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Stuart Smith is Jen Shah's "first assistant" on Real Housewives of Salt Lake City (RHOSLC). Although viewers only got a small glimpse of him in the first season, he was in almost all of the clips surrounding Jen in Season 2. On one episode of RHOSLC After Show, Jen revealed that she and Stuart met when she was working as a consultant for a firm.
In the trailer for the upcoming season of RHOSLC, Jen is seen confessing to fellow cast members Heather Gay and Meredith Marks that she "got played by Stuart Smith," and that she "would not be in this thing at all if it wasn’t for Stuart." Jen referenced her former assistant while discussing the fraud scandal that is likely to send her to prison.
According to a report published by PEOPLE, Jen and Stuart were arrested and charged with "one count of conspiracy to commit wire fraud in connection with telemarketing and one count of conspiracy to commit money laundering" in March 2021. They were accused of running a nationwide telemarketing scheme for a decade that targeted over 10 people over the age of 55.
RHOSLC's Jen Shah had been friends Stuart Smith for almost a decade
While Jen stated that she had been friends with Stuart for almost a decade, not a lot is known about her first assistant. On the RHOSLC After Show episode 13 of Season 2, Jen Shah revealed more details about her friendship with her very first assistant Stuart Smith. When the duo first met, he was employed at the company she was doing some consulting work for. She stated:
“He was kind of an underdog in his department and I felt bad for him. ‘He seems like a good person if somebody would just give him a chance or an opportunity.’ So part of when the company sold, they were going to get rid of him and I was like, ‘No, you should keep him.’ I just felt like he was a hard worker and I saw him going the extra mile and I was like, ‘He just needs a chance,’ so that’s how our relationship started.”
Jen further revealed that she had saved Stuart's job five or six times over the years they had known each other. According to the RHOSLC OG, whenever he would get into any trouble, she would sort it out by convincing people that "he means well." When she left the company, she took him along and made him her assistant.
The reality star confessed that she would sometimes rely more on Stuart than her husband, Sharrieff Shah, who also goes by the name Coach. Jen said:
“He literally knew more than Coach knew as far as like, ‘You should get her this for her birthday,’ or ‘Jen likes these tampons, not those tampons.’ He was more of a personal assistant to me, than like, so-called business.”
Jen and Stuart's friendship was even visible to fellow RHOSLC housewives. Heather Gay told RHOSLC After Show:
"I know that Stuart and Jen have a deep, abiding love for each other and relationship that goes—their loyalty goes beyond any loyalty that Jen's shown to any of her other circle of friends."
In the trailer for the upcoming season, Meredith Marks' husband Seth Marks is seen asking his wife and Heather Gay if they ever asked Jen if she was guilty of any of the charges levied against her. The housewives are seen in complete shock after the question.
According to Bravo, a lot of drama is set to occur for Jen in RHOSLC Season 3. Her profile reads:
“Amid an ongoing legal battle, Jen Shah is leaning on her friends and family for support more than ever. When the group’s dynamics shift, Jen’s new alliances cause a divide among the women. Jen and her husband, Sharrieff, downsize their house as they face the uncertainty of their future together.”
According to Page Six, Stuart originally pleaded not guilty to three charges but changed his plea to guilty in November last year. He has not been sentenced. However, Jen's plea deal might send her about 11 to 14 years behind bars and restitution of up to $9.5 million. Her sentencing is scheduled for November 2022.
Don't forget to tune into RHOSLC Season 3 on Wednesday, September 28, 2022 at 9 pm ET on Bravo.
