Jen Shah has had her fair share of problems both on and off the Real Housewives of Salt Lake City. In a few months’ time, in fact, the reality star goes to trial over her fraud and money laundering charges. But it seems her co-stars aren't immune from controversy, either. Recently, series newcomer Jennie Nguyen received a ton of condemnation for old Facebook posts of hers surfacing. Shah has since spoken out on the matter, which included calling Nguyen’s apology “disingenuous.”
Several screenshots of Jennie Nguyen’s Facebook posts have been circulating on social media amongst fans. They date back to September 2020, at the tail end of the Black Lives Matter protests about police brutality that erupted that summer. In the posts, Nguyen appeared to take a pro-police position and implied that the protestors involved should've been held accountable for their actions.
Jennie Nguyen would later confirm that the Facebook posts were real, and her co-star Jen Shah was none too pleased. Shah reflected in a statement on Instagram that her household is in fact biracial and that she was “deeply offended” by the comments. The Real Housewives of Salt Lake City alum continued,
It was infuriating to see her like and repost comments that made a mockery of and showed complete apathy toward those killed marching to bring awareness to the deep seeded social justice issues that plague our country.
Some Real Housewives of Salt Lake City fans were likewise upset about the posts in question and were even calling for Jennie Nguyen’s removal from the show. In response to the backlash, Nguyen said on her Instagram that she believed she was “speaking out against violence” at the time but learned “how offensive and hurtful” the Facebook posts are. She said she regretted them and offered an apology for “the pain they caused.” However, Jen Shah apparently isn’t buying what Nguyen is saying. Shah added in her statement,
I am equally disappointed by the disingenuous apology that was issued. Needless to say, we have some real shit to talk about.
Jen Shah was backed up by a few of the other Real Housewives of Salt Lake City castmates on social media. Whitney Rose wrote on Twitter that she was “shocked and saddened” by what has come to light and added that everyone needs to do better to change “deep seeded discrimination and racism.” Likewise, Meredith Marks said in a more general statement on Instagram that there's “no room in this world for hatred.”
The controversy over Jennie Nguyen’s past views came about not long after a racially charged incident took place on the Real Housewives of Salt Lake City. Nguyen called out Mary Cosby for saying “slanted eyes” to her in one episode, resulting in a lot of fan backlash against Cosby. (Cosby would later not film the Season 2 reunion and is suspected to not be brought back for Season 3.) But it evidently went much deeper than that because Nguyen has been accused of using a “Black accent” with Cosby, which she denied (via Reality Blurb).
Clearly, a lot of serious issues are on the table as a result of the Real Housewives of Salt Lake City’s second season. It isn’t exactly abnormal these days, though, for the franchise. But, as fans well know concerning Jen Shah, the Bravo star isn’t one for holding back her opinions, so this may not be the last we hear about Jennie Nguyen’s Facebook page.
