Koa Johnson made headlines after The Real Housewives of Salt Lake City star Jen Shah belittled him in leaked clips, and we've learned more about the reality star's former dress designer. In one clip, Jen was heard berating Koa. She even threatened him, saying, "I'm going to beat the s*** outta you in like two seconds." In the first two clips, Jen was going off on Koa and also displaying anger towards assistants from her "Shah squad." Throughout the tirade, Koa remained calm and polite. After the clips started to circulate on social media, RHOSLC fans were not happy with Jen's actions.
Two audio clips, mysteriously released by Instagram page @Realityvontease2, last for about ten minutes in total. The incidents allegedly took place backstage during The Real Housewives of Salt Lake City reunion. Koa also designed Jen's elaborate reunion dress. She almost missed the reunion. In Koa's opinion, the last straw was during the reunion, when Jen didn't give him a shoutout. In an interview with Page Six, he stated that when it was time for Jen to name the designer that made her dress, the 47-year-old Jen didn't say his name. This really hurt him because it was the last dress he was designing for her for season 1.
Koa addressed the drama on his @designerkojo Instagram page, confirming the allegations of mistreatment from Jen. In a lengthy post, he stated, "I don't know who released the audio, but I'm glad they did because now I feel like I can finally speak about my experience." He added, "I have been protecting this woman for too long." He also alleges he has been verbally assaulted. He was employed by Jen for ten months, in Utah, and in his view, the work environment was hostile. Koa also claims he has not been paid for most of his work during the last four months he worked for JXA Fashion. The couture designer also called out makeup artist Murilo Bueno for allegedly taking credit for one of his dresses. Murilo has denied the claims.
The up-and-coming designer is known for drama with the Queen Bee, who was recently arrested along with her assistant Stuart Smith, but he has serious designing skills. Born and raised in Hawaii, Koa received an Associate's Degree from the University of Hawai'i-Maui College's Fashion Technology program in 2011. He also earned a Bachelor's in fashion design and has over a decade of experience in the fashion industry. Koa is known as an unconventional designer who uses unorthodox materials, such as plastic, to design his couture dresses. One of his most famed dresses was a Biden and Harris political dress made out of election flyers. This dress was for Jen.
While speaking on the podcast Behind The Velvet Rope, Koa said that he was conditioned to think that how he was being treated was okay. At first, he didn't really understand how bad the treatment was. He also described working with Jen as "traumatic." He chose to continue working with her because he truly cared about her, and claims they were very close.
Amid all of the drama, Koa is focusing on designing. He hopes that shedding light on his alleged experience will help others who are in the same situation. In the first season of The Real Housewives of Salt Lake City, Jen was accused of failing to take responsibility for her actions. Koa hopes she will finally do that. However, he's not bitter. He wishes Jen, whose arrest was filmed for the show, "nothing but the best of luck."
Source: Page Six, Realityvontease2, Behind The Velvet Rope