Andy Cohen Downplays RHOSLC Star Jen Shah's Guilty Plea

Jen Shah, star of The Real Housewives of Salt Lake City, pleaded guilty to federal fraud charges on Monday, but Bravo mogul Andy Cohen seems to be downplaying the severity of the situation.

News of Shah's plea deal broke while Cohen was taping his SiriusXM radio show, Radio Andy, leaving the host little room to avoid the topic. Speaking with his co-host, John Hill, Cohen said, "All it means is she's changing her plea."

"Right, well, when you say you're guilty of something, it maybe means you're guilty," replied Hill.

E! released a portion of the audio on YouTube in which Cohen can be heard commenting on Shah's decision to send a gift to his daughter "out of nowhere," despite being occupied with her legal battle.

"I was like, 'Jen Shah, with everything you have going on, that you thought to send to send Lucy a gift,'" Cohen said. "I just thought that was so nice of her."

Hill went on to offer his sympathy for the victims of Shah's telemarketing scam, of which she admitted to as part of the plea. Under the deal with prosecutors, she faces up to 14 years in prison, as well as millions of dollars in fines and restitution.

Later in the show, a caller compared Shah's situation to that of The Real Housewives of New Jersey stars Theresa and Joe Guidice, prompting Cohen to agree that "some of the viewers are more outraged when there are... actual victims that you can look at."

Cohen added, "I don't know how to feel about this, Jen Shah pleading guilty."

Though they differed on Shah's guilty plea, Cohen and Hill agreed on one thing, as stated by Hill, "I'll say that about Jen Shah — at least she's honest."

In terms of Shah's standing on RHOSLC, Bravo has yet to make any decisions about her future with the franchise. The star was arrested while filming Season 2, but remained with the show for its third season, which filmed earlier this year but has not set a premiere date.

The first season of The Real Housewives of Salt Lake City is currently streaming on Hulu and Peacock.

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Kirstie Renae is a writer, blogger, and Austin-based actress with a penchant for binge-watching TV with her dogs. Follow her on Twitter @KirstieRenae.