Getty Jessel Taank
New “Real Housewives of New York City” cast member Jessel Taank’s relationship with her husband Pavit Randhawa has been “under a microscope” since Taank’s time on the show began in season 14. After four episodes of the new season, some fans have taken to social media with speculation of possible divorce, with one user writing, “Very early call, but it feels like a Jessel divorce storyline is brewing #RHONY”.
Even former “Real Housewives of Beverly Hills” star Brandi Glanville weighed in on their relationship, calling some of Taank’s comments about Randhawa “condescending and emasculating” in a July episode of her “Brandi Glanville Unfiltered” podcast.
Now, in an August 7 feature in Marie Claire magazine, Taank opened up about her relationship as well as her journey with IVF and her decision to feature that on RHONY.
Jessel Taank Has Seen the Comments About Her Relationship
In her Marie Claire interview, Taank spoke about the difficulties of adapting to the “Housewives” world (where she has no control over her edit or reception) given her former work as a publicist for Michael Kors (where her job was to ensure a positive brand reception). She said, “People told me not to do the show because of the edit—Twitter is already saying I’m a bitch and my husband and I are getting a divorce—but I came to New York in 2006 with this idea of building this life for myself, and I did it on my own.”
Taank said that these comments can get to her, adding, “It’s very shocking to me. It makes you question yourself,” but that she and Randhawa communicate with one another. “He calls me out on my stuff. I call him out on his stuff. We were best friends before we got married,” Taank said.
After meeting and becoming friends, Taank and Randhawa became roommates before they started dating, according to BravoTV.com. After a while, Taank asked Randhawa out to dinner, and after dating for three years, the two got married.
In May 2021, the Taank gave birth to twin sons, Kai and Rio. As Taank told Marie Claire, becoming pregnant was a longer journey than she had first hoped, saying, “It was a year of trying naturally and then two years of active IVF, failed cycles again and again and again—six in total.”
Although Taank said the process was “emotionally so taxing”, she cites her relationship with Randhawa as a strong point, both during the IVF process and after, as she mentioned on RHONY that the two had not had sex since before their sons’ birth nearly two years prior.
“I just didn’t feel emotionally strong and physically strong, to be honest,” Taank said, “[Pavit] was unreal throughout the whole process. There’s something to say about a man that stands by someone and doesn’t need that physical reinforcement. He was just a pillar, a rock of strength for me. ”
Jessel Taank & Pavit Randhawa’s Wedding Was Featured in Vogue
Taank and Randhawa tied the knot in March 2016 and had their photos (taken by Matei Horvath Photography) featured in Vogue. Since Taank is Hindu and Randhawa is Sikh, they held two ceremonies by the beach in Riviera Maya, Mexico. The reception took place in an ancient Mayan cave at Xcaret. The couple danced the night away in the cave on top of a lit-up dance floor.
READ NEXT: Terry Dubrow Said Wife Heather ‘Felt Isolated’ From RHOC Castmates