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Published January 4, 2024, 5:05 p.m. ET
Jen Shah is threatening to sue Heather Gay, Andy Cohen and Bravo for libel and slander if she is directly accused of giving her former co-star and boyfriend a black eye during the “Real Housewives of Salt Lake City” reunion.
A representative for Bravolebrity told Page Six on Thursday that Shah, who is currently in prison on fraud charges, “got wind” of the reunion preview and “will most likely take legal action” based on the “wording” used.
“If Heather directly alludes to Jen Shah giving her a black eye in the final cut of the three-part 'RHOSLC' reunion, the Shah family will take legal action against Andy Cohen, NBC Universal, Bravo and Shed Media,” and Heather for slander and slander,” they told us.
The preview for the highly anticipated reunion dropped Wednesday night, and in it, Cohen directly asks Gay if “Jen gave.” [her] the black eye?”
Jen Shah could face legal action if she is directly blamed for Heather Gay's black eye at the upcoming “Real Housewives of Salt Lake City” reunion. Alec Tabak
“Yes,” the Beauty Lab + Laser owner replies, prompting Bravo’s boss to ask her to explain “how it happened.”
Gay confirmed that Shah, 50, made a harsh remark to her during the Season 4 finale that aired on Tuesday – despite previously saying she didn't know how it happened.
In the bombshell episode, the “Bad Mormon” author told newcomer and villain Monica Garcia that she felt like she had to “lie to protect Shah during her fraud trial.”
“The Shah family will take legal action against Andy Cohen, NBC Universal, Bravo, Shed Media and Heather for libel and slander” if Gay “directly alludes to Jen Shah giving her the black eye,” her rep told us. Gizelle Hernandez/Bravo
“I did what I had to do,” shouted Gay, 49. “I went on a book tour and defended her and resented her giving me a black eye.”
However, Gay notably did not use Shah's name in the apparent confession. She also didn't give any information about how she got the black eye.
“Heather mentions that 'she' gave her a black eye, but doesn't mention Jen Shah's name,” the rep stressed, noting that they would likely take legal action if Gay actually accused Shah directly.
In a preview of the reunion, which airs January 9, Cohen and Gay address the alleged altercation.
Shah's rep also claimed that the network “used a clip taken out of context to suggest that Shah was the culprit behind her black eye.”
After the big reveal, the episode cut a clip from Season 3 where Gay Shah and Meredith Marks showed off her black eye for the first time. She also had a number of scratches on her arms that she said she couldn't explain.
Shocked, Marks asked Gay “when” this happened, as they had all been together until a few hours ago.
“We don’t know,” Shah replied, glancing sideways at Gay. “We go through everything.”
Gay finally revealed who inflicted the injury on her in the season four finale. Bravo “She gave me a black eye,” Gay said of Shah. Bravo
Representatives for Cohen, Gay and Bravo did not immediately respond to Page Six's request for comment. Meanwhile, NBC Universal representatives had no comment.
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Following Gay's confession, Shah took to her Instagram Story to refute the claim, arguing that if she had “punched Heather in the eye,” Bravo would have “footage to prove it.”
Gay had previously claimed she could not remember how she sustained the injury. NBCU Photo Bank via Getty Images
Her rep also told us that the network “conducted a comprehensive investigation following Heather's injury” but quickly shut it down after “no evidence of wrongdoing was found on the part of the ladies or Shah.”
Still, the former reality TV star believes she will be blamed for the hurt, as Cohen, 55, is still “butt hurt” from turning down his offer to do a one-on-one interview following her sentencing – which he dismissed on his morning radio show on Wednesday.
“I had forgotten about the one-on-one with Jen,” he told listeners. “She's right. I wanted to have a one-on-one conversation with her [but] It does not interest me anymore. I'm over it.”
However, Shah denied the claims after the episode aired. TheImageDirect.com She claimed Bravo hid footage that would prove she didn't cause Gay's injury because Cohen was mad at her.
Cohen claimed the reason they didn't do the interview was because of Shah's “crazy” demands, such as a large payout and documentation of her final days of freedom.
He also responded to Shah's claim that Bravo hid footage that showed Gay actually getting the black eye.
“I don't want to be Captain Obvious here, but if we had footage, don't you think we would have aired it?” he asked sarcastically.
Still, Cohen told his radio listeners Wednesday that Bravo has no footage from that night. GC images
“Don’t you think we would have done that? [shown] Heather says, 'I don't know how I got the black eye,' and then don't you think we would have edited the footage with a Chiron saying, 'Four hours earlier?'”
Cohen pointed out that the fact that there is no footage of the alleged altercation does not mean it did not occur.
Part one of the “RHOSLC” reunion airs January 9 on Bravo.
Filed under Andy Cohen, Bravo, Celebrity Lawsuits, Exclusive, Jen Shah, Real Housewives, Real Housewives of Salt Lake City, Reality Show, Reality Stars, Reality TV, 01/04/24
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