Andy Cohen Breaks Silence on RHOSLC Star Jennie Nguyen's "Disgusting" Social Media Posts
Andy Cohen called The Real Housewives of Salt Lake City star Jennie Nguyen's racially-insensitive posts "upsetting" and "disgusting" and says the controversy is being discussed addressed.
Setting the record straight.
Andy Cohen is breaking his silence on the controversy surrounding The Real Housewives of Salt Lake City's Jennie Nguyen, whose racially-insensitive Facebook posts from 2020 recently resurfaced causing major backlash.
"The posts were very upsetting, rightfully, and disgusting," the Bravo host said during his SiriusXM show Radio Andy on Monday, Jan. 24, explaining that he felt the need to speak out after Sunday's Watch What Happens Live episode, which featured Jennie's longtime friend and RHOSLC co-star Lisa Barlow, who only briefly addressed the situation.
As Andy put it, "People were very upset about the lack of discussion on last night's episode relating to Jennie's disgusting and upsetting posts, and I've also seen all the tweets wanting to know what's being done about those posts."
He continued, but not before providing some important context: The WWHL episode was taped last Wednesday, just as Jennie's posts were going viral. In fact, it wasn't until Wednesday evening that Jennie issued her apology.
Added Andy, "I just want to say, in case anyone doesn't realize it, that there are many serious discussions happening right now about everything...And I can't address the situation right now, but it will be addressed very soon, and thank you for your patience."
Lisa made a similar statement on Twitter last week, telling her followers that "things" will get "addressed," and before season three of RHOSLC at that.
She also issued a longer response condemning Jennie's posts, and on the WWHL episode that aired Sunday, Lisa told Andy, "I'm completely anti-racist, so I hope everyone does better."
"But I definitely don't condone those," she added of the posts. "I haven't looked at Jennie's Facebook page in years. I was totally surprised."
Jennie herself called the posts "offensive" in her apology. She didn't clarify which ones she was talking about, but several were critical of the Black Lives Matter movement following the death of George Floyd. One post even made a joke out of running over "rioters" with a car.
"I want to acknowledge and apologize for my deleted Facebook posts from 2020 that resurfaced today," Jennie wrote in a statement shared to her Instagram and Twitter on Wednesday, Jan. 19. "At the time, I thought I was speaking out against violence, but I have since learned how offensive and hurtful my words were."
The RHOSLC star added that she was "sincerely sorry for the pain" the posts caused.
Jen Shah, however, dismissed what Jennie had said as a "disingenuous apology."
As she wrote in a statement the next day, "Since my RHOSLC cast member has admitted that she made those horrible comments and posts, I must now stand up, on behalf of my husband and sons who are African American, to say that I am deeply offended by the racially insensitive posts and comments."
Jen continued, "It was infuriating to see her like and repost comments that made a mockery of and showed complete apathy toward those killed marching to bring awareness to the deep-seeded [sic] social injustice issues that plague our country."
