Jen Shah Explains Why She’s Refusing to Sit Down with Andy Cohen For an Interview
Jen Shah will not be heading to the Bravo Clubhouse before her stint in the Big House.
On Jan. 19, the embattled Real Housewives of Salt Lake City star took to Instagram to explain why she won't be granting Andy Cohen a one-on-one interview before she reports to prison on Feb. 17.
"I will not be doing the 1:1 with Andy Cohen and Bravo because of their unwillingness to remove contractual provisions that would allow the network to legally make misrepresentations of me and my story," Jen wrote in a statement, "relating to any and all topics, prior to and during the course of my participation."
Jen also indicated that she didn't want to draw any additional unwanted attention to those closest to her.
"This specific 1:1 was not part of my RHOSLC reality tv contract," she continued. "I promised myself and my loving family that I would not allow this portion of my life to be sensationalized and inaccurately conveyed."
Jen and her husband Sharrieff Shah share sons Sharrieff Jr., 28, and Omar, 19.
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Still, Jen said that she does want to have her voice heard—but she'd like to have a handle on the narrative.
"I would rather remain silent and wait until I am able to accurately share my story than continue having complete lies and misrepresentations about me smeared across the headlines," Jen contended. "I intend to speak and you will hear from me. I will share my story and this painful part of my life very soon."
E! News has reached out to Bravo for comment but hasn't heard back.
As of earlier this month, Andy himself seemed optimistic that he would be able to sit down with Jen before she begins her sentence.
"I'm hoping to go talk to Jen this weekend," Andy said on his SiriusXM show Radio Andy Jan. 9. "I'm hopeful that I can do that, sit down with her in front of some cameras and deliver that to you."
Jen was sentenced to six and a half years in prison for fraud on Jan. 6, almost two years after she and her former assistant Stuart Smith were arrested in March 2021 on charges of wire fraud and money laundering in connection to a nationwide telemarketing scheme. After initially pleading not guilty, Stuart changed his plea to guilty in November 2021 and is expected to be sentenced in March.
After finishing her sentence, she'll be on supervised release for five years.
"Jen Shah deeply regrets the mistakes that she has made and is profoundly sorry to the people she has hurt," Jen's attorney Priya Chaudhry said in a statement to E! News earlier this month. "Jen has faith in our justice system, understands that anyone who breaks the law will be punished, and accepts this sentence as just."
(E! and Bravo are both part of the NBCUniversal family.)
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