“I don’t know how to feel about this, Jen Shah pleading guilty,” Cohen said on Tuesday’s episode of “Radio Andy” on Sirius XM. The 54-year-old Bravo producer also expressed that he was hesitant to label the “Real Housewives of Salt Lake City” star “guilty.” “All it means is she’s changing her plea,” he said of Monday’s legal bombshell. Cohen then explained that he was even more surprised by the change of plea because the Shah had just sent a gift to his 2-month-old daughter, Lucy. “I was like, ‘Jen Shah, with everything you’ve got going on, you thought to send Lucy a gift…’ I just thought that was really nice of her,” said Cohen, who is also the father of a 3-year-old. son Ben — added. Andy Cohen said he doesn’t “know how to feel” about Jen Shah pleading guilty to conspiracy to commit fraud.NBCU Photo Bank via Getty Images However, stage actor John Hill, who appeared with Cohen on Tuesday’s radio show, sided with the victims of the reality star’s alleged telemarketing scheme. “When you say you’re guilty of something, maybe you mean it,” he argued. A caller weighed in and compared Shah to “The Real Housewives of New Jersey” star Teresa Giudice, who pleaded guilty to fraud in 2014 and served 15 months in federal prison as a result. “We support [Teresa] for years,” the caller said, implying that Shah would have the same faith from fans. Shah changed her plea on Monday after initially pleading not guilty.Alec Tabak Hill and Cohen pointed out that the cases were different, however, because Shah’s actions allegedly affected people, many of whom were over 55 years old. Cohen said: “What I’ve found about the audience response to some of these moments that have happened [is that] Some of the viewers are more outraged when there are — you know, when you look at Tom Girardi and how he seems to have done — actual victims that you can see.” (Girardi, the estranged husband of “RHOBH” star Erika Jayne, is being sued for allegedly misappropriating settlement funds intended for survivors of Lion Air Flight 610 victims.) “When you see Joe Giudice defrauding the government out of some tax money, I think you’re going to be more upset when you know there are victims,” ​​he continued, referring to Teresa’s ex-husband, who also pleaded guilty to fraud in 2014. Shah’s arrest was foiled while she was filming “RHOSLC” season 2. NBCU Photo Bank via Getty Images Shah was arrested in March 2021 for allegedly preying on hundreds of victims in a telemarketing scheme. She initially pleaded not guilty to all charges and repeatedly defended her innocence in the months that followed.
She shocked her fans on Monday, however, when she filed a last-minute motion to change her plea to guilty just days before her trial was set to begin. Shah’s attorney, Priya Chaudhry, told Page Six that the “RHOSLC” star “accepts full responsibility for her actions” and changed her plea because she “wants to pay her debt to society and leave behind and her family this ordeal.” Shah’s sentencing is set for November 28.