Credit: Janet Mayer/startraksphoto.com/Cover Images, Bill Davila/INSTARimages
One of the most controversial situations to ever occur on The Real Housewives of Salt Lake City was when Heather Gay got a black eye on season three.
The incident occurred during a cast trip to San Diego.
After a night of heavy drinking, Heather, 52, woke up with a black eye. Rather than come clean about what happened, she kept insisting she didn’t remember what happened and that she didn’t want to talk about it.
When the reunion came around, Heather claimed she had blacked out and couldn’t remember what had occurred.
Heather did nothing to stop fans from speculating that a producer may have done it or that Jen Shah, 53, had been involved.
During the season four finale trip to Bermuda, when Jen was no longer on the show, Heather stated it was Jen who had given it to her.
At that reunion, she claimed she had “covered” for Jen for three years and was scared of her. Reflecting on the trip, she stated Jen had come into her room the next morning and asked if she had given Heather a black eye and Heather stated she had told her she’d cover for her. This season concluded in January 2024.
While Jen was in prison at the time of Heather’s admission, she denied giving Heather a black eye via her representatives.
The topic of the black eye suddenly came to light again earlier this month when former Bravo producer Patrick McDonald said Heather lost “any credibility” as a “reliable narrator,” and she should’ve been fired for letting fans think a producer may have been responsible for her black eye.
“That is one of the most reckless things that any housewife has ever done,” he stated on the Bravo While Black podcast. “And I lost so much respect for her in that moment, and I would never gain it back. I am very, very surprised they kept her around after that.”
While appearing on Watch What Happens Live recently, Meredith Marks, 54, called Heather out for “lying about a black eye for two years.”
meredith is not playing anymore omg https://t.co/KmEKXIxDba
— gina (@GinaRealityTV) October 15, 2026
Jen, who has been out of prison since December 2025, posted footage of Meredith’s WWHL comment on X.
“MEREDITH!!!” she wrote with a crying emoji, an applause emoji, and a heart emoji.
“Sooo… is it finally time to talk about the black eye?” she added. “I’ve got a few things to clear up.”
Heather has not responded to Meredith’s comments or Jen’s post, but, seeing as the reunion for the currently airing season seven hasn’t taped yet, it’s definitely plausible this could be a topic of discussion there.