The Real Housewives of New York star Jessel Taank has opened up about what it's like being so vulnerable on the reality show and how saying what she thinks gets her "in trouble."
First airing in 2009, the Bravo reality show chronicles the lives of wealthy New York City housewives. In October 2022, showrunners announced they would be revamping the show following the negative response to Season 13, making it the first Real Housewives franchise to get an entirely new cast. The new lineup for Season 14 consisted of Sai De Silva, Ubah Hassan, Lizzy Savetsky, Erin Lichy, Jenna Lyons, Brynn Whitfield and Taank, the first South Asian cast member on the reality TV show.
Sitting down with Newsweek ahead of an appearance at Hayu FanFest in London, the fashion publicist said she aims to show every aspect of her life on the show—and she doesn't believe in holding back.
"There's always an element of, 'Oh my god, what did I do?' or 'What did I say?' I have a knack for just saying what I think, which gets me into trouble," Taank said.
Her straightforward, sometimes dry style of communication, has led to multiple misunderstandings. In Season 14 she was often viewed as not expressing gratitude or as being unintentionally condescending, which other cast members saw as dismissive or elitist. Taank, on the other hand, was often frustrated by what she saw as overreactions from the other women, seeing herself as simply honest and blunt.
One example of this was her feud with Lichy. Their issues began with a small miscommunication when Taank made some complaints about an event Lichy hosted. Lichy took offense at what she saw as ingratitude, and the minor incident quickly escalated.
Taank continued: "For the most part, I think when you sign up to be on a TV show that is literally following your life and your reality, you can't curate and you can't filter it because I don't think people would want or would appreciate that.
"If you are trying to be someone you're not or if you're trying to show something that's not accurate I do think people can sniff it out, the Reddit FBI will sniff it out."
The reality star told Newsweek that living her life so publicly has taken a bit of an adjustment, especially the online hate that comes with it.
"Obviously I'm not in this world. I haven't been in entertainment, I'm actually the girl behind the camera usually. I'm the publicist that makes things happen. So for me to be on the other side of that was really overwhelming," she said. "I think it's the number one thing that people, unless you're in it, you cannot really, truly, understand what it feels like.
"It was so overwhelming, and not in a good way to be honest. I think everyone's entitled to their opinion but for you to be comfortable enough to come to someone's page and say some really personal stuff, it was really eye-opening for me.
"It took me a while to kind of get my head around it but once I did, and once I sort of understood that, OK, it's not a projection of me, it's actually of them, I was quick to just look past it. This is supposed to be fun, it's supposed to be entertainment, it's reality TV.
"For those people who are so deeply invested in your life. I mean, kind of sad, like, boo-hoo for you, you know?"
The reality star explained that sometimes, viewers do not see the whole context of events that have transpired. Often, people are only seeing a 30-second snapshot of an issue that has multiple layers.
Looking back at her first season of the show, Taank admitted that she "laid it all out" there but she doesn't regret it. However, she now understands the repercussions of certain situations.
She added: "You're just a little bit more aware of what those repercussions are once you say it, and how that can potentially implode or explode. So I think everyone in the cast is a little bit more, just, kind of eyes wide open this time around."
Taank has felt like she's had to prove a lot on the show, such as the fact that she didn't grow up in the wealthy atmosphere that people assumed she did. She said she put effort into peeling back her layers and showing her cast mates, and viewers, who she really is.
"Hopefully people get to know me now. They know that I was being authentic, and yeah, there's really, you can't really hide anything on reality TV 'cause you will get found out," she explained.
"We've got nothing to hide, but it's funny what people think a secret is, like it could be something as small as, you know, I dated other people in the past and then they dig up who these people are. It's so scary. It's wild."
When it comes to dealing with conflict with other cast members, Taank said she "runs away." However, the format of the show often doesn't always allow her to do so.
"I'm definitely not someone that thrives in drama or, like, uncomfortable situations, I would say" she said. "So my sort of go-to is just to ignore it or disappear from the situation.
"Unfortunately, with a TV show like Real Housewives, you're sort of thrown into the deep end. So, yeah, look, I'm a very rational person. I think anything can be aired out. And if you've got a good head on your shoulders, there's no reason why you can't come to an agreement. I think that a lot of the show is conflict resolution. But when you have such strong personalities involved, sometimes that isn't always the case."
Catch up on all seasons of The Real Housewives of New York City on Hayu.
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