Heather Gay hasn't abandoned her friendship with Jen Shah, despite the allegations of fraud and money laundering her Real Housewives of Salt Lake City cast mate is currently facing.
During an appearance on Bravo's Chat Room earlier this week, Gay opened up about the moment Shah was taken into custody amid production in early March and confirming she has no plans to remove her support for her co-star, who has pleaded not guilty to claims of running a years-long telemarketing scheme.
Looking back on the moment in which Shah was taken into custody, Gay admitted she was "terrified."
"I mean, I've been, like, dying to talk about this publicly," Gay began to the talk show's co-hosts, including Real Housewives of Atlanta star Porsha Williams and The Real Housewives of Potomac cast member Gizelle Bryant. "With you ladies this is like an exclusive tea. It all happened live time, real time, active filming. We were all together, Jen was there. We were getting ready to leave for a cast trip."
"We were just sitting at Beauty Lab getting our last minute things, making sure everything was squared away. And Jen had to leave, and then everything happened," Gay recalled.
According to E! News, Bravo's camera crew was present to capture footage when Shah was handcuffed by the F.B.I. in March.
The following month, Jen pleaded not guilty to the charges brought against her.
"But Heather, isn't Beauty Lab your place of business?" Bryant asked Gay after hearing her recount the dramatic turn of events.
"Did the cops come to your place of business? Were you feeling like you were going to get arrested?" Bryant wondered?
"Oh girl, I knew I was holding and I was pinned against the wall. I thought they were coming for me. I was terrified," Gay replied.
Then, after Williams asked Gay if she had "stayed quiet" about Shah's arrest since the events unfolded, Gay confirmed she's asked her cast mate plenty of questions.
"No, I talked to her about every single detail," Gay shared. "I have one job and my job is not to defend her, it's not to judge her, it's not to prosecute her, it's not to make her feel bad about what she's done. It's to be her friend."
During a prior appearance on the So Bad It's Good With Ryan Bailey podcast, Gay said she is "passionate about second chances" for Shah.
"I think that good people can do bad things, and she is claiming she is innocent," she explained. "Even if she gets...wrongfully convicted, she can make things right. She can redeem herself."
To see more of Gay, Shah, and their cast mates, including Lisa Barlow, Mary Cosby, Meredith Marks, Whitney Rose and newbie Jennie Nguyen, tune into the season two premiere of The Real Housewives of Salt Lake City, which is set to air on Bravo on Sunday, September 12 at 9/8c.
