Jessel Taank Says She 'Learned a Lot' After Appearing on 'RHONY': 'I Stand Up for Myself'

Jessel Taank, the first South Asian woman to be cast on The Real Housewives of New York City, is happy she joined the series — but had no idea what she was in for.

"It's so fun. I don't know if I would fit into any other city. New York is so cosmopolitan, and it's such an aspirational place to be. I'm so glad that people get a snapshot of our lives because it's so unique," the reality star, who is partnering with Fertility Out Loud, exclusively told OK!. "I had never seen RHONY before joining. I was like, 'This is going to be so fun!' Don't get me wrong, it was fun, and I've learned about myself through the process. It's kind of like the ultimate bootcamp. Now, when someone says something offensive, previously I would have apologized to that person, but now I stand up for what I think and voice my thoughts. You can't teach that. This has taught me so many things that I would have never experienced."

RHONY underwent a complete cast shakeup for Season 14, introducing a whole new set of Housewives, including Sai de Silva, Ubah Hassan, Erin Lichy, Jenna Lyons, Taank and Brynn Whitfield. Racquel Chevremont joined the series in Season 15, which last aired on February 4. (Andy Cohen said they are casting for next season as the show remains on pause.)

Before Taank, who shares twins Kai and Rio with her husband Pavit Randhawa, joined the show, she would tend to exit situations if they felt "toxic."

"But with RHONY, you're sort of in it," she shares. "You're front and center, and it's taught me a lot about how to speak my mind and stand up for myself. My first instinct when something traumatic happens is to cut the tension by saying something funny. It's very fun to watch, don't get me wrong, when you're the person on the outside. For Season 1, I remember thinking, 'Why the h--- am I involved in every single part of this?' I'm the one that is not doing anything, and I am involved in every aspect and altercation, so I was very aware of that. On the next season, I was a little bit quieter, but that's not who I am. I want to stand up for what's right. I want to call out people if they're wrong, and when you're on RHONY, you have to have this larger-than-life personality."

Since the mom-of-two is not one to hold back, she now wants to get word out about World IVF Day (July 25) and her journey to get her twins. "I feel like this has been overlooked for so long," she says. "To actually be able to celebrate the fact that we have a source like IVF to help create people families is really important. When I was going through IVF, which was almost six years ago now, it was a very different time now — and obviously being Indian, it was very isolating."

"I wanted to have the opportunity to partner with Fertility Out Loud, a like-minded organization that actually helps women feel supported throughout their life, which was really important to me," she continues. "I wanted to share my experience when I was on RHONY. I'm lucky to have this platform."

The fashion publicist — who didn't know it would take her four years, three rounds of IUI, five IVF rounds, and a major health scare before she would eventually give birth to her twins — says it's so "surprising" at how many people resonated with her story.

"When the episode aired, it just blew up, and I realized what a big impact it was to talk about IVF," she states. "I know it has such a big stigma attached to it. I want to build awareness and have open conversations around it. It took me almost five years to have kids, and as I was telling that story, I shared that I didn't tell my family, or, rather kept it from them. The response to that was very surprising. A lot of people don't understand what IVF is. If I had ever spoken to my parents about it, they wouldn't have understood at all. When you think about it, you think needles, drugs, it's all very daunting. That's why I didn't share it — because I didn't want this added pressure of getting asked all these questions and freaking out my parents. I was trying to protect them but at the same time, I didn't want to stress them out. I think a lot of women don't know how to talk about it."