Two days after The Real Housewives of Salt Lake City star Whitney Rose, 36, appeared on Watch What Happens Live with Andy Cohen, 54, she took to Instagram to seemingly shade her co-star Jen Shah, 49. “WWHL with @juliafox and @bravoandy was everything. Season 3 of #rhoslc was a lot and very heavy,” she captioned the post seemingly in reference to Jen’s Jan. 6 telemarketing fraud sentencing. “Wrapping it with such a fun show was the perfect send off to a difficult season. The darkness is gone, lightness is upon us.”
In response to Whitney’s seemingly shady post, many of her 367K followers took to the comments section to react to the star’s caption. “‘The darkness is gone WHITNEY,” a fan commented along with a laughing emoji. A second admirer seemingly noted that the “darkness” Whitney referenced was Jen. “The darkness was just sentenced to 6.5 years in prison,” the fan penned with a laughing emoji. However, a third follower was quick to tell Whitney to edit her caption and wrote, “Pls you still have time to delete the darkness comment lol.”
Jen was sentenced to six and a half years in prison on Jan. 6, for her role in a telemarketing scheme. Although Bravo did not comment on the matter, the 49-year-old’s lawyer, Priya Chaudhry, told HollywoodLife, “Jen Shah deeply regrets the mistakes that she has made and is profoundly sorry to the people she has hurt. Jen has faith in our justice system, understands that anyone who breaks the law will be punished, and accepts this sentence as just. Jen will pay her debt to society and when she is a free woman again, she vows to pay her debt to the victims harmed by her mistakes.”
#RHOSLC star Whitney Rose reacts to Jen Shah's sentencing: "I'm really nervous for her and for her family." #WWHL pic.twitter.com/gPIWrM2ENo
— WWHL (@BravoWWHL) January 5, 2023
Whitney sat down next to model and actress Julia Fox, 32, and Andy on Wednesday night to chat about the previous season of the hit Bravo TV show. Notably, the 54-year-old host asked the blonde beauty her thoughts on Jen’s sentencing and Whitney did not hold back. “I’m really nervous for her and for her family,” the 36-year-old said in response. Prior to that remark, Whitney joked and asked Andy if she should “extend her trip to see” the outcome of Jen’s sentencing.
During the Jan. 4 episode of WWHL, Whitney did throw shade during some of the show’s segments. When the Bravo executive asked her to reveal who she “least trusts with a secret” of her cast mates, she quickly replied, “Jen.” Later, Andy questioned who Whitney will “most likely need a friendship break from next,” and once again, she declared Jen. “Next aside from Heather [Gay]? Jen.”
Amid Jen’s sentencing, the U.S. Department of Justice released the following press release on Jan. 6: “JENNIFER SHAH was sentenced today by United States District Judge Sidney H. Stein to 78 months in prison for running a nationwide telemarketing fraud scheme. SHAH previously pled guilty to one count of conspiracy to commit wire fraud in connection with telemarketing.” The mom-of-two plead guilty on July 11, 2022, following her March 30, 2021 arrest.
U.S. Attorney Damian Williams noted in the press release that Jen now “faces the consequences” of her actions. “With today’s sentence, Jennifer Shah finally faces the consequences of the many years she spent targeting vulnerable, elderly victims,” the statement began. “These individuals were lured in by false promises of financial security, but in reality, Shah and her co-conspirators defrauded them out of their savings and left them with nothing to show for it. This conviction and sentence demonstrate once again that we will continue to vigorously protect victims of financial fraud and hold accountable those who engage in fraudulent schemes.”