Andy Cohen Called Out For Defending Jen Shah After Guilty Plea

Andy Cohen landed himself in scorching water throughout an interview with CNN’s Chris Wallace this week.

The roles had been reversed because the Bravo govt — identified for grilling solid members on the Actual Housewives franchise — was questioned about his assist of former Salt Lake Metropolis housewife, Jen Shah, who was sentenced to six and a half years in jail on Jan. 6 for committing fraud.

Shah appeared on all three seasons of The Actual Housewives Of Salt Lake Metropolis beginning in 2020, together with her arrest in Utah in March 2021 even being documented in a Season 2 episode.

For a little bit of context, Shah and her “first assistant” Stuart Smith had been accused of working a nationwide telemarketing scheme that defrauded a whole bunch of older adults by promoting them “enterprise companies.”

Prosecutors alleged that these “companies” had been “simply fraudulent schemes, motivated by greed, to steal victims’ cash.”

Quickly after her arrest in April 2021, Shah pleaded not responsible to the fees and publicly maintained her innocence, telling Cohen and her castmates through the RHOSLC Season 2 reunion: “I’m combating this. I’m harmless.”

Three months in a while July 11, Shah modified her tune, pleading responsible to conspiracy to commit wire fraud.

In the course of the CNN interview, Wallace questioned Cohen all about his success as an govt producer on ten totally different Housewives franchises, main them to debate Shah’s sentencing.

“You’re on the file final November as saying that you just hope she would get no jail time,” Wallace mentioned. “And the query I’ve is, ‘Why would you’re taking her facet towards the 1000’s of individuals she defrauded, together with numerous aged?’”

As Wallace spoke, Cohen winced on the accusation and have become visibly uncomfortable, earlier than making an attempt to account for himself.

“I feel I hoped she was really harmless,” he mentioned. “I wouldn’t have…”

Earlier than he might end his sentence, Wallace hit again: “She pleaded responsible!”

Cohen continued to defend himself by making an attempt to appropriate the timeline of occasions.

“That was earlier than she pleaded responsible, I imply, that I mentioned that, I might assume?” he responded, now sounding uncertain of himself.

Wallace identified once more that his feedback got here after Shah’s responsible plea in July, leaving Cohen struggling for phrases.

“Oh, actually?” he mentioned, evidently surprised in embarrassment. “Oh, God. Um, anyway! Wow, that is enjoyable,” he added with a clumsy chuckle.

Wallace was seemingly referring to quotes that Cohen gave to Us Weekly on Nov. 17 forward of Shah’s sentencing when he was requested if she would possibly return for a fourth season on RHOSLC.

He informed the outlet on the time: “I don’t know what to say to individuals who need her on the present. I hope that she will get no jail time in any way and she will be able to come proper again … however I’ve a sense that she’s not going to be obtainable to be on the present.”

Striving to contextualize the feedback to Wallace, Cohen mentioned individuals had been “demanding” to know the “standing” of Shah’s involvement within the hit present.

“And I’m like, ‘It’s as much as the choose. She’s about to get sentenced to numerous jail time,’” he recalled, earlier than Wallace interjected to remind him that Shah did “one thing dangerous.”

Cohen agreed that Shah is deserving of jail time, however added: “Generally you get to know somebody and also you get to love them, you hope that they aren’t responsible of one thing horrible.”

Shah has been ordered to give up to authorities on Feb. 17, marking the beginning of her sentence at a federal penitentiary in Texas, in response to TMZ.

New paperwork obtained by the outlet additionally point out that she can be required to take part in a psychological well being therapy program upon her launch.