Meet Jennie Nguyen: Everything to Know About The Real Housewives of Salt Lake City's New Star
The Real Housewives of Salt Lake City has a new star: Jennie Nguyen! Here are seven fascinating facts about her, including her harrowing immigration story, her take on Jen Shah's arrest & more.
Salt Lake City has a sassy new Housewife.
Bravoholics, meet Jennie Nguyen. The former businesswoman and mother of three is making her debut on The Real Housewives of Salt Lake City when the hit Bravo series returns for season two this Sunday.
Ahead of the premiere, we chatted exclusively with Jennie to find out everything you need to know about RHOSLC's newest star. Read on for seven fascinating facts about Jennie Nguyen.
She Was a Fan of the Show
Jennie decided to join the show after selling her successful medical spas. "I decided to be a stay at home mom, so I figured, you know what, since my children are heading back to school, maybe I'll take on a challenge and be on the show," she revealed. "I watched the first season. I loved the ladies, I think they're all wonderful ladies. I just wanted to be part of that group. You're at home doing nothing and you're like, 'You know what? Maybe I need a few friends in my life.' So I joined the group."
She's Friends With Lisa Barlow
Jennie and Lisa Barlow met and became close because their sons go to school together, but she didn't know any of the other RHOSLC cast members.
"I tried to click with all the ladies because they're so different in so many ways, so I feel like I clicked with almost all of them," she dished of making friendships with the women. "After we're filming, we had such a really great relationship. I feel like we all get along just great."
When asked if she has drama with anyone this season, she played coy, "You have to stay tuned and watch for that. Of course there's always conflict with friendships, with relationships with our spouses. There's always conflict, you can't avoid that."
She Was Just as Shocked By Jen Shah's Arrest as Her Co-Stars
Jennie said of co-star Jen Shah's arrest this season, "You guys see in the trailer that we were so shocked sitting there, seeing all these federal agents come for Jen. We were all shocked. We didn't know what was going on at all. I don't know Jen very well at all. This is the first season, I'm trying to get to know her, so I was very calm because I didn't know what happened to overreact."
"I tried to be logical, I tried to think clearly before jumping into judgment," Jennie continued. "You hear what the press said, but you truly don't know the facts, so I am just going to be neutral about it because I trust our legal system here and I am not going to jump to any conclusions or make any judgments. What I'm focusing on is being a good human, being nice and kind and supportive for her because she's a mom, she's a wife, that's what she needs most is someone to be there and understand her. Whatever her legal issue is, she has a lot on her plate and I'm not one to interfere and make judgment. I'm just trying to be nice and kind."
She's From Vietnam
At the age of seven, Jennie and her family immigrated to America and their journey was anything but easy.
"When I was very little, my family escaped Vietnam because if you stayed there, you were pretty much dead," she explained. "What you guys see in Afghanistan is exactly what was happening back then to us, and watching that on TV, I have PTSD even now. Pretty much we had to escape on this tiny fishing boat and we were in the ocean for a very long time, and then we got captured by the Thai pirates. They gathered us on the ship and then dropped us off at the Thai refugee camp. They actually sunk the boat so we have nowhere else to go.
"They drop us off there, we stay there for several years, and then just waiting to be sponsored. We're just doing our best to just survive. That's the only thing we can depend on, is have each other and just the will to survive. We got sponsored by a Christian church which was in Long Beach, Calif. That's where I grew up, and we just have to deal with the every day lifestyle, try to learn English, try to adapt to the culture, and bottom line is trying to live every day. It doesn't matter what we have, it's just trying to survive and be able to have our freedom. That's the most important thing."
She Has a Husband and 3 Kids
Jennie was introduced to her husband Duy by her now sister and law. "I was open-minded and went on a blind date with him. We hit it off and he asked me to visit him [in Salt Lake City] and then I stayed ever since. It's been over 22 years. We dated for seven and a half years before I said yes. I took my lovely time."
Duy Wants More Kids & Jennie Does Not
"It's an ongoing issue that we've been having for many, many years. It has not been resolved," she shared. "It's an ongoing complication so there's no resolution yet, so you just have to watch and see if we have a solution for it or if we're still dealing with it right now."
Duy Even Suggests Getting a Sister Wife to Carry the Children
"It was a shocker," Jennie laughed when asked about the shocking moment previewed in the RHOSLC trailer. "I didn't expect that at all, and now that it's out there, we're dealing with it internally and we just have to take it day by day and seeing how we can resolve it. We're still trying to resolve it."
The Real Housewives of Salt Lake City season two premieres this Sunday, Sept. 12 at 9 p.m. on Bravo. Scroll through the photo gallery below for more info on season two.
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Always on the go, Lisa continues to be a busy working mom with her entrepreneurial children and loyal husband John at her side. She quickly finds herself in the center of the drama when the ladies constantly question her motives.
While Heather's business Beauty Lab + Laser is thriving and on the precipice of growing into its second location, her life at home isn't quite as simple. With her oldest daughter ready to leave the nest, Heather struggles with breaking away from Mormon traditions and encouraging her daughter to live a secular life.
Introduced to the group by Lisa, Jennie is not afraid to ask the tough questions and has no problem jumping right into the drama. A successful businesswoman and married mother of three, Jennie recently sold her medical spas to become a stay-at-home mom. With Jennie at home more, her husband Duy starts pressuring her for more kids and when she becomes reluctant, he is willing to explore all options including a sister wife.
Whitney struggles to balance it all as her budding business has pulled her away from her stay-at-home mom duties, causing a lull in her romantic life with her husband Justin. Tensions rise when Whitney comes between Lisa and the long standing friendship with one of her best gal pals.
This season, Jen is focusing on channeling her inner zen and mending the important relationships in her life, but her world comes crashing down when charges are brought against her. She is in for the fight of her life as she quickly realizes who her true friends are and questions who may have turned her in.
Due to the pandemic, Mary's life has changed drastically, she has been forced to close the doors to her church and has started a faith-based podcast to fill the void. Friendships are tested when rumors about Mary become a topic of conversation after Lisa's friend reveals some unsettling allegations.
After reconciling last year, Meredith and Seth are going strong, but there still appears to be a few cracks in their foundation. While Meredith is full steam ahead on her relationship with Seth, she finds herself on the outs with her BFF Lisa when questions about loyalty arise.
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