The Nightly (Hatch Podcasts) Episode: Jen Shah Prison Release w/ Deanna Ortiz
Date: December 12, 2025

Overview

This cozy, late-night episode of The Nightly dives into the criminal saga—and recent prison release—of Jen Shah, notorious "Real Housewives of Salt Lake City" star. Hosts Mat and KP, joined by comedian Deanna Ortiz (host of "Crime For Bed"), break down Shah’s rise and spectacular fall, dissecting the intersection of reality TV, wire fraud, and American pop culture. The tone is light, gossipy, and sprinkled with late-night whimsy.

Key Discussion Points and Insights

1. Spam Calls, Scams, and Setting the Stage

(01:24 – 03:30)

• Panel shares personal annoyances with spam calls, connecting this theme cleverly to the larger story of Jen Shah.
• Deanna jokes about how criminals are always finding new ways to operate:

  "Just keeping up to date with all the different crimes in the world. Good thing there's always going to be some new crimes. Isn't that kind of inspirational? It's kind of sweet in a way." (00:58 - Deanna)

• Tips and humor about dealing with spam calls, foreshadowing the episode's crime focus.

2. The Rise of Jen Shah on Real Housewives

(04:44 – 07:40)

• Introduction to RHOSLC: A new Housewives franchise launched in 2020, with Shah as a breakout star known for luxurious living and eccentric branding ("Shaw Chalet", "Sha-lashes", etc.).
• Questions arise about the plausibility of such wealth from her husband’s salary as a college football coach.
• Shah’s job explanation: vague claims of “market research and data analytics,” which the hosts find suspiciously ambiguous.
• Notable quote highlighting the absurdity:

  “She basically says, you know, when you click on an ad or you click on something or you buy something, my company is the mastermind behind the algorithm that gets pushed to you. Okay, so vague enough. It's that type of back of the Internet type coding stuff that she knows that no one really knows what's going on.” (07:00 - Deanna)

3. Dramatic Arrest On Camera

(07:40 – 09:40)

• At the start of Season 2 (January 2023), Jen mysteriously leaves a cast trip mid-filming after a hushed phone call, shortly before a SWAT team arrives (captured on Bravo’s cameras).
• Details of the massive law enforcement presence: local police, NYPD, and Homeland Security.
• Surreal reality TV moment:

  “One of the other housewives… she has a big, goofy grin. She's like, guys, is this a prank? Are we being pranked? Like, she's living for it. She's like, Ashton Kutcher is nearby.” (08:39 - Deanna)

• Jen and her “Shah Squad” assistant, Stuart Smith, are arrested for conspiracy to commit wire fraud, money laundering, and running a nationwide telemarketing scam.

4. Inside the Scam

(11:01 – 13:38)

• For nearly a decade, Shah’s company sold contact info of people responding to "work from home" ads, feeding them into layers of fake business opportunities—targeting the vulnerable, especially elderly and disabled people.
• Multi-level marketing structure, with people losing huge sums:

  “Some victims saying that they paid upwards of forty to a hundred thousand dollars of their own money. Oh my god, to never be again, of course.” (12:43 - Deanna)

• Government strategically leveraged Shah’s celebrity status in prosecution to send a warning to other scammers.

5. The Collapse and Legal Fallout

(14:14 – 16:21)

• Shah pleads not guilty at first, maintains innocence on TV; eventually pleas change to guilty in July 2022 after her assistant also pleads and turns state’s witness.
• Much of this dramatic legal process is aired on RHOSLC, with Shah playing up her “wrongfully accused” persona on camera.
• The illusion shatters:

  “They realize that none of the luxury items that she had, like her million dollar house, was a rental. Isn't that just beautiful?” (16:00 - Deanna)

• Her entire public persona was revealed to be a carefully crafted fraud.

6. Housewives Culture and Crime

(16:40 – 21:07)

• Discussion on Bravo’s willingness to air the scandal; other examples of Housewives with criminal records.
• The fandom’s split reaction: many stand by Jen, others disown her.

  “Reality TV is reality tv. Like they're all bad people… that's kind of why we watch them.” (20:24 - Deanna)

• Notable quote:

  “I think bad people and committing wire fraud… I do think you gotta draw the line.” (20:31 – Mat)

7. Shah’s Sentence and Imminent Release

(17:47 – 18:34; 18:41 – 19:47)

• Shah’s sentence: 6.5 years, restitution of $6.5 million. Early release scheduled for December 10, 2025 (the week of this episode) due to good behavior and prison program participation.
• Served time in a minimum security facility in Bryan, Texas with “chill vibes.”
• Hosts are incredulous about the ease of “good behavior” in such prisons and jest about self-improvement:

  “She's like, improving her fitness routine. She's reaching out to other inmates. Thank God she's getting buff.” (19:02 - Deanna)

8. Her Next Act: Reality TV Redemption?

(21:19 – 23:37)

• Star status remains controversial: Andy Cohen confirms Shah won’t return to RHOSLC, but rumors swirl about “Dancing with the Stars” and other TV offers.
• Hosts debate ethics and spectacle of seeing a convicted scammer back on screen, questioning the impact on her victims.
• Dark humor:

  “It’s a bit of a slap in the face, though. If you lost $42,000… seeing her, like, do the samba week after week might be a little annoying.” (22:18 – KP)

• Shah is poised for a media return, with enough notoriety to make a living on her infamy.

9. Pop Culture, Scams, and Sleepy Reflections

(23:37 – 24:10)

• The hosts, tongue-in-cheek, promise to see future spam calls through a new lens (“Maybe I’ll get to talk to Jen Shah…”).
• Episode closes with sleepy gratitude and goodnights.

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On Reality TV Wealth:
  “You may get to this in a bit, but, like, surely a college football coach amount of money is not enough to keep this chalet and Shaw squad, is it?” (06:19 – KP)

• On Scam Victims:
  “It's also just such a bummer… targeting people that want a job, targeting people that would like to be making money… that's the problem with like a lot of these [scams].” (12:21 – KP)

• On Fame and Crime:
  “I love her addiction to fame. She's like, I'm gonna do this.” (14:46 – Deanna)

• On Reality TV Ethics:
  “I think bad people and committing wire fraud… I do think you gotta draw the line.” (20:31 – Mat)
  “Reality TV is reality tv. Like they're all bad people… that's kind of why we watch them.” (20:24 – Deanna)

• On Prison Life:
  “She's like, improving her fitness routine. She's reaching out to other inmates. Thank God she's getting buff.” (19:02 – Deanna)

• On Her Return:
  “You can get away with it, can't you? … I guarantee she'll start a podcast or something and just hoover up that other 50%.” (23:18 – Mat)

Timestamped Segment Guide

| Time | Segment | |-------------|--------------------------------------------------------------| | 01:24-03:30 | Spam call talk, scams intro | | 04:44-07:40 | Jen Shah's RHOSLC introduction and wealth questions | | 07:40-09:40 | Jen Shah's on-camera arrest and law enforcement arrival | | 11:01-13:38 | Mechanics of Shah’s scam, targeting the vulnerable | | 14:14-16:21 | Pleas, TV drama, and revelation of fake luxury | | 16:40-21:07 | Housewives and crime, fandom reactions, pop culture context | | 17:47-18:34 | Sentencing, restitution, prison location | | 18:41-19:47 | Early release, good behavior, prison environment | | 21:19-23:37 | Post-release fame, return to TV speculation | | 23:37-24:10 | Closing jokes and goodnights |

Tone and Style

Conversational, warm, and irreverent. The hosts and Deanna approach the crime story with empathy for victims, skepticism of reality TV, and humorous detachment from the scandal’s more outlandish details. The episode is peppered with pop culture references, playful sarcasm, and genuine curiosity.

Takeaway

Through the lens of one of reality TV’s most notorious scandals, The Nightly offers listeners a winding, relaxing, and surprisingly insightful glimpse at the blurred lines of fame, crime, and American entertainment—all with a wink and a mug of nighttime tea. Perfect for unwinding and maybe rethinking how you answer those spam calls.