5 details “Love Story ”gets wrong about JFK Jr. and Carolyn Bessette's romance
5 details “Love Story ”gets wrong about JFK Jr. and Carolyn Bessette's romance
Allison DeGrusheThu, March 5, 2026 at 1:00 PM UTC
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Sarah Pidgeon as Carolyn Bessette and Paul Anthony Kelly as John F. Kennedy Jr. on 'Love Story'Credit: FX
FX's Love Story: John F. Kennedy Jr. & Carolyn Bessette dramatizes one of the most famous romances of the 20th century, and while audiences are swooning, the Kennedy family isn't impressed.
Jack Schlossberg, JFK Jr.'s nephew, has been openly critical of the Ryan Murphy-produced series, calling it a "grotesque display of someone else's life." He also urged fans to watch the show "with one letter in mind, and that's a capital F for fiction."
While certain events in the series reflect real life, the show takes plenty of creative liberties. That said, here's a look at five details that Love Story gets wrong about JFK Jr. and Carolyn Bessette's relationship.
How JFK Jr. and Carolyn met is still debated
Sarah Pidgeon as Carolyn Bessette and Paul Anthony Kelly as JFK Jr. on 'Love Story'Credit: FX
In the Love Story premiere, Carolyn Bessette (Sarah Pidgeon) attends a fundraiser in 1992, where her boss, Calvin Klein (Alessandro Nivola), introduces her to JFK Jr. (Paul Anthony Kelly). The two hit it off immediately, but the show's version of their first meeting isn't the full picture.
Executive producer Brad Simpson recently told USA Today that the Love Story team found "competing narratives" about how they met, and ultimately went with the "most common" version: the fundraiser.
However, according to Elizabeth Beller's book Once Upon a Time: The Captivating Life of Carolyn Bessette-Kennedy (which inspired Love Story), JFK Jr. and Bessette first crossed paths at a Calvin Klein fitting. Beller wrote that Klein, his wife Kelly, and assistant MJ Bettenhausen had Bessette help JFK Jr. pick out suits, and he "came out of the meeting smitten, with a few men's suits and Carolyn's phone number."
The series squeezes this into the storyline, but it rearranges the timeline. By the time viewers see the fitting, the pair already know each other, and JFK Jr. even shows up to the office specifically to work with Bessette. It also tweaks the Kleins role, making it seem like they had no idea JFK Jr. was there.
JFK Jr. and Daryl Hannah dated longer than the show depicts
Dree Hemingway as Daryl Hannah and Paul Anthony Kelly as JFK Jr. on 'Love Story'Credit: FX
Love Story makes it look like JFK Jr.'s romance with Bessette sparks almost instantly after their fundraiser meet-cute, but he was still dating actress Daryl Hannah (Dree Hemingway) at the time.
She drifts in and out of his life throughout the early episodes, and during one of their many break ups, JFK Jr. goes on a date with Bessette. But after seeing a photo of him and Hannah together, she cuts him off. Only after his final breakup with Hannah and his mother's death does JFK Jr. fully commit to being with Bessette.
Love Story speeds things up, but in real life, it played out much more slowly. In reality, JFK Jr. and Hannah had a long on-and-off relationship that overlapped with the time he met Bessette in 1992. By the time he officially ended things with Hannah in 1994, JFK Jr. had already been close with Bessette for years, meaning their connection didn't come out of nowhere.
Simpson admitted to USA Today that Love Story condensed JFK Jr. and Hannah's timeline. He noted that their real-life romance went on for years, but the show "needed to jump ahead" instead of showing every breakup and makeup.
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The couple's rift over the anonymous letter reportedly lasted much longer
Paul Anthony Kelly in as JFK Jr in 'Love Story'Credit: FX
In episode 4, JFK Jr. finds an anonymous letter in his gym bag. The letter accuses Bessette of being a party girl who was "fixated" on him and begged Klein to set them up. They break up after he confronts her, and JFK Jr. soon regrets not believing Bessette. After many failed attempts at getting in contact with Bessette, JFK Jr. shows up at her apartment, where they reconcile.
In real life, JFK Jr. reportedly received a similar letter, but, per Beller, it came much earlier in 1992. Beller wrote that the letter claimed Bessette "was a user, a partier, that she was out for fame and fortune." While on a date, JFK Jr. allegedly "tossed the piece of paper at her, stood, and walked out the door." Bessette read it herself, dismissed it as nonsense, and was irritated that JFK Jr. hadn't wanted to talk about it with her.
Like on the show, JFK Jr. tried to make amends quickly, but Bessette reportedly ignored him for about a year. During that time, he continued dating Hannah, and Bessette moved on with model Michael Bergin.
JFK Jr. and Bessette officially started dating in 1994, and their relationship went public a year later.
JFK Jr. did not propose to Carolyn with his mother's ring
Sarah Pidgeon and Paul Anthony Kelly in 'Love Story'Credit: FX
On the show, JFK Jr. proposes to Bessette using his late mother Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis' ring, but that's not what happened in real life.
According to Carole Radziwill's book What Remains, JFK Jr. didn't pop the question with one of Jackie's rings, but he took inspiration from her "swimming ring" that the former first lady would wear while in the water. Rather, he had a custom band made for Bessette, decorated with "diamonds and sapphires" in a similar style to the swimming ring's emeralds and sapphires.
The couple wasn't fighting about commitment issues in the park
Sarah Pidgeon as Carolyn Bessette and Paul Anthony Kelly as JFK Jr. on 'Love Story'Credit: FX
Episode 5 of Love Story dramatizes JFK Jr. and Bessette's infamous park fight. On the show, they scream at each other over commitment issues and his proposal, with yelling, tears, and even a moment when he takes her engagement ring off her finger (she agrees to wear it but hasn't formally accepted), prompting Bessette to jump on him.
In real life, JFK Jr. and Bessette did have a heated moment in a park, but it wasn't about a proposal. According to RoseMarie Terenzio and Liz McNeil's JFK Jr.: An Intimate Oral Biography, the argument was about JFK Jr. letting people push him around and his friends constantly taking advantage of him.
The conflict reportedly stemmed from a friend's wedding, where JFK Jr. and Bessette were seated next to a reporter covering the event. JFK Jr. felt "uncomfortable" with the arrangement, and Bessette called it a "bulls--- thing to do to your friend."
Where can I watch Love Story?
Love Story airs Thursdays at 9 p.m. ET/PT on FX, with new episodes available to stream the following day on Hulu.
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