Meet ‘RHONY’ Star Jessel Taank’s Husband Pavit Randhawa
There has been tension between Jessel Taank and Erin Lichy since their very first season of The Real Housewives of New York City in 2023, and the drama hasn’t let up in Season 16. Recently, the ladies have found themselves at odds over a rumor Lichy perpetuated about Taank’s husband, Pavit Randhawa.
Taank and Randhawa have been married since 2015. She recently opened up to Bravo Insider about their relationship, telling the outlet, “I think Pavit has always been someone that literally lets me do whatever I want, and I think that independence coexisting outside of our marriage is so important.”
Below, we rounded up everything to know about the pair’s relationship and the rumors about Randhawa’s sexuality.
What does Pavit Randhawa do for a living?
Taank told Bravo Insider that Randhawa is currently working in finance and as a food influencer. “I think he’s found a perfect balance of food and corporate strategy,” she explained. “I think he’s found a perfect balance of food and corporate strategy.”
Per his Instagram bio, Randhawa is the president of the Street Food Association of New York City. He previously worked in strategy and operations for Deloitte and started his career in investment banking at JP Morgan, UBS, and Chase, according to LinkedIn.
Randhawa currently does independent consulting and is “exploring opportunities to partner with leadership teams tackling complex growth, M&A, operational transformation, or organizational change challenges.” From 2021 to 2024, he was the president and COO for Phone Daddy, a company that offered “fair and competitive prices on new and used technology.”
How did Jessel Taank meet her husband?
Taank and Randhawa met in New York City through a mutual friend. They had both moved back to the Big Apple after previously living in Los Angeles at the same time.
“We eventually crossed paths on a Saturday night during a mutual friend’s party in the Flatiron District,” Taank told Vogue. “We hit it off over our love for tequila.”
They became friends first and then started living together platonically. “In true New York fashion, we decided it would be easier to be roommates, as we already knew each other’s vices and it’d definitely be better than living with strangers,” Taank explained. “When my mother came to visit me, she was introduced to Pavit for the first time, and of course made a comment that she was certain that we would end up together. I started paying closer attention and ended up asking him out to dinner. The rest is history!”
The relationship ended up being long distance for a bit while Taank stayed in New York and Randhawa went to the University of Michigan for business school. “The distance was brutal, but we managed to see each other every other week, either in New York or for fun little weekend getaways,” Taank shared.
Three years into the relationship, Randhawa proposed. In 2015, they tied the knot because Taank’s work visa was expiring. They then had their official wedding in Mexico in 2016.
Is Jessel Taank’s husband gay?
On the October 13 episode of RHONY, Sai de Silva and her makeup artist claimed that Lichy was spreading “despicable” rumors about Taank’s husband. The makeup artist alleged that Lichy claimed to have “proof” that Randhawa “is gay and got caught” with men at his gym. Lichy denied saying anything about Taank’s husband.
After the episode aired, Randhawa posted a cheeky response to the allegations. Along with a video of himself at the gym, Randhawa wrote on Instagram, “I do love to break a sweat at Equinox but not in that way #fakenews.”
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In the video, another man asked Randhawa, “You want to meet me in the steam room later?” and he responded, “Maybe later.” Randhawa also cheekily said, “The best part about a workout is the steam room afterwards.”
Meanwhile, Taank addressed the rumors on the RHONY after show. “The fact that [Erin’s] saying, ‘I know something that will ruin her family,’ and it’s this, that, and the other, I’m sorry, what? Like, if he was, hypothetically, gay, it would never ruin our family,” she insisted. “Like, we would walk through those steps to make sure that, God forbid, like, he felt secure and whatever.”
After De Silva brought up the rumors on RHONY, Taank also pointed out that her husband “doesn’t go to a gym.”
Do Jessel Tank and Pavit Randhawa have kids?
Yes, Taank and Randhawa are parents to twin boys, Kai and Rio Randhawa. They were born in 2021.
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The twins were conceived via in-vitro fertilization (IVF) after a years-long fertility journey. Taank has unexplained infertility and was unable to get pregnant naturally, which led to the couple using IVF. They still have frozen embryos stored, and Taank has been open about wanting to add a baby girl to the family.
However, Randhawa has been more hesitant. “I really have to work on him,” Taank said in 2023. “He’s so against it. I think that we’re right now just trying to find our footing. There’s a lot going on.”
The Real Housewives of New York City, Season 16, Tuesdays, 8/7c, Bravo
