The Real Housewives of Salt Lake City star Jen Shah itted she experienced an anxiety attack on her first day reporting to prison. Jen was sentenced to 6.5 years imprisonment on January 6 for her involvement in a telemarketing conspiracy targeting people above the age of 55. Before itting to the fraud scheme, the reality star maintained her innocence for months, eventually entering a plea deal in July 2022. She has since expressed regret for participating in the scheme and hoped her stint in prison would bring justice to those she hurt. Jen reported to prison on February 17, six weeks after receiving her sentence.
Nearly three weeks later, The Real Housewives of Salt Lake City star Jen Shah gave fans an inside look at her life in prison and her emotional journey to the Bryan Federal Prison Camp in Texas. Coach Sharrieff Shah (via @LoveAndyC) shared her first journal entry on Jen's Instagram .
In the write-up, Jen opened up about having an anxiety attack during the drive, forcing her to request a timeout. "I could not breathe, and my hands went numb. I knew I was having an anxiety attack. I made Coach pull over because our reception was poor while driving, and I was not able to FaceTime my oldest baby," she explained.
RHOSLC's Jen Shah its She Cried 'So Hard'
Jen itted to "crying so hard" until her oldest son Sharrieff Jr. reassured her, via FaceTime, that it would be okay. The RHOSLC star ittedly felt she would not make it through the day. Upon their arrival, Jen had her final emotional moments with her husband Sharrieff, and their second son, Omar, before an officer escorted her into prison. The mother of two explained how parting ways with her family left her feeling numb and scared, as the reality of her situation dawned on her. "I feel like I don't belong here," she wrote. "I thought I could do this, but I've decided I can't. I want to go home."
Sadly, "home" could only exist as a fragment of Jen's imagination pending the completion of her prison sentence and transition into her five years of supervised release. He previously put on an impressive front by handling every moment with courage and charisma. Jen vowed to do right by her victims, launched a website to tell her side of the story, and even put several of her RHOSLC co-stars in their place. Having walked through these past weeks with her head held high, perhaps these low points are simply brief moments of weakness. Given Jen's resolve to make the most of her prison time, she will surely bounce back.
There is no judgment if Jen really cracks under the pressure of her new reality. Life behind bars is not expected to be easy. Jen's latest journal entry shows this first-hand. But life outside the confines of the Texas penitentiary offers its own difficulties. Aside from enduring judgment from the rest of the world and constantly facing media scrutiny, Jen had to deal with losing friends since the telemarketing conspiracy blew up. The Real Housewives of Salt Lake City's Heather Gay itted she no longer stood by Jen. That's understandable given the gravity of her crime and deceit. Jen may require a lot more from those she once called friends.
Sources: Jen Shah/Instagram, @LoveAndyC/Twitter