There was no avoiding the elephant in the room on Andy Cohen's Sirius XM series, Radio Andy.
News that the Real Housewives of Salt Lake City star Jen Shah plead guilty to conspiracy to commit wire fraud in connection with telemarketing broke mid-show on July 11, prompting a discussion between Andy and his co-host, actor John Hill.
Andy was initially hesitant to dub Jen guilty, explaining that "all it means is she's changing her plea," but John retorted, "Right, well, when you say you're guilty of something, it maybe means you're guilty."
Andy also revealed that Jen had just sent his 2-month-old daughter Lucy a gift "out of nowhere," he said. "And I was like, 'Jen Shah, with everything you have going on, that you thought to send to send Lucy a gift...' I just thought that was so nice of her."
"I don't know how to feel about this, Jen Shah pleading guilty," Andy added, prompting a back-and-forth between him and John, who expressed sympathy for those who fell victim to the alleged telemarketing scheme Jen admitted to being involved in. Despite their difference in opinion, they could concede on one point. As John put it, "I'll say that about Jen Shah—at least she's honest."
The conversation continued as a Radio Andy caller phoned in, pointing out that Real Housewives of New Jersey star Teresa Guidice also plead guilty to fraud charges in 2014, and, as the caller noted, "we've been supporting her for years."
The co-hosts argued that Teresa and her ex-husband Joe Giudice's situation was a bit more complicated. Added Andy, "I also think what I've found regarding viewer response to some of these moments that have happened, some of the viewers are more outraged when there are—you know, when you look at Tom Girardi and what it looks like he did—actual victims that you can look at."
"When you look at Joe Giudice defrauding the government of some tax money," Andy continued, "I think you wind up getting more upset when you know that there are victims."
During July 11 court proceedings, Jen acknowledged the victims of her alleged scheme, stating that she had "agreed with others to commit with wire fraud," according to NBC News, and "knew it misled" many victims, some of whom she said were over the age of 55. "[I] knew it was wrong," Jen told the court. "Many people were harmed and I'm so sorry."
She currently faces a maximum of 30 years in prison and up to $9.5 million in fines and restitution, in addition to a $6 million forfeiture.
Following Jen's plea change, her attorney Priya Chaudhry shared a statement with E! News. "Ms. Shah is a good woman who crossed a line," Chaudry said. "She accepts full responsibility for her actions and deeply apologizes to all who have been harmed. Ms. Shah is also sorry for disappointing her husband, children, family, friends, and supporters. Jen pled guilty because she wants to pay her debt to society and put this ordeal behind her and her family. "
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