Which parts of "Love Story" are fact and which parts are fairytale?
"Love Story: John F. Kennedy Jr. & Carolyn Bessette" kicked off its nine-episode look at the romance between the son of the 35th U.S. president and Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis and his intriguing, breath-of-fresh-air bride on Feb. 12 (Thursdays, 9 ET/PT on FX and streaming on Hulu). The dashing JFK Jr. is played by model-turned actorPaul Anthony Kellyand TV actressSarah Pidgeonembodies Bessette, who greatly valued her privacy.
Though inspired byElizabeth Beller's "Once Upon a Time: The Captivating Life of Carolyn Bessette-Kennedy,"series writers took liberties when adapting the 2024 book for the small screen – which might leave you wondering what's true. Here, we've investigated the most notable moments from the premiere to save you the search:
Did John F. Kennedy Jr. date Madonna? His illustrious dating history
A friend of John's makes reference to a romance withMadonnain the "Love Story" premiere. And in actuality, pre-Bessette, Kennedy Jr. dated some very famous faces, including Madonna,Sarah Jessica Parker, andDaryl Hannah. His romance with Hannah plays out on "Love Story," with Dree Hemingway portraying the "Splash" star.
Robert Littell, who roomed with Kennedy Jr. at Brown University, said in"JFK Jr.: An Intimate Oral Biography"that Kennedy Jr.'s romance with the "Material Girl" was brief.People reportsit happened in the late '80s.
"Madonna was totally a fling," Littell said. "Nothing more. Barely a fling at that."
Parker told The New York Timesin 1992 that she and Kennedy Jr. crossed paths at a theater, and he asked her out. While she enjoyed her time with him in the early '90s, she didn't enjoy the attention.
"We would go places where there wasn't a soul around, and the next day I'd see pictures of us there in the tabloids," Parker said.
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.
John F. Kennedy Jr. and Daryl Hannah's relationship timeline
Hannah and Kennedy Jr. began seeing each other in the late '80s,according to reports.
Carole Radziwill, former "The Real Housewives of New York City" star, was famously married to Kennedy Jr.'s cousin Anthony Radziwill until his death from cancer in 1999, and remembers meeting Bessette in 1991 at a shared house in Southampton. "The following weekend, John came back to the beach house, this time with Daryl, who he had been off and on with for a couple of years," Radziwill said in the book "JFK Jr." "He said he needed to try one last time to see if their relationship could work."
"They stayed together for several more years and seemed happy," she added. "Although there were many times I saw John and he'd ask me about Carolyn because we stayed in touch a bit and I just knew he still had a longing for her."
Hannah and Kennedy Jr. ended things for good in 1994.She wed Rock and Roll Hall of Fame inductee Neil Youngin 2018.
How did John F. Kennedy Jr. and Carolyn Bessette meet?
In "Love Story," John and Carolyn are introduced by Calvin Klein at a benefit for the rainforest in 1992. But the circumstances around their first meeting are a little cloudy. Friends and experts couldn't settle on a story in the 2019 documentary,"JFK Jr. and Carolyn's Wedding: The Lost Tapes."
Beller writes in "Once Upon a Time" that Kennedy Jr. and Bessette met in 1992 at a suit fitting at Calvin Klein, where she worked as a publicist. "Unsurprisingly, John came out of the meeting smitten," per Beller, "with a few men's suits and Carolyn's phone number. He called within days."
The "Love Story" Carolyn plays it much coyer. When John asks for her number at the fundraiser, she says, "I don't give my number out to strangers" and tells him, "You know where I work. Try reception." Then John surprises her by showing up at the Calvin Klein showroom for a new suit.
"Love Story" executive producer Brad Simpson acknowledges the "competing narratives" in an interview with USA TODAY. "But the most common narrative [of] how they met was at this fundraiser … so we decided that would be their first meeting." In "Love Story," Carolyn nearly leaves their first date because John is late, but the circumstances of the dinner could not be confirmed by USA TODAY.
Were John F. Kennedy Jr. and Carolyn Bessette headed for divorce?
In the "Love Story" premiere, which opens on the day of their deaths, July 16, 1999, John shares that he's staying at a hotel and not the Tribeca loft he shared with Carolyn. "It's not like she's begging me to come home," he tells his sister-in-law Lauren (Sydney Lemmon). When Carolyn arrives at the airport, she and John begin bickering about her tardiness and his family. John apologizes, blaming his intensity on anxiety.
"I love you," he says. "I appreciate you being here." Carolyn pulls him in for a kiss. "I love you, too," she says.
In his final days, Kennedy Jr. was staying 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 writes.
"Love Story" creator Connor Hines tells USA TODAY that his research taught him "these were two people who were very much in love, but were plagued with just impossible obstacles that would nearly break anybody, but that in the end, they always would've chosen each other."
A who's who of celebrities stepped out Feb. 3, 2026, for the premiere of FX's "Love Story." The show is director Ryan Murphy's first installment of an anthology based on the whirlwind romance between John F. Kennedy Jr. and Carolyn Bessette. Scroll to see stars on the red carpet, beginning with Paul Anthony Kelly and Sarah Pidgeon. Pidgeon and Kelly star as Kennedy and Bessette.
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Naomi Watts attends the premiere at Carnegie Hall on Feb. 3, 2026 in New York City. " style="max-width:100%; height:auto; border-radius:6px; margin:10px 0;" loading="lazy" /> 
Francesca Farago and Jesse Sullivan" style="max-width:100%; height:auto; border-radius:6px; margin:10px 0;" loading="lazy" /> 
Sarah Pidgeon, Grace Gummer, Paul Anthony Kelly and Naomi Watts " style="max-width:100%; height:auto; border-radius:6px; margin:10px 0;" loading="lazy" /> 
Ashley Iaconetti" style="max-width:100%; height:auto; border-radius:6px; margin:10px 0;" loading="lazy" /> 
Elizabeth Sulcer " style="max-width:100%; height:auto; border-radius:6px; margin:10px 0;" loading="lazy" /> 
Alessandro Nivola " style="max-width:100%; height:auto; border-radius:6px; margin:10px 0;" loading="lazy" /> 
Noah Fearnley" style="max-width:100%; height:auto; border-radius:6px; margin:10px 0;" loading="lazy" /> 
Jordan Roth" style="max-width:100%; height:auto; border-radius:6px; margin:10px 0;" loading="lazy" /> 
Benito Skinner" style="max-width:100%; height:auto; border-radius:6px; margin:10px 0;" loading="lazy" /> 
Dree Hemingway " style="max-width:100%; height:auto; border-radius:6px; margin:10px 0;" loading="lazy" /> 
Kim Rosenstock" style="max-width:100%; height:auto; border-radius:6px; margin:10px 0;" loading="lazy" /> 
Constance Zimmer " style="max-width:100%; height:auto; border-radius:6px; margin:10px 0;" loading="lazy" /> 
Omari K. Chancellor " style="max-width:100%; height:auto; border-radius:6px; margin:10px 0;" loading="lazy" /> Stars step out for Ryan Murphy's 'Love Story' premere: See photos
A who's who of celebrities stepped out Feb. 3, 2026, for thepremiere of FX's "Love Story."The show is director Ryan Murphy'sfirst installment of an anthologybased on the whirlwind romance betweenJohn F. Kennedy Jr. and Carolyn Bessette.Scroll to see stars on the red carpet, beginning with Paul Anthony Kelly and Sarah Pidgeon. Pidgeon and Kelly star as Kennedy and Bessette.
Was a flight instructor supposed to accompany John F. Kennedy Jr. and Carolyn Bessette on their fatal flight?
In "Love Story," Carolyn asks about the instructor's whereabouts, and John replies simply, "Couldn't make it," and John pilots the small plane himself for the nighttime flight, on which sister-in-law Lauren was also a passenger.
According toa report from the National Transportation Safety Boardthat investigated the crash, an unnamed certified flight instructor "talked to the pilot on the day of the accident and offered to fly with him on the accident flight." The instructor said Kennedy Jr. "replied that 'he wanted to do it alone.'" The instructor also revealed "he would not have felt comfortable with [Kennedy Jr.] conducting night flight operations on a route similar to the one flown on, and in weather conditions similar to those that existed on the night of the accident."
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY:'Love Story' premiere fact-checked. How did JFK Jr., Carolyn meet?
