Season 2 of The Real Housewives of Salt Lake City is on the horizon. It's been highly anticipated, not only because Bravo fans love the craziness that was Season 1 but also because Jen Shah's legal troubles were subsequently caught in the crosshairs of filming. Ahead of the premiere, Shah's co-star, Heather Gay, shared for the first time what it was like seeing her friend get arrested.
On Bravo's Chat Room (via E! News), Heather Gay told hosts (and fellow Real Housewives alums) Porsha Williams and Gizelle Bryant that she has been “dying to talk” publicly about Jen Shah's arrest for money laundering and fraud charges. The Real Housewives of Salt Lake City star said:
It all happened live time, real time, active filming. We were all together, Jen was there. We were getting ready to leave for a cast trip, we were just sitting at Beauty Lab getting our last minute things, making sure everything was squared away. And Jen had to leave, and then everything happened.
Speculation has churned for months now that Jen Shah's arrest was captured on Real Housewives of Salt Lake City. Heather Gay has now confirmed it but also revealed that it took place at her own place of business, Beauty Lab. This helps lend credence to a theory gleaned from the Season 2 trailer. Specifically that in the trailer, certain castmates seem to be indicating that co-star Meredith Marks might have cooperated with the feds to lead them to arrest Shah at Gay’s business. (Supposedly, Marks was still angry with Shah for talking about her marriage in Season 1.)
Jen Shah had in fact alienated a lot of her Real Housewives of Salt Lake City co-stars in the first season. Meredith Marks was one but Heather Gay was yet another. At the time, Shah even said she couldn't fully trust Gay anymore, and it didn’t seem resolved at the reunion, either. Nevertheless, Gay indicated previously that she leaned in to support Shah during her time of need this season, and that apparently hasn't changed. During her interview on Bravo's Chat Room, she also said:
I have one job and my job is not to defend her, it's not to judge her, it's not to prosecute her, it's not to make her feel bad about what she's done. It's to be her friend.
Dynamics are always fluctuating in the Real Housewives universe, though. From my own perspective as a fan, Heather Gay herself seemed drastically different in the Real Housewives of Salt Lake City reunion show than she did in the actual season. Conversely, when the rumors about Meredith Marks’ possible involvement came to light in Season 2, Jen Shah still seems like her old self (in other words, things go south rather quickly).
All I know is that I'm more excited for The Real Housewives of Salt Lake City's second season than ever before. If it'll be anything close to the shock and awkwardness of the Real Housewives of Beverly Hills cast dealing with Erika Jayne's legal troubles, it will be worth the wait. Tune into Bravo on Sept. 20 at 9 p.m. ET to see the Salt Lake City premiere.
