Federally Indicted 'RHOSLC' Star Jen Shah Rips Co-Star Jennie Nguyen For 'Infuriating' Racist Posts, Newcomer's BFF Lisa Barlow Radio Silent
Jan. 21 2022, Published 2:53 p.m. ET
Jennie Nguyen attempted to apologize for her recently resurfaced social media posts that made her out to be a racist, Trump-worshiping anti-vaxxer, but her bizarre explanation seems to have made her situation even worse.
The first of the Real Housewives of Salt Lake City newcomer's co-stars to outwardly condemn her for sharing content that called for violence against Black people was actually Jen Shah, who's been federally indicted on wire fraud and money laundering charges.
"I rarely believe what I see or hear online. I know firsthand what it feels like to be judged without evidence or an admission of guilt," Shah began a statement she posted to Instagram on Thursday, alluding to her own legal troubles.
"However, since my RHOSLC cast member has admitted that she made those horrible comments and posts, I must now stand up, on behalf of my husband and sons who are African American, to say that I am deeply offended by the racially insensitive posts and comments," she went on.
Shah described Nguyen's Facebook activity as "infuriating," saying that the newbie's likes, reposts and comments "made a mockery of and showed complete apathy towards those killed marching to bring awareness to the deep-seeded social justice issues that plague our country."
Jen also took aim at Jennie's "disingenuous" apology, saying, "Needless to say, we have some real sh*t to talk about."
Shah captioned her post using a quote by Thurgood Marshall that read, "Where you see wrong or inequality or injustice, speak out, because this is your country. This is your democracy. Make it. Protect it. Pass it on."
On Friday morning, Whitney Rose broke her silence on the matter with a less-pointed condemnation of her co-star's actions.
"Recent events have reminded me of the importance of always leading with LOVE, light and kindness," she wrote. "It is NEVER okay to blatantly make, comment, post, and/or share any type of racially charged & derogatory statements/posts."
Choosing not to name Jennie, Whitney simply said she was "shocked and saddened at the things that have surfaced online. There is so much deep seeded discrimination and racism rooted in our country and we all need to do better and work together to make a change."
"I believe that everyone – no matter their ethnicity, beliefs, sexuality, or gender identity – should be treated and afforded with the same level of love, kindness, and respect," she added.
Whitney's cousin and co-star, Heather Gay, reposted the message to her Instagram Story.
After Nguyen's scandal made headlines, Meredith Marks tweeted out the word "vile" but did not elaborate because she said she was "not allowed [to right now] but yes I have a lot more to say about many things. And I will."
On Friday morning, Marks took to Twitter once more to quote Martin Luther King Jr.'s "silence is betrayal."
She added, "Please use your voice to speak out against what is wrong and amplify those that are not being heard. There is no room in this world for hatred. We are all human beings and deserve the same treatment of respect and dignity. Negative commentary rooted in prejudice regarding one's race, ethnicity, religion, sexuality, or gender is vile and should never be tolerated."
"Educate if it comes from a lack of knowledge and condemn if it comes from a place of hatred," she added. "I pray to see the world without prejudice."
The cast member who introduced Jennie to the group, Lisa Barlow, has been radio silent on the issue, but that's not because she hasn't been online.
After tweeting on Thursday night that "things get addressed," she spent Friday morning promoting an appearance on Amazon Live.
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On the currently airing season of RHOSLC, Jennie – the franchise's first and only Asian cast member – called out her co-star, Mary Cosby, for referring to her eyes as "slanted."
Jennie used the moment both onscreen and online to condemn the "racist," "derogatory" and "offensive" remark.
Mary – who's been dealing with her own scandal regarding allegations that she runs a cult – has not commented.
After Nguyen's 2020 internet activity went viral, she took to Instagram to say, "I want to acknowledge and apologize for my deleted Facebook posts from 2020 that resurfaced today. At the time, I thought I was speaking out against violence, but I have since learned how offensive and hurtful my words were."
"It's why I deactivated that account more than a year ago and why I continue to try to learn about perspectives different from my own," she added. "I regret those posts and am sincerely sorry for the pain they caused."
According to several outlets, Jennie's Facebook account remains active.
