Jessel Taank’s friendship with Brynn Whitfield has, well, tanked as Season 15 of “The Real Housewives of New York City” winds down.
In an exclusive interview with Page Six’s “Virtual Reali-Tea,” Taank says that her relationship with Whitfield is “broken” after coming to realize that the latter was displaying “bitch” behavior behind her back.
“It’s definitely broken. There’s going to be a lot of work that has to be done to get her trust back,” Taank says, acknowledging that Whitfield’s penchant for stirring the pot has landed her in hot water with several members of the “RHONY” cast.
“I think a lot of the girls feel that way.”
In the Jan. 7 episode of the Bravo reality show, Whitfield repeatedly came for Taank.
The marketing consultant inexplicably lambasted the PR maven for hiring professional glam and photographers ahead of family events and public appearances, though this is common practice for stars of the “Housewives” universe and wealthy women in general.
Whitfield also accused Taank of having “a different face and different teeth,” maligning the “old Jessel” for apparent cosmetic tweaks made after her reality TV debut in 2023.
Such statements were either said when Taank wasn’t present for scenes or when Whitfield was chatting with producers one-on-one in confessionals.
“I think that, unintentionally, she was just … being a bit of a bitch to everyone,” Taank says of Whitfield, a Season 14 fan favorite, in her sophomore turn on the unscripted series. “She went into the season maybe feeling like she was God, and playing God in a way? And it just didn’t resonate.”
Taank elaborates, “But here’s the interesting thing — to your face, it’s everything’s cool. But if you’ve noticed, all the snarky remarks come in confessionals, like the stuff that happens behind your back.”
Watching the season back, Taank has found Whitfield to be “very two-faced,” forcing her to reconsider their future as pals. “I don’t like that and I’m not cool with it,” she says.
What hurt the most, however, was Whitfield’s decision to share a “distortion of a story” on camera, claiming Taank once said that her husband, Pavit Randhawa, was not the “love of [her] life.”
The tale, which Taank had no idea was told until she watched the episode herself — with Randhawa by her side — had a “very damaging” effect.
“It was a fun, innocent conversation that we were having on vacation last year about … the craziest hookup [we’ve ever had]. She distorted my entire story and twisted and manipulated it in a way that was actually very damaging to my marriage,” she explains.
“Watching that back, I had no clue that that was even discussed. So I’m sitting on the couch with Pavit of all people — and my jaw is on the floor because I’m just like, ‘Wait, that never happened.’ So now it’s my word against Brynn … and it didn’t go down that way. It literally did not happen.”
In addition to Taank, Whitfield has found herself at odds with Ubah Hassan, Sai De Silva, Erin Lichy and “friend of” the cast Rebecca Minkoff.
Taank tells “Virtual Reali-Tea” she hopes that, with time and reflection, Whitfield is able to grow from these conflicts.
“I just really wish for her that she is able to watch … how she’s been acting on the show and on the season and kind of use it to reflect because I don’t think that anyone really loved Brynn,” the OUSHQ founder opines.
“I just think that she needs to kind of get some help.”
“The Real Housewives of New York City” airs Tuesdays at 9 p.m. ET on Bravo.
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