![Mike Shouhed Addresses Real Reason Shahs of Sunset Ended, How Much He Made in Season 1, Says Producers “Manipulate[d]” Cast, and Opens Up About His “Infidelity Issues”](https://realityblurb.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/04/Mike-Shouhed-and-Paulina-Ben-Cohens-pics.jpg)
Mike Shouhed addressed the real reason Shahs of Sunset ended, and shared how much money he made in season 1. The 44-year-old also said producers “manipulate[d]” the cast, and opened up about his “infidelity issues.”
Last year, Mike was arrested over domestic violence allegations concerning his fiancé Paulina Ben-Cohen – though the charges were later dismissed. At the time, it was reported that his arrest triggered the show’s cancellation.
In an interview for the “Miss Understood” podcast, Mike said he and his ‘OG’ castmates – with the exception of “GG” Gharachedaghi – were “acquaintances” when the show started, despite the premise that they were all “close.”
He claimed the cast members made about $3,000 an episode in the first season, and he would often get “reprimanded” for not being “dramatic enough.”
Mike also suggested that producers “manipulate[d]” the cast, and he began to “lose sight of who [he] really was.” He claimed a “group of nerd editors” were given “notes from the network,” telling them to make certain castmates appear a certain way.
“They exploit whatever they want about you,” he said. “God bless our fans, they would take whatever they saw as reality.”
Mike shared that he sometimes has “anger” inside, but “it takes a lot for it to come out,” and he’s normally “happy” and “optimistic.”
He eventually hinted at his “infidelity issues,” and explained that he and his ex-wife Jessica Parido were not “in love with each other” – they tied the knot “even though we knew we shouldn’t.”
“My laundry was aired out on the show. Hers wasn’t,” he said. “She’s an amazing person. We’re friends to this day.”
He then addressed the infidelity drama with Paulina. The star claimed that a “pretty girl” DM’d him with a question about divorce, and the woman was “baiting” him, before he got “in trouble.”
“It was just stupid, and it got blown out of proportion,” said Mike. “When you’re in the fame, and you have these beautiful women who want your attention, and you’re trying to be good, the devil in me got the best of me, and I f**ked up, and I feel guilty about it to this day.”
Mike shared he was “so happy” and “laughing” when producers told him that the show would not continue. At the time, a producer told the star, “‘Wow, you’re taking this a lot better than the rest of them did. Some of them actually cried.'”
He said the cast learned of the show’s fate via a zoom call. According to Mike, his costars Reza Farahan, GG, and MJ Javid were told they would get a “spinoff,” while it appeared that the “rest of” them were getting “clipped from the show.”
Mike was told it was getting “too expensive” to film Shahs of Sunset because “you guys are demanding too much money,” as the show was “unionized,” and “Ryan [Seacrest] has to get his cut.”