“Love Story” is the new hit series on Hulu created by showmaker Ryan Murphy, who is known for creating TV shows like American Horror Story, Glee, and many more. “Love Story,” a limited series, premiered its first season, whose love story centers on none other than the iconic Carolyn Bessette and John F. Kennedy Jr., portrayed by Sarah Pidgeon and Paul Anthony-Kelly.
Who were Carolyn Bessette and John F. Kennedy Jr
In the 90s, John F. Kennedy and Carolyn Bessette were a famous, popular celebrity couple whose influence was out of this world. Vogue even went so far as to call them “American Political royalty”. John F. Kennedy Jr was the son of the former 35th president of the United States. JFK Jr was one of the most sought-after bachelors of the 90s; the show dives into this and illustrates just how huge this pairing was at the time. Carolyn Besstte was a former Calvin Klein employee, where she worked her way up from being a saleswoman at Chestnut Hill Mall in Newton to a director of publicity for the company’s flagship store in Manhattan. They met for the first time in 1992, got engaged after a year of dating in 1995, and got married on September 21, 1996. They were married for approximately 3 years before their tragic accident on July 16, 1999, in which they died in a plane crash along with Carolyn Bessette’s sister, Lauren Bessette.
Fact Vs. Fiction
Now, there is no doubt that this show, while based on true events, dramatized a few things and got some details wrong. We are going to see just what they got right and wrong.
- Calvin Klein introduced the two
This has been debated for quite some time. In the series, at a 1992 fundraiser for the Amazon Forest, “Calvin Klein” (Alessandro Nivola) introduces the two, and they instantly hit it off. And now, while Klein could indeed have introduced the two, the actual way the pair met is not explicitly stated. In Elizabeth Byler’s book “Once Upon A Time: The Captivating Life of Carolyn Bessette-Kennedy,” she states that they met in 1992 while Kennedy Jr. was being fitted for a suit at Calvin Klein. Though it seems that their friends have maintained that the two did, in fact, meet at a fundraiser.
- Jackie Kennedy did not despise JFK Jr.’s on-and-off girlfriend Daryl Hannah
Throughout the show, we learn about JFK Jr.’s on-and-off relationship with Daryl Hannah. Who was indeed JFK Jr.’s ex-girlfriend? She was very significant in real life, as she was in the show. In the series, the show insinuated how Jackie Kennedy (JFK Jr.’s mother) strongly despised Hannah and felt she was not suitable for her son. And although this does seem somewhat accurate, since Jackie Kennedy’s friend Jim Hart stated, “It wasn’t like she hated Daryl at all,” Hart said in An Intimate Oral Biography. “She just didn’t want her son marrying an actress,” it was as simple as that.
- JFK Jr did, in fact, transport Hannah’s dog ashes
In the show, one of the most tragic scenes that occurs in Love Story is when JFK Jr. is walking Hannah’s dog in New York, and unfortunately, the dog gets run over and killed. Shortly after, JFK Jr. tells Hannah the news and carries his ashes with him on a flight to LA. This is, in fact, sadly true. Hannah’s dog did, in fact, pass away due to getting run over, and she had JFK Jr. return her dog’s ashes personally.
- The fight in the park did happen, but what they were fighting about is very different
On February 25, 1996, Carolyn Bessette and JFK Jr. got into a screaming match at the park, where they seemed very upset, and it ended in tears, yelling, and rings being thrown. This was such an iconic moment at the time and was widely discussed. In the show’s fifth episode, we see this fight break down after she declines his proposal. The two in the show are seen fighting over their relationship issues, such as her fear of commitment and his lack of mutuality. And although the two did argue in real life, JFK Jr.’s close friend Steven M. Gillon wrote in his 2019 biography American Reluctant Prince that the argument allegedly “stemmed from Carolyn’s ongoing complaint that John let people walk all over him,”
Overall, these are just a few facts that Vs Fiction is based on the show. Despite the show’s exaggerated moments and detail, the show does a wonderful job depicting the real-life relationship of Carolyn Bessette and JFK Jr. If you feel like learning more about one of America’s iconic relationship couples, make sure to check out Love Story on Hulu.
