, even though her time behind bars has come to an end. Her snowflake on RHOSLC appears to be permanently melted, and Lisa shared a pretty valid reason for why.
Lisa Barlow doesn’t think Real Housewives of Salt Lake City should welcome Jen Shah back
Jen was released from prison and entered home confinement in December 2025, serving 33 months out of her 78-month sentence. In the lead-up to her release, Andy Cohen made it extremely clear that he didn’t have a job lined up for her, but that didn’t stop Jake Shane from pressing Lisa about it during a recent visit on his Therapuss podcast.
“Would you be open to filming with her again?” he asked.
Although Lisa had plenty of kind things to say about Jen, noting that she’s “fun” and has “a lot of charisma,” she ultimately doesn’t see a path back for her on the show.
“She has this charisma about her, and it’s like really natural, and she’s fun, but I don’t know if it’s a good thing for her, or any of us,” Lisa admitted.
Lisa went on to say that she wants Jen “happy” and “thriving.” However, it sounds like she just wants her to be happy and thriving somewhere far away from the RHOSLC cameras.
She explained, “I want her to be with her children and her husband and her mother and everybody else. I think that’s important. I think she’s really sorry. She did restitution, and she’s paying for her mistake.”
That’s fair, but another thing working against a Shahmazing RHOSLC comeback is the fact that Jen isn’t close with anyone from the current cast. Lisa said there’s some occasional chatter between Jen and Meredith Marks. Beyond that, no one seems to be rushing to rekindle a friendship.
“I think she talks to Meredith every now and then,” Lisa said. “She’ll call Meredith randomly, or Meredith will check in with her. But I don’t think anyone has a deep friendship with her.”
From every direction, the door to RHOSLC is very much closed for Jen. She remains in home confinement until August and owes over $6 million in restitution. Still, in a recent interview with People, her first after getting out of prison, Jen said she’s hoping RHOSLC fans will give her a second chance, even if Bravo won’t.
“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.”
The Real Housewives of Salt Lake City is streaming on Peacock.
TELL US – DO YOU THINK IT’S BEST THAT JEN STAYS OFF REALITY TV FOLLOWING HER RELEASE?
