‘RHONY’: Jessel Taank Reacts to Husband Shutting Down Sexuality Rumors in Viral Video

Alyssa Norwin October 27, 2026, 10:41 am

'RHONY': Jessel Defends Husband Shutting Down Sexuality Rumors — Michael Loccisano/Getty Images

What To Know

A rumor about Jessel Taank’s husband’s sexuality was perpetuated on a recent episode of The Real Housewives of New York City.
In an interview with TV Insider, Taank reacted to how her husband shut down the rumor with a now-viral Instagram video.
She also revealed where she stands with costar Erin Lichy, who was accused of first spreading the rumor.

Jessel Taank‘s husband, Pavit Randhawa, recently shut down rumors about his sexuality after the topic came up on an episode of The Real Housewives of New York City. He poked fun at the speculation that he’s gay with an Instagram video that went viral among Bravo fans.

We caught up with Taank at Bravo Fan Fest in Charleston and she admitted that Randhawa didn’t give her a “heads up” that he was posting the clip. However, she was all for his decision to publicly respond to the claims.

“I think it was really important for him to make light of the situation because, quite frankly, it is a ridiculous insinuation,” Taank said. “He broke the internet that day, so kudos to him.”

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Pavit Randhawa (@thewiiingman)

Sai De Silva was the one to bring up the topic on camera, revealing to Taank that Erin Lichy was the one had been spreading the “despicable” story around. De Silva’s makeup artist alleged that Lichy claimed she had “proof” that Randhawa “is gay and got caught” with men at the gym. Lichy, meanwhile, denied saying anything about Randhawa.

In response to the claims, Randhawa posted a video of himself at the gym and captioned it, “I do love to break a sweat at Equinox but not in that way #fakenews.”

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As for where Taank and Lichy stand now, the former told TV Insider, “We’re in a bit of a limbo situation. I don’t think anyone has made the moves to fix anything, so we’re sort of in a holding pattern right now. But my goal with her is always to fix it. I don’t ever want to be at odds with someone.”

Season 16 of RHONY is currently airing, and while Taank doesn’t know what her future on the show olds, she said she “really enjoys being part” of the cast. “If you’re asking me am I going to be on the show for 20 years? I don’t know if I could do that,” she admitted. “But so far, so good.”

The Real Housewives of New York City, Season 16, Tuesdays, 8/7c, Bravo

—Reporting by Amanda Bell