Roxanne 
Lisa Barlow is weighing in on whether Jen Shah should return to The Real Housewives of Salt Lake City following her prison release.
During the Thursday, July 2, episode of Jake Shane’s Therapuss podcast, Lisa was asked about Jen and whether she thinks her former RHOSLC costar coming back to the show would be a good idea.
Lisa made it clear that while she wants the best for Jen personally, she is not sure returning to reality TV would be the healthiest move.
“I want her to be happy. I want her to be thriving. I want her to be with her children and her husband and her mother and everybody else,” Lisa said. “I think that’s important. I think she’s really sorry. She did restitution and she’s paying for her mistake.”
Lisa also revealed that she has not seen Jen since her December 2025 prison release, though Jen appears to still have some contact with Meredith Marks.
“I think she talks to Meredith every now and then,” Lisa said. “She’ll call Meredith randomly, or Meredith will check in with her. But I don’t think anyone has a deep friendship with her.”
Jen was arrested in March 2021 for her role in a nationwide telemarketing fraud scheme. She initially pleaded not guilty to charges of conspiracy to commit wire fraud in connection with telemarketing and conspiracy to commit money laundering.
More than one year later, Jen pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit wire fraud as part of a plea deal, and the conspiracy to commit money laundering charge was dropped.
After her prison release, Jen spoke out in her first interview and took accountability for her actions.
“I was wrong,” Jen told People in April. “I made wrong decisions. I should have done things differently. I should have been more diligent. And I’m deeply remorseful and sorry for my actions and for my part. I take full responsibility.”
Jen’s arrest became one of the most shocking moments in Housewives history, especially because RHOSLC cameras were rolling when federal agents arrived looking for her.
Lisa recalled the now-infamous van scene from Season 2, where Jen suddenly left the group trip moments before authorities arrived.
“It was wild,” Lisa said. “I remember sitting in the van … Her energy was really off. And then when she got that phone call and was like, ‘I have to leave’, we’re like, ‘OK, what’s going on?’ Nobody would have ever in a million years felt like Homeland Security, the FBI, NYPD was going to show up.”
Despite everything that happened, Lisa still had kind things to say about Jen’s personality and the friendship they once had.
“I think that Jen has a lot of charisma and she’s really funny. And when you get her on a great day, she’s the most fun person ever,” Lisa said. “She’s crazy, but she’s so funny. She has this charisma about her and it’s really natural.”
Still, Lisa seems unsure that stepping back into RHOSLC would be the right move for Jen after such a serious chapter in her life.
