NBCUniversal Sai De Silva and Jessel Taank
The first season of the “Real Housewives of New York City” reboot is done and dusted, with only the reunion left to air. After the finale, breakout star Jessel Taank opened up about the dynamics of the cast and her feud with Sai De Silva.
In a wide-ranging interview with Rolling Stone, Taank said she felt “misunderstood” from the beginning of filming. “I felt like I wasn’t really connecting, especially with Sai, in the way that I thought we would,” she shared. “It was very frustrating for me because I think when you’re in a group setting, you sort of get lost in all of these strong personalities.”
She said she decided to meet with De Silva one-on-one because she could tell that “something [was] not quite right” so she wanted to speak with her outside of a group setting. “I know I’m super lovable once you get to know me and I know I can win people over,” she continued.” However, Taank added, “Sai had already made up her mind about me at that brunch. No matter what I said, no matter what I did.”
It didn’t help matters that Taank showed up 40 minutes late to the meeting, though viewers learned that De Silva herself had shown up 20 minutes late so hadn’t waited that long. Taank revealed that there was more to that scene that viewers didn’t see. “I was texting production saying that I was running behind,” she said. “When I was five minutes away, they told me that Sai had just arrived!”
Follow the Heavy on Bravo TV Facebook page for the latest breaking news, rumors and content!
Jessel Taank Spoke About Feeling ‘Nervous’ to Open Up About Her Personal Life in Front of the Other Women
During her interview, Taank also dove into the criticism she received from De Silva over the personal stories she shared about her family. The publicist detailed feeling “very nervous to share details” about her life, including her relationship with her husband Pavit Randhawa, because of others’ past reactions.
“My ‘staycation’ with Pavit was so fun, and I would have loved to go into details as you do with your girlfriends,” she said. “But I didn’t feel comfortable, because I felt like every time I opened my mouth, I would be shut down and it would be construed in a negative manner. So for me, I just took a step back. My gut was telling me at that moment to not go beyond surface level.”
Taank also revealed that her co-stars didn’t expect that she’d become so popular with RHONY fans and told her, “We don’t know how you do it, we need to take notes.” However, Taank said she didn’t have an agenda or put on a facade. “Some of them [the cast] were so confident about my demise, that it gave them the platform to treat me the way they did,” she shared. “But they didn’t see that I am funny, that I’m giving fashion, and that I have a real narrative. I am being honest and open about the things that are happening in my life, which I think the fans found relatable.”
Brynn Whitfield Showed Her Support for Jessel Taank on Instagram Following Her Interview
Although Taank ended the season still on the outs with De Silva, one co-star she did receive support from was Brynn Whitfield. Whitfield shared the screenshots of Taank’s Rolling Stone feature on her Instagram Story and wrote on it that she’d predicated Taank’s success from the start.
She wrote that RHONY was the “Jessel show” and the rest of the cast were just “backup dancers.” Whitfield concluded that “no one deserves this more.”
The first part of the RHONY reunion will air on October 22 and will see the women confront their issues from the season, including Taank’s falling out with De Silva.
READ NEXT: Andy Cohen Calls ‘Nightmare’ Real Housewife a ‘Disaster’