Jessel Admits She “Tricked” Pavit into Marriage: “Still Got the Ring”

The mother of twin toddlers Kai and Rio gave juicy new details into her and Pavit’s 10-year marriage during Ubah Hassan’s all-white picnic with the rest of the Housewives in attendance. In Season 15, Episode 9, Brynn Whitfield suggested one of her “horrible games” in which Brynn requested the others confront rumors about themselves.

“What’s a rumor we’ve heard about Jessel?” Brynn wondered aloud. “That you tricked Pavit into marrying you!”

But was there any truth behind the gossip?

Did Jessel trick Pavit into marriage?

Surprisingly, the London-raised Housewife said the rumor was true, stating that her “work visa was running out” ahead of her nuptials.

Pavit Randhawa and Jessel Taank attend the Bilt Originals Dinner at Stephen Weiss Studio on July 10, 2024 in New York City. Photo: Craig Barritt/Getty Images for Bilt)

“We were dating, and I called him, and I was like, ‘I have two months on my visa. If we’re serious about this, like, can we just go get married so I can get a green card?’” Jessel told the group, much to their amusement.

Sai De Silva, joining the lunch alongside cast members Erin Lichy, Jenna Lyons, Racquel Chevremont, and Rebecca Minkoff, said she found Jessel’s move “weird” and “transactional.”

But Jessel said that wasn’t the case.

“We were going to get married anyway,” she explained. “I just had to expedite the whole thing.”

When did Jessel and Pavit get married?

During the lunch, Jessel elaborated that she and Pavit were “legally married” one year before their fairytale destination wedding in Riviera Maya, Mexico, in the western Caribbean. Still, as covered in Season 14, the pair had been best friends for years and once lived as platonic roommates.

Jessel gave Vogue more details about their relationship when the fashion magazine profiled their wedding in 2016:

"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,” said Jessel. “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!”

Jessel posts a photo of herself and Pavit together on May 5, 2023 to Instagram. Photo: Jessel Taank/Instagram

In the recent episode of RHONY, Jessel expressed few regrets about pushing Pavit to propose.

“I still got the ring I wanted,” Jessel maintained. “But it was a little bit rushed.”

What’s in store for Jessel and Pavit this season?

Jessel and her foodie husband continue to let audiences in on the ins and outs of marital bliss, from their globe-trotting adventures to raising their sons. More recently this season, Jessel and Pavit can’t seem to get on the same page about trying to have a third child, and it was enough for Jessel to put her foot down and demand the married couple see a professional therapist, as previously reported by Bravo’s The Daily Dish.

On Season 15, Episode 6, Jessel flat-out told her husband that their communication could “use a little work,” especially given Pavit’s penchant for making jokes during serious conversations.

“I truly believe a therapist would help him sort of understand his emotions,” Jessel later told producers. “Communication is key in a marriage, and so, as much as it’s opening the gates to the baby conversation, I truly do think it might help [if] Pavit and I could communicate better.”

See more of Jessel and Pavit's relationship in all-new episodes of The Real Housewives of New York City,  airing Tuesdays at 9/8c on Bravo and streaming the next day on Peacock.