If there’s one thing Jessel Taank has learned from her debut on Real Housewives of New York Season 14, it’s that you don’t commit faux paus. Other than that, the newbie has made quite the impression, and highlighted her South Asian culture, especially with all its ups and downs.
In an exclusive interview with The Wrap, the RHONY reboot star opened up about sharing her journey on the show. Jessel is known to have been outspoken, and perhaps a little unaware of how she comes across at times.
From shading Jenna Lyons’ lingerie gift to opening up about her IVF journey, Jessel has done it all!
Jessel is an addition we didn’t know we needed
What makes the RHONY reboot different from all the other housewives franchise is that all the ladies have their own personality, charm, and class. An issue as little as Jenna leaving a party early can cause drama, which is hilarious. And Jessel is a perfect addition to that mix.
In her interview, Jessel talked about her conversations with her family about making her reality TV debut. The star revealed that after a lot of back and forth, she and her husband Pavit had “all the right conversations.”
However, she addressed her biggest concern and said, “The biggest thing for me was, how would this experience impact them? Does it impact them at this point? How do I protect them from it? So all those things came into play.” Well, Housewives history is proof that children choose to expose themselves on the show or shield themselves very well.
Jessel admitted that it sent her “into a rabbit hole” the first night when her husband sent her fans tweets where people thought she was a “bully.”
Although the RHONY star felt like she couldn’t do it anymore and wasn’t able to escape from hate and criticism, she said you can “control your own narrative with your social media platforms.”
She said, “I think it’s really important for anyone on reality TV to share your own version of what things really are. So I’ve been doing that and really interacting with the audience and sharing my reality and my truth as much as I can.”
Good for you, Jessel!
Sharing all aspects of life
The reality star revealed that it wasn’t originally planned for her to share her IVF journey on the show, considering she and her husband went through it privately. However, Jessel realized that it was an opportunity to help or give strength to people by sharing her story.
Jessel said, “For me, it’s like, ‘Hey, this is what I went through. And if you’re going through the same thing, just know it’s going to be okay.’ And that was really the reasoning behind sharing that.”
Jessel also opened up about her cultural experiences of the pressures around being married and having children. The RHONY star revealed how in most of the Indian or Asian households, the focus is on academics.
While the star didn’t deny that, she wanted to “question the status quo with it.” She said, “I want to give Indian women specifically the strength to be able to share some of those things that are considered taboo in our culture.”
At this rate, Jessel might just win over fans as the favorite for the season! Jenna, you have competition!
Speaking of Jenna, who called out Jessel for committing a faux pas for wearing two labels in one look. Jessel said, “She (Jenna) was right in checking me. And listen, if I’m going to get fashion checked by anyone it damn well better be Jenna Lyons and no one else. Let me say that for sure!”
Well, we know that Jessel can definitely own up to things. Catch her and the other members on RHONY every Sunday at 9/8c on Bravo.
TELL US – WHAT DO YOU THINK OF JESSEL ON RHONY? HOW DO YOU THINK SHE WILL DO THE REST OF THE SEASON?
