Shahs of Sunset’s Season 9 is only two episodes deep and we are already in the midst of a sexting scandal. Even juicier, the entire group is involved. Mike Shouhed’s girlfriend Paulina Ben-Cohen sent out screenshots of a raunchy text conversation between him and another woman in what seemed like an effort to expose him. Shouhed denied the allegations on-camera that it was him who sent the sext messages, and now he has shared more of his side of the story.
In these past two episodes of Shahs of Sunset, Mike Shouhed has emphatically doubled down on his claim that his phone was hacked and that the sext messages to another woman aren’t from him. He was so adamant, in fact, that it has provoked arguments with his girlfriend Paulina Ben-Cohen and the rest of his friend group. Apparently, though, he was lying the whole time. He finally owned up to the sexting allegations and gave his reasons why it happened in the first place to E! News:
It was a dark time. We were going through COVID, being on lockdown, and I let the anxiousness of going through that and just being bored allow me to do things I shouldn't have done. Looking back, I feel really stupid for allowing myself to engage in that conversation, even though those text messages were for a few hours and one day that those messages happened, reliving it now feels like…like it was going on for a long period of time. It just hurt her, it hurt me, it was a learning experience and I realize that I shouldn't do that. I'm glad we got past it and are in a much better place now.
Unfortunately for Mike Shouhed, his admission of guilt in regard to the sexting allegations only leads to more questions. For starters, it seems suspicious of not only him but Paulina Ben-Cohen as to why they would mostly behave as though it is not true on the show, when she sent the screenshots in the first place. Moreover, the scandal somehow comes about on the very first episode of Shahs of Sunset Season 9? That’s a fortuitous time for Ben-Cohen to start suddenly having a stronger storyline on the show.
Regardless, Mike Shouhed and Paulina Ben-Cohen are still together to this day, despite the sext messages. Shouhed supposedly had to put in some work to repair his relationship. He said,
I tell you, as odd as it may seem, we are more in love than we've ever been. I groveled, I begged, I apologized and I realized that what I have with Paulina means more to me than any amount of stimulation I might have gotten from a conversation I shouldn't have had.
The teaser for the next episode of Shahs of Sunset hinted at Paulina Ben-Cohen’s appearance at the birthday celebration in Palm Springs and is titled "The Truth Shall Sext You Free." We'll see if Mike Shouhed will continue to double down throughout the season about the sexting allegations – now that we all know the truth. Voy voy voy... Tune in for more Shahs of Sunset on Sundays on Bravo.
