Roxanne 
Jessel Taank’s husband, Pavit Randhawa, is finally addressing the rumors about his sexuality circulating on The Real Housewives of New York City, and he isn’t holding back when it comes to Erin Lichy.
During the October 27 episode of RHONY, Jessel sat down with Pavit to explain what had unfolded during the women’s trip to Moskito Island, where Sai De Silva accused Erin of spreading damaging rumors about their marriage.
And while Pavit made it clear that the allegations were false, he also took the opportunity to throw some shade at Erin’s appearance.
The conversation began when Jessel told her husband that the group’s luxurious getaway had taken an unexpected turn after Sai confronted Erin about allegedly discussing her separation from husband David Craig.
“I mean, I had a great time in respect to the villa and the experience, but here’s where it gets interesting,” Jessel explained.
“Sai brings up all this stuff she’s been hearing about Erin talking about her separation. Sai’s so upset, it was code red, like, the vein pops out. And then she says, ‘You’ve said despicable things about Jessel’s husband.’”
Pavit initially appeared confused by the accusation, asking whether Erin had been repeating the same rumors she had previously raised about their marriage.
But Jessel explained that the allegations had taken an even more personal turn.
According to Jessel, Erin had been telling people that Pavit was secretly gay and cheating on his wife with men.
Pavit immediately denied the allegations.
“Well, first of all, I know myself and I am straight. Ask any of my gay friends. I only project straightness. Not that it’s bad to be gay,” he said.
Jessel agreed that there would be nothing wrong with Pavit being gay, emphasizing that her issue wasn’t about someone’s sexuality but rather the alleged attempt to use rumors to damage their marriage.
“She is literally going around using it as, like, ammunition,” Jessel claimed.
She pointed out that Erin had previously raised questions about Pavit’s solo trips to Vietnam, suggesting there had been an ongoing pattern of speculation about his fidelity.
During RHONY Season 14, Erin questioned why Pavit was traveling to Vietnam without his wife, with the conversation contributing to speculation among the women about the state of Jessel and Pavit’s marriage.
Jessel and Pavit repeatedly defended the trips, explaining that Pavit enjoyed traveling for food and had no reason to hide anything from his wife.
Now, Jessel believes Erin is revisiting similar allegations, only this time with a more explicit accusation about her husband’s sexuality.
Pavit questioned why Erin would share such personal speculation with other people rather than speak directly to Jessel.
“If she’s your friend and she hears a rumor that I’m gay, she should come to you about that,” he said.
But it was his next comment that delivered one of the episode’s sharpest insults.
Pavit described Erin as “like a 90-year-old woman trapped in a 50-year-old woman’s body.”
When Jessel pointed out that Erin was actually 39, Pavit didn’t back down.
“She looks 50,” he joked.
The remarks come after the alleged rumor became a major source of tension among the RHONY cast earlier this season.
During the women’s trip, Sai revealed that her makeup artist had allegedly heard Erin discussing Pavit’s sexuality at BravoCon 2025.
According to the makeup artist’s account, Erin claimed to have information suggesting that Pavit was gay and had been involved with men at his gym.
Sai confronted Erin about the allegation while the women were filming, accusing her of spreading damaging information about Jessel’s husband.
Erin denied making the comments.
Jessel, meanwhile, was furious at the suggestion that her husband had been secretly living a double life.
She argued that even if someone had legitimate concerns about her marriage, the appropriate response would have been to speak with her privately rather than circulate unverified allegations.
On the RHONY After Show, Jessel also claimed Erin had previously told her about an anonymous blind item involving someone in the cast.
According to Jessel, Erin initially said she did not know who the blind item concerned.
However, Jessel later accused Erin of learning the details and repeating the rumor to other people without informing her.
Erin has denied spreading the allegations about Pavit, making the circumstances surrounding the rumor a point of dispute between the women.
Rather than allow the speculation to continue without a response, Pavit decided to address it publicly with a humorous Instagram video.
The RHONY husband shared footage of himself at Equinox, poking fun at the allegations about what supposedly happened at the gym.
“I do love to break a sweat at Equinox but not in that way #fakenews,” he captioned the video.
The clip quickly attracted attention from Bravo fans, with many praising Pavit for responding to the allegations with humor rather than allowing them to become an even bigger controversy.
During Bravo Fan Fest in Charleston, South Carolina, Jessel revealed that she hadn’t known Pavit was planning to post the video.
However, she said she fully supported his decision to make light of the situation.
“I think it was really important for him to make light of the situation because, quite frankly, it is a ridiculous insinuation,” Jessel told TV Insider.
“He broke the internet that day, so kudos to him.”
Jessel also provided an update on her relationship with Erin following the controversy.
Although the two women have not completely repaired their friendship, Jessel suggested she hasn’t ruled out reconciliation.
“We’re in a bit of a limbo situation,” she admitted.
“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.”
