Who is Jefri Bolkiah, Prince of Brunei? Scott Shriner's wife Jillian Lauren's life in a harem book explored 

Jillian Lauren, the 55-year-old spouse of Weezer bassist Scott Shriner, previously part of Billionaire Brunei Prince Jefri Bolkiah's harem, was allegedly shot by police on Monday, April 7, 2025, before her arrest for attempted murder. A successful author, Lauren recounted her experience with Prince Jefri Bolkiah in her 2010 bestselling memoir, "Some Girls: My Life in a Harem."

The shooting occurred when Los Angeles police arrived in her neighborhood to investigate a three-car hit-and-run, as at least one suspect fled on foot. While searching for this suspect, authorities reportedly came across a woman- later identified as Jillian Lauren- who emerged from her home holding a handgun.

Authorities allege that Lauren pointed the gun at officers, prompting them to open fire. Lauren, who was not involved in the hit-and-run incident, reportedly ran back to her house before returning shortly with her babysitter. Both women were arrested prior to Lauren being escorted to a hospital for treatment. It is unclear whether she was injured. Police later charged Lauren with attempted murder after her release from custody.

Lauren, who has been married to Weezer bassist Scott Shriner for nearly two decades, was a courtesan for Brunei Prince Jefri Bolkiah, the former finance minister of the nation and brother of the Sultan of Brunei, for 18 months.

In her book, Jillian Lauren stated that Jefri insisted his lovers call him Robin. According to Vanity Fair, in 2000, Jefri, who allegedly maintained a paid harem of up to 40 women, was accused of embezzling $14.8 billion during his time as finance minister. He was accused of spending $50 million a month.

Jillian Lauren's harem relationship with Jefri Bolkiah explored

In her 2010 memoir, "Some Girls: My Life in a Harem," Jillian Lauren, adopted as a child by a Jewish stockbroker and a housewife, disclosed that she was 18 when she left NYU's Tisch School of the Arts after just six months. At that time, while working as a stripper, she learned of a wealthy businessman in Singapore who offered "pretty American girls" $20,000 to entertain men for two weeks.

In the 2023 episode of the What It Was Like podcast, Lauren shared with host Julian Morgans that she received an invitation from Prince Jefri Bolkiah, known then as the notorious playboy brother of the Sultan of Brunei.

Lauren claimed she informed her family that she was going to Singapore to film a movie with Michael Douglas. She later revealed that upon her arrival, her passports were confiscated, and guards monitored her constantly.

"It was a palace and it was a prison. You're under guard at all times." Recalling her decision to stay at the palace, she added: “I fell victim to Stockholm Syndrome. I knew I was a hooker, but somehow I felt like Cinderella.”

In the book, Lauren noted

“Robin was always famished behind the eyes. It was the kind of hunger you could never really feed, the kind that keeps you up until five A.M. every night, the kind that drives you to **** girl after girl, to buy Maserati after Maserati.”

Lauren revealed that she was also rented out to Jefri Bolkiah's brother, who flew her by helicopter to a hotel.

Lauren mentioned that she fell out of favor with the prince after returning to the United States. Upon her return to the harem, she noted that she "wasn't at the same level of position. There was a new [escort in favour]."

Lauren went back home and has since built a successful career as an author. In 2018, while discussing the documentary Confronting a Serial Killer, which detailed the crimes of Samuel Little, Lauren wrote in The Cut:

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"I'd had my own run-ins with drugs and violent men and felt lucky to have gotten away relatively unscathed."

Lauren met her husband, Scott Shriner, and married him two years before he joined Weezer in 2007. The couple, who faced fertility struggles, adopted two children from Ethiopia and currently live in Los Angeles.

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