The penultimate episode ofFX's "Love Story: John F. Kennedy Jr. & Carolyn Bessette"dramatized the enlarging faults plaguing the marriage of the titular characters before their untimely deaths.
At Episode 8's end, John (Paul AnthonyKelly) leavesthe Tribeca apartmenthe shared with Carolyn (Sarah Pidgeon) for a hotel following an ugly fight, just days before their fatal flight. On July 16, 1999, a plane piloted by Kennedy Jr. crashed. The couple were headed for Hyannis Port for his cousin Rory Kennedy's wedding. Bessette's sister, Lauren Bessette, was also on board. The series finale will air on March 26 at 9 ET/PT and stream on Hulu.
Amid recent criticism from Kennedy Jr.'s nephew,congressional candidate Jack Schlossberg;ex-girlfriend, actress Daryl HannahandUSA TODAY's TV critic Kelly Lawler, we're here to help you separate the facts from the fictionalized.
FX's "Love Story: John F. Kennedy Jr. & Carolyn Bessette" (Thursdays, 9 ET/PT on FX and streaming on Hulu) depicts the romance of the pair, who tragically died in a plane crash in 1999. Let's take a closer look at the actors and the real-life people they're portraying." style="max-width:100%; height:auto; border-radius:6px; margin:10px 0;" loading="lazy" /> 
Paul Anthony Kelly as John F. Kennedy Jr.Model turned actor Paul Anthony Kelly told USA TODAY that some days it took three hours to get into character. "It would be an extra two hours for coverup (of his tattoos) and then an hour for hair and makeup," Kelly said. That perfectly coiffed Kennedy hairdo was achieved with "a little bit of water and a hairdryer and a lot of brush work."" style="max-width:100%; height:auto; border-radius:6px; margin:10px 0;" loading="lazy" />
Sarah Pidgeon as Carolyn Bessette Sarah Pidgeon, a natural brunette, estimates she spent 22 hours in the hair salon over two days to lighten her locks within the realm of Bessette-blond. The stories written about the couple and Bessette in particular were "so misogynistic," Pidgeon tells USA TODAY. "There was this narrative that they wanted to stick to, generally, and this characterization of her that I've just found couldn't be further from the woman that I came to know."" style="max-width:100%; height:auto; border-radius:6px; margin:10px 0;" loading="lazy" />
Naomi Watts as Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis Naomi Watts told "Entertainment Tonight" the production "did a bunch of tests" to find the right look, "because I really look nothing like her," the actress admitted. "The coloring is all wrong, and she has a different nose, and we certainly played around with prosthetics. And then we weren't improving. We were just making me look more different. So we sort of scrapped it." Watts donned a wig for the role, brown contact lenses and makeup to close the age gap." style="max-width:100%; height:auto; border-radius:6px; margin:10px 0;" loading="lazy" />
Dree Hemingway as Daryl Hannah Dree Hemingway, the great-granddaughter of Ernest Hemingway, portrays "Splash" star Daryl Hannah in the limited series. In real life, JFK Jr. and Hannah had an on and off relationship for years, but broke up for good in 1994, according to reports." style="max-width:100%; height:auto; border-radius:6px; margin:10px 0;" loading="lazy" />
Grace Gummer as Caroline KennedyGrace Gummer, daughter of Meryl Streep and sculptor Don Gummer, plays Caroline Kennedy, John Jr.'s older sister, born three years before his arrival. After Caroline's father's assassination in 1963, her mother's death following a cancer diagnosis in 1994, and John Jr.'s death in 1999, Caroline is the only surviving member of their immediate family." style="max-width:100%; height:auto; border-radius:6px; margin:10px 0;" loading="lazy" />
Ben Shenkman as Edwin Schlossberg Ben Shenkman ("Royal Pains," "Billions") plays Caroline Kennedy's husband Edwin Schlossberg. The couple wed in 1986 and had three children, Rose (1988), Tatiana (1990), and Jack (1993). Tatiana died of acute myeloid leukemia in December 2025." style="max-width:100%; height:auto; border-radius:6px; margin:10px 0;" loading="lazy" />
Alessandro Nivola as Calvin Klein Alessandro Nivola portrays American fashion designer Calvin Klein, whose eponymous label was where Carolyn Bessette worked and where she met John F. Kennedy Jr." style="max-width:100%; height:auto; border-radius:6px; margin:10px 0;" loading="lazy" />
Noah Fearnley as Michael Bergin Michael Bergin, a Calvin Klein model who acted on "Baywatch," engaged in "a casual romance" with Carolyn Bessette in 1992, Elizabeth Beller writes in "Once Upon a Time: The Captivating Life of Carolyn Bessette-Kennedy," upon which FX's limited series is based. "A former hotel doorman at the Paramount, Bergin would later, in a tell-all book, 'The Other Man,' claim he was sexually involved with Carolyn from the fall of '92 until her death.
"There's no doubt Carolyn befriended Bergin, and, true to form, helped him with his career," Beller continues. "Carolyn and Michael had an on-off relationship, much more off than on. His later account of it is considered questionable by many of Carolyn's friends."" style="max-width:100%; height:auto; border-radius:6px; margin:10px 0;" loading="lazy" />
'Love Story' cast photos compared to real-life people including JFK Jr., Carolyn Bessette
FX's "Love Story: John F. Kennedy Jr. & Carolyn Bessette" (Thursdays, 9 ET/PT on FX and streaming on Hulu) depicts the romance of the pair, who tragically died in a plane crash in 1999. Let's take a closer look at the actors and the real-life people they're portraying.
Did John F. Kennedy Jr. and Carolyn Bessette really eat Kentucky Fried Chicken?
At the beginning of the episode, John comes home from a book launch to Carolyn and a big bag of Kentucky Fried Chicken. The presence of the popular fast food chain seems like it could be an out-of-place product placement, but the pair did dine on Colonel Sanders' cuisine, according toElizabeth Beller's book, "Once Upon a Time: The Captivating Life of Carolyn Bessette-Kennedy,"on which the series is based.
"Carolyn and John had home routines," Bessette's friend, Hamilton South, told Beller. "When (butler Efigenio Pinheiro) didn't cook − and usually he did − Carolyn had one recipe, roast chicken with lemon and garlic. If it wasn't one of those two, then they ordered in, sometimes even from Kentucky Fried Chicken."
Did Carolyn Bessette know Princess Diana?
When Carolyn learns in "Love Story" thatPrincess Dianawas killed in a car accident, she's in shock. Shortly after midnight in Paris on Aug. 31, 1997, Diana's car – also carrying romantic partner Dodi Fayed and driven by Ritz Paris security employee Henri Paul −collided with a concrete pillarin the Pont de l'Alma tunnel in a misguided attempt to outrun photographers.
Carolyn tells John in "Love Story" that she "sat right behind" Diana at Gianni Versace's funeral held July 22, 1997, in Milan. The princess, Bessette, Naomi Campbell, Elton John and Sting were among the notable attendees and were photographed together at the service.
Former Calvin Klein publicist Bessette, who did sit in the row behind Diana at the Milan Cathedral, "was forthcoming about her despair concerning the circumstances of Diana's death," Beller writes, "John remained quiet for the most part, though he was also affected."
"Carolyn tried to get John to call Princes William and Harry to give his condolences when it came out that Diana had hoped for her sons to emulate John's modesty in the face of media obsession," Beller continues. "He demurred as he didn't know them and thought, perhaps incorrectly, that their situations greatly differed."
John F. Kennedy Jr. and Carolyn Bessette became tabloid fodder when the publisher son of President John F. Kennedy, described as the "closest thing to American royalty," and the Calvin Klein publicist, "a star in her own right," met in 1992 while at his fitting for the clothing brand. In recent years, Bessette's fashion has found a new following – particularly on TikTok – as a new generation fawns over her simple but chic wardrobe. After they were married, Bessette was known as Carolyn Bessette-Kennedy. The end of the Kennedys' love story shocked the world when they died in a plane crash alongside Bessette-Kennedy's sister, Lauren Bessette. The former first son was piloting the aircraft when it crashed into the Atlantic Ocean near Martha's Vineyard in 1999. Now, director Ryan Murphy is releasing the first installment of his "Love Story" anthology based on the whirlwind romance between John F. Kennedy Jr. and Carolyn Bessette. See their relationship in photos, beginning here at the U.S. Customs House in New York City on May 19, 1999, for the Newman's Own/George Awards." style="max-width:100%; height:auto; border-radius:6px; margin:10px 0;" loading="lazy" />
John Kennedy Jr. with wife Carolyn Bessette arrive at Bright Night Whitney, a retrospective celebration of a century of American art at the Whitney Museum in New York City March 9, 1999. Kennedy was the publisher of George magazine. The pair married in 1996 on Cumberland Island, Georgia." style="max-width:100%; height:auto; border-radius:6px; margin:10px 0;" loading="lazy" /> 
John F. Kennedy Jr. and Carolyn Bessette-Kennedy leave the funeral of Michael Kennedy at Our Lady of Victory Parish in Centerville, Massachusetts, after services, Jan. 3, 1998." style="max-width:100%; height:auto; border-radius:6px; margin:10px 0;" loading="lazy" /> 
John F. Kennedy Jr. and Carolyn Bessette stop for photographers after Kennedy presented actor Robert De Niro with the Municipal Art Society of New York's Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis Medal at a gala dinner in New York, March 4, 1997." style="max-width:100%; height:auto; border-radius:6px; margin:10px 0;" loading="lazy" /> 
John F. Kennedy Jr. and Carolyn Bessette-Kennedy leave at the end of the White House Correspondent's annual dinner in Washington, D.C., May 1, 1999." style="max-width:100%; height:auto; border-radius:6px; margin:10px 0;" loading="lazy" /> 
John F. Kennedy Jr. and Carolyn Bessette-Kennedy arrive at a gala to celebrate the 30th anniversary of the Whitney Museum's Madison Avenue building in New York City." style="max-width:100%; height:auto; border-radius:6px; margin:10px 0;" loading="lazy" /> 
John F. Kennedy Jr. and Carolyn Bessette-Kennedy arrive at the White House for a state dinner in honor of British Prime Minister Tony Blair." style="max-width:100%; height:auto; border-radius:6px; margin:10px 0;" loading="lazy" /> 
The July 18, 1999, edition of the Cape Cod Times featured the news that John F. Kennedy Jr.'s plane went down off Martha's Vineyard on July 16, 1999." style="max-width:100%; height:auto; border-radius:6px; margin:10px 0;" loading="lazy" /> 
Robert F. Kennedy Jr., left, Max Kennedy and Victoria Kennedy gather with family on the beach at Hyannis Port, Massachusetts, to await word of John F. Kennedy Jr., whose plane went missing off Martha's Vineyard, July 17, 1999." style="max-width:100%; height:auto; border-radius:6px; margin:10px 0;" loading="lazy" /> 
Victoria Reggie Kennedy consoles Sen. Ted Kennedy after the Coast Guard transports John F. Kennedy Jr., Carolyn Bessette Kennedy and Lauren Bessette's bodies after they were recovered from the plane." style="max-width:100%; height:auto; border-radius:6px; margin:10px 0;" loading="lazy" /> 
Members of the Kennedy family head out to sea aboard the Coast Guard Cutter Sanibel which took them to the USS Briscoe for a burial at sea on July 22, 1999. " style="max-width:100%; height:auto; border-radius:6px; margin:10px 0;" loading="lazy" /> 
A makeshift memorial for John Kennedy Jr., Carolyn Bessette-Kennedy and her sister Lauren Bessette, at sunset on Moshup Beach, Martha's Vineyard." style="max-width:100%; height:auto; border-radius:6px; margin:10px 0;" loading="lazy" /> 
A photograph of John Kennedy Jr. and Carolyn Bessette sits among flowers and other items at a makeshift shrine outside the couple's apartment building in New York. Kennedy, his wife and her sister, Lauren Bessette, died when the plane he was flying crashed off Martha's Vineyard on July 16, 1999." style="max-width:100%; height:auto; border-radius:6px; margin:10px 0;" loading="lazy" /> 
Hundreds of flowers and letters to John F. Kennedy Jr., his wife Carolyn Bessette Kennedy and sister-in-law Lauren Bessette were placed on the hedges and the ground at the John F. Kennedy Memorial in Hyannis, Massachusetts." style="max-width:100%; height:auto; border-radius:6px; margin:10px 0;" loading="lazy" /> See John F. Kennedy Jr. and Carolyn Bessette's whirlwind romance
John F. Kennedy Jr.andCarolyn Bessettebecame tabloid fodderwhen the publisher son of President John F. Kennedy, described as the "closest thing to American royalty," and the Calvin Klein publicist, "a star in her own right," met in 1992 while at his fitting for the clothing brand. In recent years, Bessette's fashion has found a new following – particularly on TikTok – as a new generation fawns over her simple but chic wardrobe. After they were married, Bessette was known as Carolyn Bessette-Kennedy. The end of the Kennedys' love story shocked the world when they died in a plane crash alongside Bessette-Kennedy's sister, Lauren Bessette. The former first son was piloting the aircraft when it crashed into the Atlantic Ocean near Martha's Vineyard in 1999. Now, director Ryan Murphy is releasing thefirst installment of his "Love Story" anthologybased on the whirlwind romance betweenJohn F. Kennedy Jr. and Carolyn Bessette. See their relationship in photos, beginning hereat the U.S. Customs House in New York City on May 19, 1999, for the Newman's Own/George Awards.
What happened in John F. Kennedy Jr.'s Buckeye crash, shortly before his final flight?
In "Love Story," John hobbles about the couple's apartment after an earlier crash, which Carolyn expresses concern over.
"Didn't you promise (sister Caroline Kennedy) you were done with flying?" Carolyn inquires.
"Since when are you so concerned with what Caroline wants?" John shoots back.
While spending Memorial Day Weekend 1999 at the waterfront Martha's Vineyard property purchased by his late mother Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis, dubbed Red Gate Farm, Kennedy Jr. decided to take his Buckeye for a flight. The vessel looks a bit like a go-kart with a large motor on the back and a parachute attached.
Advertisement
"Everything went according to plan," Beller writes in "Once Upon a Time," "until a gust of wind blew John and the Buckeye" into a shrub. "John had broken his ankle," Beller continues. At the hospital, "he was told he would need surgery to repair his ankle and six weeks in a cast to heal."
How did Carolyn Bessette really feel about the Kennedy Compound in Hyannis Port?
Carolyn criticizes the Kennedys' Hyannis Port, Massachusetts, property in "Love Story."
"It's not relaxing," she bemoans. "Every minute of the day is accounted for. We can't sleep in, we can't sit on the beach, we can't go for a walk. There's no privacy, so we can never have sex."
But Beller's book claims that in actuality, Bessette "did enjoy Hyannis Port. It seemed a place where she felt welcomed."
"She enjoyed her time at the compound," Beller says, adding that Matt Berman, the creative director of Kennedy Jr.'s "George" magazine, said Carolyn sometimes preferred to "stay in bed with the dogs and snack" while at the compound.
Did John F. Kennedy Jr. flee to a hotel after a fiery fight with Carolyn?
A fight erupts between John and Carolyn in Episode 8, in which the duo exchange scorching barbs. John says his late mother,Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis, would've never approved of their relationship and Carolyn reveals her mom, Ann Messina Freeman, discouraged their union during their wedding weekend.
"It's like you have no identity outside of your own victimhood," John tells her.
"You love how hated I am," Carolyn responds. "Of course, you do, because you're America's son, and I am just another tragedy you bravely endure."
With that, John taps out and begins packing. He plans to stay at The Stanhope Hotel for "just a day or two." Though Carolyn begs him to stay, he says he doesn't want to fight.
"I'm coming back, I promise," he assures her, adding an "I love you" and kissing the top of her head.
In his final days, Kennedy Jr. did stay at The Stanhope Hotel, according to "Once Upon a Time." Supposedly, he and Bessette "had a heated fight" on Tuesday, July 13, 1999, about her joining Kennedy Jr. at Rory Kennedy's wedding, which they'd leave for on Friday, July 16.
"She needed a break; she felt she'd done her share of Kennedy events for the time being," Beller writes. "Carolyn and John's fight turned into an enormous blowup, with John losing ever more patience, and Carolyn feeling ever more like an afterthought."
Wednesday, Kennedy Jr., Bessette and her sister Lauren had lunch at the Stanhope, in which Bessette agreed to go to the wedding, according to the book. Their meeting "signified a truce of sorts," Beller states.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY:JFK Jr., Carolyn Bessette's fight. Fact-checking denounced Love Story
0 Comments