Andy Cohen Breaks His Silence on Real Housewives Star Jen Shah's Arrest

On his radio show, Andy Cohen shared his reaction to Real Housewives star Jen Shah's arrest for the very first time. Scroll on to see what he had to say.

By Jess Cohen Apr 05, 2021 6:12 PMTags
Watch: "Real Housewives" Star Jen Shah Arrested for Telemarketing Scheme

Andy Cohen is sharing his one hope following Jen Shah's arrest.

As Real Housewives of Salt Lake City fans may recall, the 47-year-old Bravo star and her first assistant Stuart Smith, 43, were taken into custody on March 31 for their alleged involvement in a nationwide telemarketing fraud scheme. Jen and Stuart were arrested on charges of conspiracy to commit wire fraud in connection with telemarketing and conspiracy to commit money laundering, which they both pleaded not guilty to on April 2.

When Andy returned to his SiriusXM radio show on April 5, it was the first time he'd been back in front of a microphone since Jen's legal troubles emerged. So, when a Radio Andy caller asked his thoughts on the arrest, Andy let out an "oy vey."

"I'm waiting to see how it plays out," Andy said. "I have nothing to add to what we already know, other than I certainly hope and pray that none of it is true."

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During a virtual hearing on April 2, a judge told Jen she was required to put up a $1 million bond. "There is a risk of flight here. It's not insubstantial," the judge stated. "I'm going to release her on the following conditions: I am going to require a personal recognizance bond of $1 million. I am going to require $250,000 to secure that bond in cash or property."

Attorneys for the TV personality told E! News that Jen maintains her innocence of these charges and is "eager" to defend herself in court. "She puts her faith in the American legal system," her legal team said in a statement. "Because of the ongoing legal proceedings, we ask that you respect her privacy, and understand she will not provide any further comments."

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In late March, Manhattan U.S. Attorney Audrey Strauss offered insight on the legal case. "Jennifer Shah, who portrays herself as a wealthy and successful businessperson on 'reality' television, and Stuart Smith, who is portrayed as Shah's 'first assistant,' allegedly generated and sold 'lead lists' of innocent individuals for other members of their scheme to repeatedly scam," she said in a press release. "In actual reality and as alleged, the so-called business opportunities pushed on the victims by Shah, Smith, and their co-conspirators were just fraudulent schemes, motivated by greed, to steal victims' money."

Over the Easter weekend, Jen sent messages to fans supporting her amid the legal scandal. "Thank you for believing in me," Jen wrote on social media. "Always." 

If convicted, both Jen and Stuart each face up to 50 years in prison.

(E! and Bravo are both part of the NBCUniversal family.)