Jen Shah Defends Herself Against Bravo Black Eye Rumors From Prison

Jen Shah may be behind bars, but no cell is enough to stop her from defending her honor, especially regarding her time on Bravo!

The former cast member of the reality TV series "The Real Housewives of Salt Lake City" recently fired back at co-star Heather Gay's physical assault allegations. The latter, who debuted a nasty black eye in the show's third season, finally unveiled Shah as her attacker in the season 4 finale.

Despite being in prison, Shah appears to be up-to-date on the "RHOSLC" drama as she vehemently denied Gay's black eye claims shortly after the episode aired on Tuesday night. The 50-year-old addressed the matter in a sassy clap-back on social media, accusing Bravo of desperately holding on to her for content. Her statement began:

"BRAVO, if I punched Heather in her eye, you guys would have footage to prove it. It's clear the show can't live without me since I was brought up at the beginning, middle, and end of season 4."

Shah claimed showrunner Andy Cohen once reached out to her for an interview, a moment she insisted would never have happened if she truly assaulted Gay. Her concluding argument read:

"Andy is still butt hurt that I turned down his 1:1 interview. Why would you sit down with someone who 'gave' another cast member a black eye? Next story."

As stated, Shah's Instagram Story statement came at the heels of Gay's dramatic revelation about the culprit behind her infamous black eye. After nearly a year of mystery, she finally opened up about the issue on the show's season 4 finale.

The big reveal occurred when Gay and co-stars Lisa Barlow, Meredith Marks, and Whitney Rose confronted newbie housewife Monica Garcia over her speculated involvement in the Instagram troll account Reality Von Tease.

Gay compared Garcia's suspicious behavior to former BFF Shah's, noting that she and the other housewives had "shut down feelings of doubt" regarding their ex-cast member. In her words:

"We are friends, and we have been through this b—s— before with Jen…I went on book tour and defended her and took s— for the fact that she gave me a black eye."

Naturally, the bombshell shocked the group with a bewildered Marks asking, "What?" while Barlow exclaimed, "Woah." Their reactions sparked further explanation from Gay, who directed her frustration at Garcia.

"I had to ride hard for [Jen], and I had to lie for her. We're not going to do it again with you," she said before telling Garcia to "pack her bags and go." Gay's black eye occurred after partying late into the night with her alleged attacker and Marks.

At the time, how she ended up with the nasty shiner wasn't documented on the reality TV series because the cameras weren't rolling. Gay refused to share what happened but once told her cousin and castmate Whitney Rose, "I think we all know what happened; I just think we don't want to talk about it."

Weeks before Gay's allegations against Shah came to light, the 50-year-old was excited about a possible biopic and who she wanted to play her role. Her comments about the hypothetical project came after the actress Emma Stone name-dropped the former Bravo star.

During the premiere of her new movie, "Poor Things," Stone was asked which "RHOSLC" housewife she would want the renowned filmmaker Yorgos Lanthimos to focus on in a "Real Housewives" biopic. Wasting no time, she exclaimed, "Jen Shah! Duh. Can you imagine?"

Days after Stone's words, Shah's manager, Chris Giovanni, revealed his client was "freaking out over the phone" when he shared the news. According to him, the incarcerated entertainer was ecstatic about the possibility of having a biopic. 

Shah, who entered prison in February following her guilty plea in a telemarketing scam, reportedly considered it an honor for Stone to pick her for the possible project. If it became a reality, the 50-year-old had the perfect person to play herself.

Giovanni claimed his client wanted Kim Kardashian to pick up the mantle and plans to help her achieve the best portrayal of her life with the necessary information. Shah has actively documented her prison experience, compiling 100-150 pages of notes for future reference.