Jessel Taank Thinks She’s The Most “Unserious” Housewife

Jessel Taank wants you to know she’s not a villain. On the rebooted first season of The Real Housewives of New York City, Taank’s castmates accused her of being dishonest about her background, a tad snobby, and a big-time complainer. But what they perceived as annoying, viewers found hysterical.

“I’m so grateful it ended on a positive note because it was tough,” Taank tells Bustle over Zoom from her living room in Chelsea. “I didn’t go into this show thinking I would be pegged as a villain in any way. Let’s put it [this] way: I’m probably the most unserious out of anyone in the cast.”

Taank, 45, became a type of comedic relief, whether she was calling Tribeca an “up-and-coming” neighborhood or saying Jenna Lyons’ gifted lingerie made her look like a “Christmas tree.” Her breakout stardom led to features for Rolling Stone and The New York Times — a rarity for any Bravo star, let alone a newcomer.

Going into her sophomore season, which premiered in October, the London native was determined not to be struck by the “Season 2 curse,” in which audiences turn against their favorite Housewives. And so far, she’s succeeded where others haven’t. (Fans were not amused, for example, when Erin Lichy and Rebecca Minkoff tricked their castmates into believing that Minkoff got pregnant by a random man.)

“It’s very easy to let [the curse] get to your head. I think what made my story successful was that I wasn’t really afraid to talk about subjects that are considered taboo and be 100% me,” says Taank, who’s the most forthcoming of the cast, even airing out her disagreements with her husband, Pavit Randhawa, over having a third child. “Going into Season 2, I wanted to continue that and not be like, ‘Oh, I can’t talk about that. That’s going to ruin my image.’”

Below, Taank dishes about RHONY Season 15, the tumultuous cast trip, and her take on New York’s next up-and-coming neighborhood.

What was your first reaction to Erin and Rebecca’s pregnancy prank and the social-media backlash?

I saw it coming. I understand [Erin and Rebecca] wanted to do something that would be clickbait and catch a tattletale in the group. It could have been done in a different way. [I come] from a long run of trying to get pregnant, so it isn’t something I would mess with. It was just a little tone-deaf.

Even Andy Cohen said he wasn’t a fan of the prank.

Oh, yeah. I was very emotionally invested in this thing. I was just really disappointed, and I can see it from the fan’s perspective, too. It was a cliffhanger and then a cliff dive.

What can you tease about the cast trip later this season?

I still have PTSD from it. It was a very tough few days. There was a lot of conflict, [which] we weren’t expecting, but when it did happen, we were all upset and disappointed with the way it ended up.

What moments that were cut from the show do you wish had made it in?

I get that we have to edit to the juicier bits, but there are some dumb, quintessentially Housewives things that I wish would’ve made it. I was making potatoes au gratin for dinner, and the girls hid all my spices, so I was literally walking around the house looking for spice tins. It was so dumb.

This show started with drama over not wanting to go to a certain restaurant, which many refer to as “bleep.” What’s one place you would never want to take your castmates?

Olive Garden. [We’ve been] because Pavit is a big fan of anything free, and they have unlimited pasta deals with breadsticks, but I’m just like, this is my worst nightmare.

Are you still embarrassed to go to “bleep” today?

It’s not on my list of places to go. I might have gone for a drink once when it first opened, but I don’t think I’ve ever been there. By the way, the owners of “bleep” just opened a restaurant that is impossible to get into. The irony.

What is the newest up-and-coming neighborhood in New York?

Oh, man. I really started something there. I spent some time in South Street Seaport recently, and honestly, we’ve been sleeping on downtown with the Tin Building and some really cool spots popping up. Do we want to live that far down? Probably not, but I think it could be the new hotspot.

Who has the best and worst confessional looks?

Sai had some really good ones this season, and I just love Jenna. She wore this monochrome white look. It was so chic. Ubah had that white turtleneck dress with a necklace and the blond wig — I don’t think that represented her personality.

If you had to change one thing about your show, what would it be?

The allure of Housewives is that you’re a little unaware and free to be yourself. Our cast is more aware of what we’re doing and saying. If we could let our guard down more, it could make the dynamic different. But it’s hard, right? There are so many of us who don’t drink and aren’t sloppy in that way. I was known as a shot queen back in the day, but if I were that girl again, I would have a different personality on the show.

This interview was edited and condensed for clarity.