Heather Gay Tells Fans Where She Really Stands With Jen Shah At BravoCon 2022

Heather Gay and Jen Shah's relationship has been a real rollercoaster ride for "The Real Housewives of Salt Lake City" stars. In a 2021 episode of the show, Gay said she felt like Shah took her friendship for granted — and that she would tell herself to cut Shah out of her life if she were on the outside looking in at their contentious relationship, per The Daily Dish.

But in recent episodes of the show, viewers watched Gay and the other housewives try to be supportive friends to Shah during a girls' trip to Arizona. But a looming legal battle and a whole lot of bickering kept Shah from being able to fully enjoy herself. "I'm fighting for my life and my freedom, but y'all are fighting for courtside Jazz ticket seats," she said in the October 12 episode of "RHOSLC," per The Salt Lake Tribune. As many viewers are aware, Shah was later arrested and charged with fraud, per the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Southern District of New York.

Shah plead guilty to one charge, and Page Six reported that her sentencing hearing was pushed back to December 15, 2022. So now that Shah is facing prison time for fleecing unsuspecting victims through a telemarketing scheme, is Gay standing by her on-and-off friend? At BravoCon 2022, the "Bad Mormon" author revealed where she and Shah currently stand.

During the "Right the Relationship" panel at BravoCon, which took place on October 14, a fan asked Heather Gay if she and Jen Shah are still in contact with each other. According to a reporter from The List, Gay revealed that she had just talked to Shah that morning. "I still love her," she said, describing their relationship as "ride or die."

When Gay appeared on Page Six's "Virtual Reali-Tea" podcast in September, she said she also plans to stay in contact with Shah while she serves her time. "Listen, I've had prison boyfriends before," she joked. "I know the whole routine!" According to Good Morning America, the maximum penalty Shah faces is 14 years behind bars, along with millions of dollars in restitution.

As for why Gay feels like her friendship with her "RHOSLC" co-star is worth fighting for, she explained her loyalty in an interview with the Daily Mail — and it all comes down to Shah's one-of-a-kind personality. "As much as you think you know her and can predict her or judge her or evaluate her based on the show, it is one-umpteenth of the charisma, the magnetism, the star power, and the force of energy that she is," said Gay. And while Shah does her fair share of stirring up drama on the show, Gay insists that she's never hung out with anyone who is as fun to be around as her BFF.