The co-hosts of The View have never shied away from giving their unvarnished opinions on a number of hot-button issues, from politics to pop culture, and that hasn’t changed with the dawn of Season 26. Frequent moderator Whoopi Goldberg is just as outspoken as her fellow hosts, and she recently shared some critical thoughts after Real Housewives star Jen Shah pleaded guilty to very serious federal charges.
What Did The View’s Whoopi Goldberg Say About Jen Shah?
While it’s probably unlikely that the blockbuster franchise from Andy Cohen (who offered thoughts on Shah’s plea change) comes up a lot on the long-running talk show, The Real Housewives of Salt Lake City star is a special case. She’s been fighting wire fraud and money laundering charges attached to a telemarketing scheme for well over a year, but recently pleaded guilty. After her co-star, Meredith Marks, said that she was standing by her, Goldberg asked The View’s panelists if they could stick with a friend who did something like this, and then offered her own opinion, noting:
When it comes to older people, I’m not as forgiving. I’m just not. Because that’s low-hanging fruit. It is. I’m glad you realize you did something wrong, and I commend you, but I’m not going to be your friend for a while; until I get over that. For me, when you mess with old people and little kids? Yeah, those are the two [most vulnerable groups].
Several other co-hosts had pointed out that standing by friends, even when they’ve admitted to doing something wrong, is important, particularly when their actions could very likely lead to time in prison. While the Sister Act star was understanding of that position, and did seem to appreciate that Shah (whose fraud case had a Hulu documentary in 2021) has decided to take responsibility for her actions, the fact that the scam was focused on defrauding the elderly is what really gave her pause.
The reality star (who has continued to film the Bravo series) was arrested near the end of March 2021 (along with her assistant), and the complete charges from the U.S. Attorney’s Office in the Southern District of New York did, in fact, note that Shah and others “defrauded hundreds” throughout the country, with many victims being “over age 55.” Older people are targeted in scams like this quite a lot, and with a number of senior citizens already having limited income, it makes the result of falling for a scheme even worse on them financially.
It would seem with her guilty plea that the RHSLC cast member has admitted that at least some of her money has come from this telemarketing scam. She’s suspected to be facing up to 14 years in prison with the plea deal, as well as giving financial restitution to her victims, and her punishment is set to be decided on November 28.
