Jessel Taank Regrets Carolyn Bessette Kennedy Comments on ‘RHONY’

Jessel Taank is opening up about her controversial comments involving Carolyn Bessette Kennedy and revealing what she wishes she had done differently.

The 46-year-old Real Housewives of New York City star recently joined co-star Sai De Silva for an appearance on SiriusXM’s Jeff Lewis Live, where she reflected on her conversations with Carole Radziwill about her late friend and cousin by marriage.

During the current season of RHONY, Jessel questioned Carole about Carolyn and brought up the “Kennedy curse.”

Carole, who was married to John F. Kennedy Jr.‘s cousin Anthony Radziwill, was close friends with Carolyn and John before their deaths in a 1999 plane crash. She has made it clear on the show that the renewed attention surrounding the couple, including the release of Ryan Murphy‘s Love Story, has been painful for her.

Now, Jessel admits that she regrets how she responded when Carole explained why the conversation bothered her.

“I feel like I was defending what my intention was so much that I was losing what she was trying to tell me in response,” Jessel said on SiriusXM’s Jeff Lewis Live.

Looking back, Jessel said she should have stopped trying to explain that her original comments were intended to be about Carolyn‘s fashion and instead acknowledged Carole‘s feelings.

“I didn’t need to be like, ‘No, but we were saying she’s chic and like talking about the fashion of it all,'” she reflected. 

“I think I was just, it was such a, in my head, an innocent comment that was made about someone that she obviously has a lot of you know, and I do regret it,” she added.

Jessel Says She Should Have Been “More Empathetic” to Carole

Jeff Lewis told Jessel that he understood what she had been trying to say, but admitted that watching the interaction made him cringe.

Jessel agreed that she should have responded differently when Carole expressed how deeply the situation affected her.

“I wish I had just apologized when she expressed how deeply sad she was,” she said.

Sai then noted that she believed Jessel did apologize during a later seder scene.

“I might have. It may not have been shown,” Jessel responded, before adding, “All that to say, I should have been more empathetic to her feelings. Like point blank.”

Jessel previously expressed regret about the interaction during an appearance on Watch What Happens Live, where she said she felt bad after watching the scene back.

Meanwhile, Carole recently addressed the situation during her own appearance on Jeff Lewis Live, saying she felt the questions were “inappropriate” and that they seemed intentional at the time. She also described filming the season while dealing with renewed attention surrounding Carolyn and John as “traumatic.”

The Real Housewives of New York City airs Tuesdays at 8 p.m. ET on Bravo and streams the following day on Peacock.

Carole recently revealed that one of her ex-boyfriends auditioned to play Anthony in Love Story.

Posted To:Carole Radziwill Carolyn Bessette Carolyn Bessette Kennedy Jessel Taank Sai De Silva The Real Housewives of New York City