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Jen Shah has confirmed that she has rejected Andy Cohen's offer of a sit-down interview before she begins her prison sentence.
The Real Housewives of Salt Lake City (RHOSLC) star, 49, was sentenced to six-and-a-half years in prison on January 6 after pleading guilty to conspiracy to commit wire fraud for her role in orchestrating a fraudulent telemarketing scheme.
Ahead of her prison stint, Shah has revealed to fans that she is keen to get her story out there but will not be taking up Housewives boss and Bravo executive Cohen on his suggestion of him interviewing her.
On a January 9 episode of Sirius XM's Radio Andy, Cohen, 54, told listeners: "I'm hoping to go talk to Jen this weekend. I'm hopeful that I can do that sit-down with her in front of some cameras and deliver that to you. I'm really hoping to do that."
Shah, however, has released a statement on her Instagram page, where she has 233,000 followers, confirming she will not be taking part in a chat with Cohen, and explaining the reasons why.
The statement, which was posted to Shah's Instagram page and Instagram story, read: "On January 6th, I stood before Judge Stein and asked him to see me not as a fictionalized character, but as the real Jen Shah.
"I am now at a point, legally, emotionally and mentally, where I can answer questions and provide a few unknown details about my case. I want and need to share these critical facts. I owe it to those that love and support me to hear the truth.
"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, relating to any and all topics, prior to and during the course of my participation," she added.
Shah, who shares son Sharrieff Jr., 28, and Omar, 19, with her husband Sharrieff, also known as Coach Shah, wrote she promised herself and her "loving family" that she "would not allow this portion of [her] life to be sensationalized or inaccurately conveyed."
She added that "too many people have been hurt" by her actions and "inability to control" the narrative, saying: "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."
Shah reassured fans that she will speak out soon, saying: "You will hear from me. I will share my story and this painful part of my life very soon."
Newsweek has contacted Bravo for comment.
Shah's message comes after she confirmed in December 2022 that she would not be taking part in the RHOSLC season 3 reunion taping, much to the dismay of fans.
A trailer for the RHOSLC season 3 reunion was released last week, however, following the last episode of the season, giving viewers a glimpse at what they can expect.
Despite Shah's absence, it looks like fans will get the drama they have been hoping for as Cohen can be seen grilling cast member Heather Gay over her now-infamous black eye and whether she thinks Shah gave it to her.
Elsewhere, Cohen questions Lisa Barlow and accuses her of suggesting her co-star Meredith Marks has a "pill problem," as well as asking Whitney Rose if she has spoken to her abuser since her memories of her childhood trauma resurfaced, a topic the star was seen discussing on the latest season of RHOSLC.
Part one of The Real Housewives of Salt Lake City season 3 reunion will air on Wednesday, January 25 at 8 p.m. ET on Bravo.
About the writer
Laura Donaldson is a Newsweek Film and TV Reporter (SEO), based in Edinburgh, U.K. Her focus is on reality TV. ... Read more