Bravo Jen Shah
“Real Housewives of Salt Lake City” star Meredith Marks is engaging when it comes to her friend, Jen Shah.
In a new Dec. 14 interview with E! News, the star gave an update on how Shah is doing ahead of her January 2023 federal fraud case sentencing.
“Jen is okay,” Marks told the outlet. “It’s a lot, so anyone in her shoes would be struggling with a lot of different things. She obviously has a lot of variables being thrown at her well beyond her sentencing.”
Marks continued about her friend, Shah, “Usually we have a chance to speak out as it’s airing, whether it’s via social media or interviews or whatever, and she really has not had that same chance. She’s been on social a little bit, but she’s really tried to stay off for the most part. So I think that it’s been a very trying time because to go through this and feel like you don’t have a voice on top of everything else that she’s facing, it’s overwhelming. She just tries to focus on the day to day as best she can.”
In July 2022, Shah plead guilty in New York City to federal charges of “conspiracy to commit wire fraud and money laundering,” according to the outlet. The star faces up to 30 years in prison.
Shah has been a member of “The Real Housewives of Salt Lake City” since its first season. Her arrest was caught on camera during season 2 of the show while the group was on their way to a cast trip for the season.
Andy Cohen Has Addressed Shah’s Potential Absence Next Season
While speaking to Us Weekly in November 2022, Bravo exec Andy Cohen revealed that he’s not too sure Shah will be back on the show next season due to her upcoming sentencing.
“She’s being sentenced on December 15, so I don’t know what to say to people who want her on the show,” Cohen said at the time (Shah’s sentencing has since been postponed until January). “I hope that she gets no jail time whatsoever and she can come right back … but I have a feeling that she’s not going to be available to be on the show.”
Cohen added, “That’s a long time. Some people on Twitter were saying, ‘We want Jen next season.’ And I’m like, ‘OK, well, talk to the judge.’”
Meredith Marks Explained Why She’s Still in Touch With Jen Shah
Since Shah plead guilty this past summer, Marks has kept in close touch with her friend, a decision she explained more about to Page Six during a September 2022 interview.
“Jen and I are still speaking,” Marks told the outlet at the time. “And more than ever, I think she probably needs some support from people around her.”
Marks continued about the season, “You’ll see a lot unfold and have a much better level of understanding of the place she was coming from — I can’t say in terms of her plea, that I have no idea — but just in general, emotionally.”
Viewers can catch new episodes of “The Real Housewives of Salt Lake City” every Wednesday night at 8 p.m. Eastern time on Bravo.
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