Jessel Taank says the rumors about her husband hurt more than The Real Housewives of New York City showed. She also says the scene with Erin Lichy did not play out the way it appeared on screen.
Taank told Us Weekly in an exclusive interview that the show downplayed the situation. The rumors involved husband Pavit Randhawa’s personal life, and they became a major fight in episode 6 of season 16. They have not been confirmed by anyone.
RHONY: “It Could Have Gotten to a Really Dark Place”
Taank thinks the show was right to keep things light, but she says the real moment was heavier.
“I think it was downplayed on the show a lot,” she said. “I feel like it could have gotten to a really dark place. So I understand, like, why we focused on making light of the rumor as opposed to going down this dark hole.”
What upset her most was not the rumor itself. It was what it implied about her marriage. “They were insinuating that my husband was leading a double life… which to me was really hurtful,” she said. “I was really upset about that insinuation, probably more so than the actual rumor of it all.”
RHONY: How the Rumor Reached Her
The drama started at BravoCon 2025. Sai De Silva warned Taank that Erin knew about whispers involving her family. Sai said Erin heard them from Sai’s makeup artist.
Taank said she did not learn the details until the cast trip to Moskito Island. She approached Erin to apologize for something she had said about Erin’s Hamptons home flooding. She says the cameras missed the next part of that talk.
“When I went up to Erin to apologize about the insurance thing, I was like, ‘What have you been saying about my husband?’” Taank said. “And she said, ‘I haven’t said anything. Sai has.’ So then I went back to Sai. This is the stuff you don’t see.”
That is Taank’s account. This interview did not include a reply from Erin or Sai.
RHONY: Why She Blames Erin
Taank believes the issue could have ended early. “I think it could have been squashed at the source,” she said. “Had Erin just told me at the beginning, like, when she heard, then it wouldn’t have roller-coastered into the situation that it was.”
She is blunt about Erin’s motives. She believes Erin held on to the information as “ammunition.” “I feel like her intentions toward me have always been really bizarre,” Taank said. “I think that she was using the rumor as, like, a way to weaponize something against me.”
It was not the first time Taank questioned whether Erin could keep a story to herself. Tensions between them had already grown after the season 16 premiere, when Taank felt Erin shared private details with other cast members.
Gabriel covers the Real Housewives franchise, 90 Day Fiancé, The Bachelor, and Survivor. He specializes in cast updates, reunion recaps, and the small moments that turn into full-blown storylines. Gabriel has written about reality TV and entertainment for four years.
