Scheananigans with Scheana Shay - From Tribeca to Twins & Tiffs with RHONY's Jessel Taank

Episode Date: October 16, 2026

From putting Tribeca on the map to putting her foot in her mouth, RHONY star Jessel Taank has never been one to shy away from a little controversy! This week, the British-Indian fashionista joins Scheana to dish on the latest drama in the Big Apple, including her fallout with Erin, unexpected friendship with Sai, and whether she regrets suggesting a fellow Housewife's flooded Hamptons home was an insurance job. She also addresses getting off on the wrong foot with Carole/Carrie/Carolyn, reveals which castmate she'd trust to babysit her twins, and crowns the current queen of RHONY. Beyond the Bravo drama, Jessel opens up about her upbringing in London, her impressive fashion career, and how embracing her Indian heritage inspired her latest business venture. Plus, how did a childhood diary seemingly predict her future in New York, her career in fashion, AND the birth of her twin boys? Jessel gets candid about her IVF journey, the boundaries of sharing personal struggles on reality television, and what it's really like being married to everyone's favorite food influencer, Pavit. From designer wardrobes to rent-stabilized apartments, Scheana puts Jessel through a round of RHONY superlatives that might just ruffle a few feathers. Turns out, Jessel isn't necessarily being a bitch — sometimes she's just being British! Follow us: @scheana @scheananigans Guest: @jesseltaankEpisode Sponsors:REEF — To get 15% off your first order go to reef.com/goodasgold, or use code GOODASGOLD at checkout.Quince Luggage — Upgrade your travel setup with Quince. Download the Quince app for app-exclusive offers, or go to Quince.com. Get free shipping on your order and 365-day returns. And when Quince asks where you heard about them, let them know it was Scheananigans.Please note that this episode may contain paid endorsements and advertisements for products and services. Individuals on the show may have a direct or indirect financial interest in products or services referred to in this episode.Produced by Dear Media.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

The following podcast is a Dear Media production. From Vanderpump Rules to Motherhood and everywhere in between. Warm up the kettle. It's time to spill some tea. Let's get into some shenanigans with Shea Shea. Hey, everyone, welcome back for another week of shenanigans. Today, I am joined by a woman who has quickly proven that being British, fashionable, and occasionally misunderstood is a pretty great recipe for reality. television. She's a fashion publicist, an entrepreneur, a mom to twin boys, wife to everyone's

favorite food influencer, and of course, one of the stars of the Real Housewives of New York City. So from putting Tribeca on the map to educating audiences on Motsa, she's given us plenty to discuss. Jessel Tank, welcome to shenanigans. I'm so excited to be here. We actually spoke about this at BravoCon. I know, like over, about a year ago. About a year ago. Yes. Finally, we're here. I know. Thank you for having me. I'm so excited for you to be here.

I know what shenanigans have you got like that for me. We've got a lot. Oh, I know. You've got a stack over there. I have like nervous. I know we won't have time for all of them, but we just over prep and then we see what we get through and see where the wind is. I'm glad I'm giving you content. Yeah.

I got as dressed up as I normally do for a podcast for you because I'm like, she might come, had to tell. Like you don't know. Like we were just talking about. You look fabulous. No, my day was completely thrown up. one of the twins woke up at 3.30 and was requesting, like, full bakery, like, style croissant. And, you know, when that happens, it just, like, I had every intention of rocking up, like, a little bit more, you know, dressy. But here we are.

Throw it together for you. So what is it about my look that makes me so L.A.? Oh, the leopard, like the hair back, the hoops, the sunglasses. I mean, it's an all black. Yeah. It's giving, you know, Kardashian core. Oh, well, thank you. I'll take it. Yeah, I could not do lashes this morning and I get here and I'm looking in the light and I'm like, I look so tired. This is when I put the glasses on. It's great. It works. It works. You look very rock and well. Well, thank you. Perfect. I got a show tonight. I know. I'm excited to see it. Does it get televised? I don't know if it's televised, but I think they do like a live stream and then you can watch it after. I'm excited to see it. Yeah. Okay, so what we were just talking about, so the twins just started kindergarten. They just started kindergarten. Yeah, so did Summer. I know. And you too. Congrats. Yeah, my mom is telling me she's at my house right now because today is makeup picture day and summer just lost her tooth. She wanted the tooth out to smile for pictures. So my mom's getting her ready right now because God love my husband, but he's not going to get our daughter ready for her kindergarten photo. You know, the hair needs to be.

It needs to be flicked in the bow. And he took her to school late yesterday. I'm like, this is what happens when I'm not there for one day. Like, she's already late to school and has to go in through the office. Is she a girly girl? She is. Oh, I love that. So much that my mom said she felt bad right now because she just got like, she gets really

embarrassed quickly. And she went to grab her little makeup kit. And my mom was like, honey, like you're five. You're not wearing makeup to school. And she goes, but it's makeup picture day. Oh. She's like, look, that's a glass of. blushed up. Yeah. And I'm like, I'll just put a little sparkle on her eye, like, poor things.

Then she was like, she got embarrassed because she was like, oh, I was wrong. But it's like, no, it just means like you're making it up. God, I wish we get makeup picture a day. Yeah. There's like some hideous pictures of me out there. I wish I could like make up some of those like photos. Right. Right. Now, literally the yearbook photos of me that have made its way on Google are horrendous. It was like my chola phase. I have no eyebrows. I'm not smy. I'm not smy. I mean, I look miserable, which I was around like 13. I mean, who wasn't? Right?

As a girl. As a girl, you're miserable at 13. 100%. But, you know, the trolls are like blowing that up like 10x. Oh, yeah. And they're like, it's like voodoo. So I was like, you know what? I'm going to just like reclaim that.

And then I just posted a slideshow of all of my Chola pictures that I still have. And I'm like, yeah, I'm from Azusa. This is what I looked like in the 90s. I praise it. How about it? And then everyone's like, wait, we love this. Oh my God. No, I can't even, I don't even know who that girl was. Yeah.

I'm just like, wait, why did I just discover tweezers like at the age of 60? I know. I don't understand. No, they should have been taken from me, but I would get to school extra early and draw on my eyebrows and everything because my mom wouldn't let me go out the house like that. But then when I would get to school, I would do it. Oh, my God. But no one reported you ever?

No. Oh, lucky you. Everyone else looked like that. And then I would take it off before I went home. and I don't know, somehow I got away with it. Well, I mean, you're very charming. So I'm sure everyone was like, we don't want to upset Shana. And I was a straight-A student, so I was still like good at everything else I did.

Anyway, so welcome to our new studios. Have you been here yet? I have. Wait, have I been here? They all look bit like similar. Yeah, so this is the new Dear Media in New York. He usually would record it like WTF or somewhere else. Yeah, no, it's very chic.

Yeah. It's very chic. And I love that. Like, I sort of blend into the color. story. I know if I like it. It's like as if you knew what the set looked like. As if we knew. I just come in all black. I love it. It feels very homey. It feels very homey. Yes. So how does it feel having Roney back in the world and having everyone dissect your life weekly? Oh, isn't it just a joy? I know. I missed it so much. I'm like, I wake up and I'm afraid to look at my phone because it's, you know,

people really are so invested. Yeah. In every little detail. But I feel like they really enjoy when you like fuck up or do something. And then it's like, that's what they're going to clinch on to for the rest of like the season. Like, you know, that one thing that you said or the one thing that you did. It's really exciting though. I have to say like we, I think we feel like the formula has finally been figured out. Yeah. Obviously when you're rebooting something as iconic as Roney, it took a couple of tries to get it

right. And I feel like the cast and the dynamic and the chemistry feels good. Yeah. And I think the audience is loving it too. Totally. No, I've had all. I just caught up. I've been so behind on reality TV. So I just got to do a whole binge, which I love. Like when I get a few episodes that build up and then I'm like, ooh, I can watch the next one and the next one. Right. But my girlfriends have been raving about it. And they're like, how have you not started it yet? I'm like, I'm going to. They're all downloaded. So now I'm like super fresh because I just watched them all. Uh-oh. So you remember all the details. You're going to come at me? No, not at all. Do you read the comments? Do you look? So the one thing, Andy, and I'm sure he told you the same thing.

Like, he was adamant. Don't do it. Don't look at the comments. Like, it really, like, derails you and throws you off. For me, coming from, like, PR, I sort of want to have, like, a whole, like, I need to, like, kind of just, I just, it's like a guilty pleasure. I'm like, what are people thinking? Right. Or, you know, not that, like, I study anything, but, like, it's just always very interesting to hear other people's point of views.

Yeah. I'm very curious as a person. And I have a curious nature. about me, which gets me into trouble sometimes. But I just, you know, it's interesting what sparks certain things and people, like certain reactions. Yeah. But it gets overwhelming. I mean, now I'm over it. I'm like, okay, I get it. Like, I upset Cowrazzal. Like, it's, you know, we're three episodes like down from that now. Like, what else can I do? Yeah. I feel like sometimes when I would look at the comments, I would see things that people are saying to be mean, but it would be

things that I saw in myself that maybe I also didn't like. And I'm like, oh, okay, I see what you're saying. And it's honestly helped me, I think, grow into a better version of myself at times. So I will take the troll comments and I like, I see that. And then I'll raise you a better version. Yeah, definitely. I mean, I think it's like reality TV is like I always say the best type of mirror. Because, you know, I just waddle along in my head like I live in my sort of own world. And it's very interesting again to like see how people like perceive you yeah and I'm I'm I'm all about criticism constructive criticism right you know if it's like something that I'm able to like grow and learn yeah from then why not yeah where are you living right now in your own little

world where am I living yeah like what part of town oh I live in flat iron Chelsea okay oh gotcha just like by Madison Square Park we've lived there for like five years now nice yeah so it's It's a great little area of the city, close to everything. The kids love it. Their school, before they moved to kindergarten, was like a block away. Yeah. So I used to wake up it, like, you know, well, they used to, like, roll out of bed, get them, like, ready. We was to leave at 8.30 and I would drop them off by 840, and it was amazing.

Nice. So our ecosystem is, like, within a five block radio. Yeah. Oh, I love that. I know. So easy. Yeah, you don't have to fight 405 traffic in the morning. No, are worst.

I don't know how people still, like. do that. I'm just so used to it that when there's not traffic in LA, I'm like, wow, what is this? What's happening? But very rare does that ever happen? Yeah, it's like if you're driving to the airport at 5 a.m., maybe. Potentially. Like, and there's a lull, like one to three, maybe. Yeah, that's getting worse. It's more like 11 to 1. Oh, wow. Yeah. Oh, gosh. People take half days and then the traffic is just horrendous. I used to live in L.A. for five years. Wait, no way. What part? So we lived in Manhattan Beach for a hot second. Then I was like, this is too far and everyone's like, you know, like pretty little families and not for my vibe because I didn't have kids at the time. Moved to Bramwood and then we built

a house in Marvista. Oh my gosh. So I love that. I love that. I love that. I love that. But my husband's from the valley. I know we were just talking about that. Like so close to where my daughter goes to school. That's so funny. So I'm very well aware of L.A. and the nuances come with living there. Would you say the valley is up and coming in L.A.? Oh, girl. I don't know about that. That's good. That is, I mean, there are pockets, which are, you know, we just talked about Bauderanche, which is charming. But yeah, no. No, I was a West Side girly for six years. I miss it. I miss the weather. I just, I didn't mind the drive because I lived on the water. Where did you look?

I was in Marina, like on one of the fingers. Oh, I love. Yeah, it was beautiful. That's a great cheesecake factory there. Yes. It's the best. I went on a date there. Oh, you did?

We saw one of my friends yesterday and she was like, wait, did you guys ever date? And I was like, we had a few dates and I was like, remember the cheesecake factory one? And it was that cheesecake factory. Iconic. That's so funny. Is Povett watching the show? He is not as, I would say, engrossed as he. usually is. Like puppets very much like a tiger dad when it comes to me, what I'm doing,

the television show the kids. Like he's like kind of a helicopter dad. But he's been busy. So yeah, I mean, I think he saw last week's episodes. He's a hard job. Where's his favorite place to like food influence? Is he sticking in New York? Is he all over the world? Is he doing these trips? You know, now that the kids are at like this age where it's really hard to leave them, you're probably in the same, you know, sort of lull that we are. He doesn't travel as much. I feel really bad for him. So right now his whole, like, his whole, like, you know, food influencing is happening in Chinatown, Lower East Side.

He loves the area that we live in. There's a lot of really cool restaurants that are popping up there. But no, we're not doing global, really. Yeah. Which sucks. Not yet. Not yet. Yeah.

I think that, like, give it another year. Totally. And maybe he'll be back on that track again. I know now that we have kids in school, I'm like, wait, do we have to travel when everyone else travels? Yeah. Summer break, winter break, spring break. Yes. That's all we get.

That's all we get. But don't forget the three months in summer that is like how long. Yeah. I think that's when we'll go to Australia because then it's their winter. Yes. Right? Yes, it is. Why would you want to go in the winter?

Well, because, oh, yeah, you're right. It's cold. Is it, though? In Australia, I feel like it's like L.A. cold. I'm so geographically, like, challenged. Yeah. Like, I don't know where I am at any given time. I don't know the weather anywhere.

No, I feel like it is like maybe L.A. Yeah. I don't know. But yeah, that's the only time we have to really travel because we were looking at going to visit my husband's family at the end of the year when she has her winter break. And then we're looking at flights. And I'm like, oh, because everyone else travels then. It's got it. It's wild.

It's ridiculous. Yeah. Christmas, spring, summer, we're screwed. Screwed. Yeah. Better save up. Okay. I know, right?

All right, we're going to take a quick little break and then I have a fun game and then we'll get into some more questions. Love, love, love. Okay, you guys, I have to talk to you about something really important and that is what you put on your feet. Because if you were anything like me and you were running around all day, every day, doing mom life, work life, whatever it may be, you need shoes that are comfortable. But you also want shoes that look good. Am I right? Like you want to look put together, but not feel like you're in a heel necessarily. but you want to spruce up your wardrobe.

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Welcome to Over 50 and Flourishing, the podcast for any woman who feels like she's lost her compass in this sea of midlife. I'm Dominique Soxha, news anchor, current YouTuber, author, and like you, somebody who is still learning and growing and asking a whole lot of questions. It is never too late to change direction and rediscover the strong, wise, and beautiful woman within. That's why I created Over 50 and Flourishing, a podcast to help us navigate the change. the challenges, the joy and the freedom in this season. Here you're going to find honest conversations where we might laugh and cry all in the same hour. Let's flourish together in mind, body, and spirit. Nothing's off the table.

New episodes every Monday wherever you watch or listen. So I want to do some rony superlatives. Okay. I'm going to give you a category and then you just tell me which woman fits at best. You can choose yourself as well. But like current cast, unless I'm there's a past cast member, you're like, oh, it's really that one. Okay. Who would you say is the most misunderstood? Ah, me. Definitely. What do you think people get wrong about you? I think when I say

things, I'm so un-serious. Like, everything I say is like dry humor. Yeah. And I think that people are like, oh, she's so roved and contrived. And it's not that serious. I really don't like mean to offend anyone. I'm trying to be funny, but it's not landing. It lands with us. Okay, good. I think it's just like a cultural thing. And also growing up in England, like, there are just some things that, like, I'm used to. And, you know, it's like, it's a bit of a, it's a bit of a difference. Yeah. So I would definitely give myself that one. Okay. Most different off camera from what we see on the show. Oh, I got to say, quite honestly, really no one. I do have to say that, like, most people, what you see is what you get. Okay. Like, there's no one that I think tries to put on that. I love that.

Who's most likely to stir the pot and then pretend like they didn't? I mean. I think her good friend Erin Leachie is responsible for that one. She loves to stir. Loves to stir. Most likely to hold a grudge. Oh, sigh. Okay.

Yeah. Most likely to actually live in a rent-stabilized apartment. Daisy. Who's the least likely? I gotta say, I think if any of us got a good deal, we'll take it. Yeah. Like, New York is insane right now. So I would like maybe like be happy to downsize.

I think all the girls will take that deal for sure. Okay. Who has the most enviable wardrobe? I mean, Sai has been building her wardrobe for a long, long, long time. Also, Erica, insane wardrobe. Yeah. Yeah. She's got a really good one.

Who is the most boring? You just like throw me in the deep end here. I would say it's a toss up between Carol and Erin. I think Carol loves to, she's a very good storyteller, but she doesn't know when to stop telling the story. So, like, I have ADD and I'll, like, just zone out. Yeah. And I think Erin just, you know, is Aaron. Who is most likely to fly private?

Erica. Most likely to end up in the tabloids. Ooh, Haley. Okay. We've already seen that, been there, done that. Most likely to post about themselves in the tabloids. Oh. I don't know if anyone would like willingly post unless it was something like they were doing in retaliation to what the tabloos was saying.

Right. But we're not like, I don't think anyone like really goes into the weeds of like the news like that. Yeah. Who's most likely to flight coach? Daisy. Most likely to know someone famous everywhere they go. Oh, famous everywhere they go. Oh, let me think. Let me think. Let me think. It's kind of, I would say Erica, sigh,

daisies with Martha all the time. So like she would definitely see people that she knows for sure. Yeah. I mean, and then I guess for me it's like I always see people whether they're famous or not, but they're like well known. Right. Who would you say is most likely to accidentally offend someone and genuinely not understand why? Me? I hope that. Definitely me. Most likely to survive without money for one week.

Oh no. I would say Daisy seems pretty resourceful. Like I think she can get creative. Who's least likely? Ooh. Who is least likely? I mean, maybe me.

I don't know how I would do. I don't know what to do. Like, what do you do? Do I have to take like the subway? Like, no. No, we didn't even walk here. Christy was like, it's half a mile. And I was like, it's six blocks.

You're wearing like lubies. Like no. No, thank you. She's like, I'm getting the car. I know. The kids know that when I drop them to school, they're getting an Uber. My husband takes them, he'll take the subway. Yeah.

So they're always like, can you drop us? Can you drop us? Because I'm so like, I don't want to think about going to A to B. Yeah. You know? Mm-hmm. Who would you trust to watch your kids for an entire weekend? Sigh.

Okay. Who would fit best in the OG Rony cast? Erin. Who would scare you the most if they were genuinely angry with you? Sigh. I love seeing this new friendship. Yeah. Because so much can happen between a season, the next season, hanging out outside, off camera.

Like, friendships do genuinely blossom. No, definitely. And I think that she has probably evolved the most out of anyone in our cast. Like she's she's had a really tough few years. And I think that just like things like that change you. Yeah, for sure. Who would you call first in an actual crisis? Erica Osai.

Okay. Last one. Who is the queen of Roney right now? Who's the queen of Roney right now? I got to say Haley. Okay. He's taking it. She's like a gay icon.

And I actually really love that for her. Yeah. She's such a good girl. Yeah. She's really, really fun. Did you know her before filming? I didn't. Okay.

No, I didn't. And I don't know that our paths would ever have crossed. I mean, she's very much, like, she keeps herself to herself. Yeah. But she's so funny. Yeah. She's so funny. I absolutely adore her.

Yeah. No, we're loving the season. Good. I'm so good. And now that I'm caught up, I'm like, see, now I have to wait for the next episode. Yes. I actually just got my screen. Oh, did you watch it yet?

No, I'm here speaking to you. I'm like, but in the back of my head, I'm like, I got to get home. I'm like, what is it? Okay, so we were just talking about you and Sai, and that's one friendship that seems to have gone in the opposite direction. And I love to see it. I love when, you know, someone can just become closer after not getting off on the right foot. So what would you say changed? I know you just mentioned she's obviously gone through a lot in the last few years, but how did you two?

get closer. I think it's just taking the time to really understand each other. You know, I feel like being thrown into this whole world of reality television, you have your preconceived like notions of people. And I think that once all of those like break down, like you can really like get to the core of like who someone is. And so it really happened very organically. Like we didn't try or force it. And it was actually at Bravo Khan. Like I remember it was. It was. towards the end and she was sitting there having a glass of wine and I sat sat with her for like a good like three four hours. Oh wow. And we just had like a really good heart to heart. And I think that like, you know, she's someone that like has her guard up. I think when she's like meeting someone for the

first time or I do too, but not as much I would say. But she really like broke down her barriers. And I just I really see her for who she is. Yeah. I love it. I love that. What night was it at BravoCon? Where were you guys? Were you staying at the four seasons? Yeah. We were in that little like lobby. Downstate. Okay.

Yeah. I feel like that's where everyone was really just like connecting. I got down there and I was like, oh, oh, oh. Like everyone was there. I was not expecting that. Yeah. It was fun. It was literally the last day.

I remember we were about to think our flight was at night in the evening. And we were just like grabbing a glass of wine like just for two of us. So yeah. I think it was like that was for me. I mean, we had grown closer, but that was when we really were like, okay, I feel like you have my back. I have going into this. I love that. When did you guys film the season that we're watching right now?

Like, how soon after BravoCon? So, BravoCon was what? November. We started March. Okay. So not so far after. Yeah. Okay.

Nice. She had initially said she thought you were stuck up and then eventually realized you're just basically British. Would you say that was a fair assessment? I think so. I feel like again, like sometimes, like when I say things, I do sound like very stuck up, but I am not. Just a beautiful accent. It's just my accent. What's left of it. I call it the Kelly Osborne accent. It's like a bit of a mishmosh of everything at this point. I've lived in the States for 20 years. Yeah. More than, you know, so I try really hard. But the minute I landed in Heathrow, it's like my action is back. It's back. But again, I think it's like a mixture of my dry hue.

I love banter. Like, I will dish it. And if you can't take it, we can't be friends. That's not your problem. It's not my problem. Now, what would you say is the most British thing about you that Americans tend to interpret as rude or snobby? Gosh. I mean, I really do say what I think.

Yeah. And I don't think I am rude or like, I'm not trying to offend people. Right. But like, if there's something that I want to point out, I'll, I'll point it out. Yeah. You know? Have you looked at the ceilings in here? Oh.

No popcorn. She passes. But also, I'm very curious. Like I said, I'm curious. I think a lot of British people are genuinely, like, curious. We like to ask questions. We like to not be like nosy, but we like to get to the, you know, core of who is in front of us sometimes. Yeah.

So. Are there things Americans do that still horrify the British side of you? Americans in Europe during the summer. Wow. It is a mess. You guys are so loud. It's like, you can hear, I mean, it's really funny. Yeah.

Like the stereotype is real. That's funny. Yeah. Are there any British traits that you're trying hard to instill in your boys? British traits. I'm trying to get them to appreciate baked beans. Oh, okay. Like the canned baked beans.

Yeah. They're not having it. But like some of the British food is like, you know, like a good old like pie. Yeah. Or fish and, like, fish fingers and chips. Uh-huh. Some of the food like is, it's like comfort food. to me. Yeah. So I'm trying to get them to like be a little bit more open and Indian food,

of course. Yeah, for sure. We were in London a few months ago. I had a show out there and we brought my daughter and she absolutely loved it, but she loved the peas everywhere. Oh, good. They're kind of pea. Mushy peas. Yes. Were they mushy? Were they like, we must like, I want you to try this kind and then try this kind. Good for her. Yeah. She loves her greens. Good. Good. So Erica came on the show as one of your actual friends, right? Yeah. You've called her one of your closest friends. How did that friendship begin? Ironically through Povett. Oh, okay. So Povit is friends with a few people that work at Bilt, which is her husband's company. And they invited us to a dinner. And I remember I was sitting in between Povet and Martha Stewart, who I think is a partner in the company. And Erica,

like, she like flew in through the door. And she is such a breath of fresh air. She. She is such a breath of fresh air. She's like full of energy. And I just immediately loved her. You know, that's where we met and we grew closer. It's been about two years now. And I also, I love to host dinner parties where I invite people from like different like walks of life. So I had one of them and I invited her husband and I invited Erica. And we just, we just really get along.

She's truly no frills. Yeah. She's such a good time girl. And we laugh so much. Like it's hilarious being around her. Have you gotten over that you met after her? amazing wedding. I mean, she definitely has to have a 10-year reunion. She knows it, if not just like so I can be there. Yeah. But the fashion and just like, it was so iconic. I had a lot of my

friends that she went. Oh, nice. I was like FOMO, even though I didn't know her that well. Yeah. I was like scrolling and I was like, ah, this is such a good. That's so iconic. It is on my bucket list. Definitely. Yeah. But they definitely know how to throw an event. Yeah. Were you familiar with her from her WWE days before you met her? No. I actually thought she was like punking me. When she talked with that? I was like, shut the fuck up.

Are you serious? She is honestly one of the most surprising, like women. Because she has had such an interesting, like, career. And I really respect her for building, you know, this health and wellness, like, I mean, empire. And she's, like, doing so much in that space. So I love it. I love that she, like, is passionate.

about something and she comes with so much already and the fact that she met and kid it's like the story so yeah it's like such a cute meat that's like a meat cute right cute right cute right it's very adorable i heard that you yourself are apparently a huge wrestling fan and you know wrestlers finishing moves is that true where did you leave that so oh okay you guys have been digging i grew up in with a lot of boys of my family. So a lot of my like close cousins are boys and every Saturday morning is WW. Well, it was WWF and towards WWE. But yeah, I know I used to like, I used to watch it every morning because that's what the boys did. So yeah, Hulk, I knew like Ultimate Warrior, Paul Barre like, oh my God. It was the nasty ones. Nasty brothers. Yeah. Crazy. Did you two ever

bond over that, you and Erica? Actually, you know what? I don't think we've ever boarded it up. Okay, well now if I see it brought up, I'm going to know it was because of this podcast. Okay, yeah, you actually are responsible for that. Yes. What advice did you give her before joining the show? Honestly, this is like the advice I would give to anyone. Just be yourself. Yeah.

I think that the audience are extremely smart. They really are. They see shit that we don't see. And then when I see it, I'm like, oh, chick. What? It is the level of detail. But I wasn't worried about her. Yeah.

Like, you know, when I, I, I, I genuinely felt so, I was not surprised that she was obviously like, you know, cast, first of all. She's very fun and I think she brings everything that we want to see on Roney to the table. But she's such a girl's girl and I just like, I don't ever want that to get clouded by a TV show. I also said if she ever feels the type of way about me to tell me immediately. Because the one thing I hold sacred are like real genuine friendships. Right. And I wouldn't want anything to go down because of a show.

Yeah. Has your friendship changed at all since her joining the show? The zero. Yeah. Yeah. We really like had an understanding. Yeah, we speak all the time. And she's very, there is, she's put in an awkward situation.

And I could tell, like, she called me and she was so weird. I was like, are you okay? She was like, I just filmed something. And it's just really awkward and makes me feel really like. And she told me what it was. And I was like, dude, don't even worry about it. Yeah. Like she's a very like honest and I love that. I just from doing this and being in this world for so long, you know, I've had my share of

friendship fallouts and gotten closer with people and whatnot and then new people get brought in and you can really see how some people change when the cameras come up. Some people just, yeah. So I'm glad to hear that your guys's friendship has stayed solid. Yeah, it's not worth it. Yeah. Yeah. I love that. I'm going to take one more quick break and then we're going to get into some more about your background. Juicy. Okay, and if you know Quince for their cashmere and elevated essentials, you might not know that they also have luggage that's earned a serious following. I didn't know this when I first started shopping on Quince a few years ago and I got to tell you, it's engineered for real travel.

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Okay, so I want to back up a little because I think people who only know you from Housewives probably don't know much about your life before the show. So you were born and raised in London in a pretty traditional British Indian household. But what was little Jessel? Like, what was young Jussel like? I was so awkward and shy and a massive introvert.

Really? I couldn't take it. When people would talk to me, I would just, I wouldn't even have like be able to respond. Yeah. It was so shy. Very self-conscious.

Yeah. I mean, everything that I feel like most girls like growing up like are like you're just so self-aware and it's tough. It's really tough. Yeah. Yeah, it was definitely not like this, you know, outspoken like, you know, extrovert. It was it was the polar opposite. I love to hear that though because my daughter is not shy when she's around us.

I mean, she is the life of the party. Yeah. But then we were at this birthday the other day for a big YouTuber friend of ours. And she sees this little girl who's like a gymnast on YouTube and she wanted to say hi to her. And she like was like, mom, come. And I'm like, okay. And so I go and I was like, oh, hi, my daughter wanted. And she just like hid behind me.

And I was like, honey. Like she was just hiding. And I'm like, okay. And so then she just, I was like, I'm sorry to bother you, you know. I mean, this girl's probably like 12. Like she didn't mind. But then my daughter goes back to the party and whatnot. And then she comes back out.

And she was like, oh, is she still here? Like now I'm ready. And I was like, no, honey, she left. And she got sad. And I'm like, well, this is a lesson that sometimes like when you have a chance, you know, you got to shoot your shot then. Like you had an opportunity to meet her. There might be an opportunity in the future.

But like, she was so shy. And so I'm like, is this going to be something she grows out of? Is she always going to be like this and like needs me to say something for her? So I think it's just, it's something that some little girls maybe go through. I think having a strong role model like yourself is only going to help. Yeah. Like I, like my mom was also a very strong role model. But, you know, I think like we're, I think as little girls, like, you're always like,

oh my God, I'm not as good as her or I'm not as good as that person. It's like a lot. I had like a lot of that in me. So I'm really happy that I snapped out of it. Yeah. But it took a long time. Okay. What age would you say you snuffed out of it? Did you start to notice a difference or was it gradual? I got hot at like 15. I was like, oh, my nose actually makes sense for my face and like I got good skin. And I think it's just like, you know, I hate to say this. But like I had one of my first boyfriends. It was really cute. And he was one, he was a twin actually. And when he confessed that he like wanted to date me, I didn't know. There was this like surge of just confidence.

like that came with that. Not that like a man should justify. No, but I had that too. So I can completely understand what you're saying. Like a teen thing. And I think it just like kind of validated like, you know, things about me that I was always questioning. Yeah. And so yeah, from that point on, I was like, all right, I got this. Yeah. Well, let's go. You know. I love that. And I think my humor actually comes from a place of like being uncomfortable sometimes too. So I'll like crack a joke. You'll know when I'm nervous. Yeah. And it's like, like, that's when I like sort of try to be funny. Totally.

Were your parents strict growing up? Yeah. I mean, not as strict. They could have been much stricter. But, you know, I think being Indian, like there is certain cultural nuances that come along with, you know, growing up. Also, like, they were Indian. They were born in Africa and then they came to the UK.

So they were also trying to like figure it out. So it was complicated. There were like so many different layers, I think, to growing up in England and being Indian. Yeah. So they were straight. They were very protective, you know, a lot of emphasis on education and just like, you know, being successful in that way. Yeah. And lo and behold, like, never did they probably think I was going to be on like reality TV.

Right. That's not what we taught you to do. So I hope I make them proud. Like, that's all you can do. I think so. What were you allowed to? get away with and what were you absolutely not allowed to do? Like where was the line of strict? Oh, what was I allowed? I mean, I was allowed to hang out with friends, girls and boys. But,

you know, the dating thing was like, no, no. I mean, I snuck around. I'm sure like we all did very much. Like, I loved to, I'm a big music person. Like, I love to go out and like hear DJs. And I just was not allowed to do that. Yeah. It took a long time for them to trust. that I would be like safe. Totally. So I used to sneak out a lot. Yeah. And back then it's like we were able to get away with more.

There was no social media. No. Or like, there's no find my or anything. No phones. Oh, I would have failed miserably if there was like tracking system. Right. Like zero. Yeah.

Like zero shenanigans. No pun intended. How much would you say that the immigrant story shaped the way you were raised? I would say a lot. Yeah. I think there's, again, like so much added pressure to perform and be a certain, like, person. Yeah, like a respectable career. Yeah. Like, you know, my parents worked really hard to provide for us. And I think that they, in return, expected for us to, like, you know, really buckle up, buckle down and, like, you know,

be successful. So I went through all these different phases of like, okay, doctor, okay, lawyer, like every stereotypical, like, Indian profession that you could think of. And I ended up, you know, really loving journalism. So that's what I ended up doing. And, you know, when I went into fashion, they were sort of confused. But it definitely like, you know, I think it just, they just wanted me to be, like, secure. I think that was like the biggest thing. Yeah. I know you've spoken about and you had just said about just like feeling self-conscious and whatnot when you were younger, embarrassed when friends would come over and, you know, there's like Indian food and whatnot. When did your relationship with your culture start to change? It's a really good question because although I was self-conscious

about me and like my characteristics growing up and how I looked, I was never self-conscious about being Indian. Yeah. In fact, I loved it. I really like, I loved like everything about it from the fashion to the food to like the culture to the dancing to bollywood like pop culture i grew up in that like sort of really like in that like the weeds of it and i've always just said like i wouldn't be anything but indian i couldn't like i love it so much i'm so proud about it yeah so i would say like my first sort of like love affair with like being indian came from fashion okay so my mom would do the same where she would like dress like you know she would like blend western and indian like fashion and I loved how she would do that and so that's kind of like how I always like you know would

try to almost mimic her yeah in a way I love that my daughter she just made a new friend and it was her first like friend she's made organically on her own not because she's Indian yeah not because they go to school together not because we force them on a play date or anything they were just at a birthday party yeah for a little boy and it was the one of my friends sons it's not like our kids aren't even really friends, but we're at this birthday party and this adorable little girl runs up with my daughter and they're like, could we have a play date? And I was like, I don't know. Like, I don't know you. Like I don't know you. Like I was like, well, I need to like meet your parents. And you know, I said she's starting kindergarten this week. And she's like, I'm starting kindergarten this

week. Then she tells me where she's going to school. And I was like, yeah, we could do a play date. Like it's a really good school. Oh, really? And it's like a gifted school that you have to like test into. So then I go and I meet her parents. And now what we do. a Monday fun day. They did it last night without us where we do gymnastics with the girls every Monday crack open a bottle of wine and we just have this new friendship like the mom and I just clicked that my husband and her husband take the girls golfing on Saturdays. Oh wow. And it's just like this amazing new friendship that I'm like wow you met this little girl. You guys just clicked and just like wanted to be friends and now I have a new mom friend. Oh I love that. Yeah. And it's so like I I really think that like

trying to like the diversity of it all is like so important especially like growing up like totally one of my childhood best friends was Korean yeah hers too that's crazy yes it's so crazy because like I would go to her house and they would be eating like octopus and I'm like girl like what is that but like you try new things and you learn about the like background and that to me is like an adrenaline rush I love learning about people's background yeah my daughter will come home speaking Korean wow and I'm like what Say what? I have to call my friend.

I'm like, what does she say to me? Well, maybe she can tell us about like that K beauty shit. Yes. Right? We should go. We should fly a trip to Seoul. Yeah. I know.

It is on our radar. Need to happen. Yeah. We're talking about it next year. Oh, good. Yeah. Christy's husband works with a lot of K-pop artists. Oh.

And so. Okay. Let's get the DL. Yeah. I want to do it. I want to do like all of that. I'm like, I want all of the things. I just dissolved the filler in my face.

And now I have these lines. No, but you look great. I dissolved everything too. Do you know when you watch yourself on television and you're like, I look like a blowfish? Like why? Literally. I was like, why do I look puffy? And I realize it was like, you know.

You look amazing. So whatever you're doing is totally working. Okay, so did some Jussel research and I need you to explain something to me. Uh-oh. So apparently you found a diary from 1995 where teenage jostle. Jassel had written down three goals. Live in New York, work in fashion, have twin boys. And then you literally did all three.

Like, what the fuck? The power of the mind is crazy. Yes. I always, I'm like notorious for making lists. And I'm notorious for just being hyper-focused on like, and I don't overwhelm myself. it's like three or four, maybe five things a year that like are important to me and I'll just back into it. Yeah. So, but that, that shit was crazy.

I honestly like. That's wild. I, yeah, I didn't know. It was tough like coming from London to New York and like doing that. But I always knew this is where I would want to be. So I did everything in my power. I like worked so hard to be here and to like still be here. That's incredible.

credible. Yeah, I blackmail pavit into marrying me. I was like, I need a key card. Like, I can't go home. But yeah, I think it's like, whatever you put your mind to. And then the twin thing was nuts too. I mean, I did IVF. Obviously, that's no secret. Right, but I mean, you manifested

that as a kid. Did you remember like, oh, I said I wanted twin boys? Or was that something that then you thought about and then maybe didn't think about until again? It's crazy because all my close friends growing up, like, knew that that's what I wanted. So when I announced it. No one was surprised because they were just like, oh yeah, but we already need this.

Yeah. Like it was almost like, and it was crazy because I had like several rounds of IVF and I had several embryos and I didn't do a transplant. Is that what you call it? Transfer. Transfer. I didn't do a transfer until I like felt right about what I was like what I had. Yeah. My final round I got three embryos. Two were boys and one was a girl. And the doctor said the two boys are the strongest embryos that you have in your bank. And that's what I just like knew it. I was like, those are my twins. Yeah.

And so I begged him. I just signed a waiver because they don't transfer two at a time. Yeah. I begged him. I was like, please, please, you have no idea. Like, this is what I have been wanting. And in the event one doesn't stick. Right.

I would like to have a backup in there. But I'm hopeful that it's the two of them. Wow. So he did it. and they stuck and I got the twin boys. That's amazing. Wild. That's so crazy.

What else is in that journal that we need to know about you? Oh, but I was obsessed with Michael Jackson. It was actually crazy. I was so obsessed with Michael Jackson. I think, like, him growing up as a child prodigy and like just, I just, not that I was like a child prodigy, but I just related to like growing up like and being so subconscious of yourself. And I really like, I thought that he was as a child, like, so impressive.

Yeah. So, yeah, was obsessed with Michael Jackson. I mean, I have other diaries now. But I'll, like, things that I wrote down in January, 2026 are happening in November. Wow. Like, I wanted to have a party at the boom, boom room for divali. And I, like, wrote it down. I was like, I want to partner with them.

And it happened. Yeah. Just, yes. I love this. I try really hard. What are you main? Right now. So a couple of things.

I mean, I definitely want, my business has been sort of like, you know, I've been building it, building it and building it. And we're at the place where like I'm hopefully it should take off. So that's something that I'm really hopeful to like, you know, grow and nurture. I want to have more of a presence in India. So manifesting that. And I'm going to go in January. And yeah, just, you know, it's a couple of things.

I love that. A lot of professional stuff. Yeah. And when you're talking about, are you talking about, is it Ushk? Yeah. Okay. So. Good pronunciation, by the way.

Thank you. Thank you. I was like, I think this is what I say it's like, I think this is what I'm saying. It's a little as indie as you're hanging out with. Yeah. I know, right? Okay. So you're building that, which is really about like giving South Asian designers greater

visibility in Western fashion. I love that. Where did this idea originally come from? Was it how you grew up? Yeah. It was a little bit of like how I grew up and obviously just like how. like having such an affinity towards Indian fashion in general. But I've noticed like as the years have gone on that there's been like a bit of a shift

in what's coming out creatively from those regions. And you know, it's hard being an Indian design and trying to break through to the US consumer. So I'm basically working with them using my PR and marketing sort of expertise and building their brands here alongside them. And they're really small like houses. They're like, you know, I want to see them succeed. And so that's like my goal. I love that.

What do you think the Western fashion industry still misunderstands about South Asian fashion? I think that we, South Asian fashion has for a very long time been seen as like occasional. So like you only wear it to like weddings or you only, it's like those big like heavy, embroidered, like beautiful pieces. But that's not what is happening anymore. So I really want to bring a lot more of like the. contemporary modern aesthetic to the West, Western consumer base. And yeah, that's pretty much the foundation of what I'm building. Yeah, I love that. You've described the bigger vision,

almost like an Indian goop, like fashion, but eventually, potentially maybe like beauty, wellness, food lifestyle. Is that still the ultimate goal? I think so because when you look at health and wellness, some of the most, like, some of the oldest rituals come from India, stem from India. So, you know, while Kay Beauty is having a moment, like I really do hope that, like, you know, Indian skincare can sort of pop and if there's anything that I can do to help that sort of, you know, take a stake. Like, yeah, why not? I love that. All right.

Well, I'm excited to see where the brand goes. Thank you. I love that you're doing this. I know you've lived, you know, all over, London, New York, L.A., briefly Dallas. Briefly, Dallas. Yeah. Then back to New York. And you've described you and Povett as pretty nomadic.

Yeah. Where do you consider home? I mean, New York has been the city that we've lived the longest. I mean, even like I left London when I was 24, 25. So I've lived in New York most, almost like half my life. Obviously, we had a stint in L.A. for a second. But New York will always be home to me. Yeah.

I think that I am. I always say that I'm Indian, then I'm British, but like New York raised me. Yeah. So, yeah, I think it's New York or nowhere. Yeah, it's an incredible state. But let's see if it's, I don't know how sustainable New York is with kids. Right. So we're like, we're still trying to figure that whole thing out.

But I would never live in the suburbs. What's the point? Right. Like if you're living in New York, you live in New York. Yeah. The only other place I would probably go back to is maybe London, just to be close to my family, but not anytime soon. Do you have any family out here?

I do have a cousin who writes for the New York Times, actually. He's a bit of a smarty pants, but he writes for New York Times styles. Oh, nice. So he's really my only family out here, which is sad. Yeah. But, you know, New York is so interesting because, like, friends become family. And I've known people now for, like, 20 years that have become family. Definitely.

Yeah, it's been, it's been a ride for sure. I loved L.A. too. I really did. Yeah. It was a lot of like good vibes. Yeah. But the 405 thing, I just couldn't. Like, it was too much.

That's what I missed about living in marinas. It was 10 minutes to L.A. Yeah. There was no traffic. It was just take Lincoln. Too much. I also love Asia. Yeah.

I love, I lived in Hong Kong for a hot second. I think that there's so much growth and so much like happening economic wise, economy wise, sorry, in Asia. So that would always be somewhere that I'm curious about. Okay. Yeah. Do you have any travel plans coming up? We are going to.

Dubai. I have a wedding in India and I got work in India. So we're going to go there. And then I'm trying to figure out what to do for Thanksgiving. What are you doing? I'm trying to figure that out as well because my husband is from New Zealand and then moved to Australia. And then it's funny because he did like nine years, nine years. Then he was in London for a few years playing rugby. And then he's been in the state. So he has now just kind of had to adapt to my life and family and traditions and But we really want to go back and see his family. So I don't know. Thanksgiving, though, also we might be flying to Vegas because Lisa from Black Pink has a residency.

And I also have family in Vegas. So we're like, do we do like early Thanksgiving in L.A.? Then go to Vegas. Yeah. I don't know. That's kind of a plan. It's always a good time. Yeah.

Yeah. No, I think travel is the best. I think it's the best education. Yeah. Yeah. Exactly. And even though my daughter doesn't remember all of the trips we've taken her on, I'm like, we're going to keep taking you on more.

Like she's never going to forget London. There's no way. Oh my God. It was, we did everything. Oh, I wish I'd known I would have given you my list. Yeah. Well, when we go back. Yeah.

Next year. Next time. Yes. Well, thank you so much. Jusel for doing this. I know we've been talking about it for a year and I'm glad that we finally made it happen. We got it. We did.

Everyone, tune in to the. Real Housewives of New York City, Tuesday nights on Bravo, streaming next day on Peacock, and you can follow Jessel at Jessel, T-A-A-A-N-K, and check out. Thanks for much, thank you. Thanks for listening to shenanigans with Shea Shea. Tune in next time for juicy updates from the world of reality TV, pop culture, and more. Download new episodes every week on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you like to listen. Please note that this episode may contain paid endorsements and advertisements for products and services.

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