Ryan Murphy is continuing to stir debate over his forthcoming series American Love Story, which will chronicle the turbulent relationship of John F. Kennedy Jr. and Carolyn Bessette.
The son of the late president and his glamorous wife, who tragically died in 1999 at ages 38 and 33 in a plane crash off Martha’s Vineyard, have long been the subject of public fascination.
Despite sharp criticism from JFK Jr.’s nephew Jack Schlossberg, who slammed Murphy for ‘profiting off’ his uncle’s legacy in a ‘grotesque’ way, the 59-year-old showrunner appears determined to dramatize the pair’s most infamous moments.
This week, actors Paul Kelly and Sarah Pidgeon were spotted recreating one of the duo’s most explosive public spats, their 1996 argument in Washington Square Park that was caught on camera and splashed across tabloids the following day.
In the new images, Pidgeon channels Bessette’s iconic minimalist style in a cream cable-knit sweater, black leggings and chunky white sneakers, with a navy jacket tied casually around her waist.
Kelly, portraying JFK Jr., mirrors the late political heir’s sporty streetwear look in a taupe pullover, red striped shorts and white tennis shoes.
Ryan Murphy is continuing to stir debate over his forthcoming series American Love Story, which will chronicle the turbulent relationship of John F. Kennedy Jr. and Carolyn Bessette
The son of the late president and his glamorous wife, who tragically died in 1999 at ages 38 and 33 in a plane crash off Martha’s Vineyard, have long been the subject of public fascination
The reenactment echoes the original photographs, which showed a visibly heated Bessette shoving her husband as he grabbed her wrist.
Reports at the time even alleged he attempted to tug off her engagement ring mid-fight.
By meticulously staging such scenes, Murphy is making it clear that American Love Story won’t shy away from the the golden couple’s raw, volatile dynamics.
This will undoubtedly provoke Schlossberg, who accused Murphy of allegedly trying to ‘make millions’ from one of his family’s many painful tragedies.
Murphy, for his part, dismissed the criticism, saying he found it an ‘odd choice to be mad about your relative’ whom Schlossberg probably didn’t ‘really remember.’
Schlossberg quickly rebutted that notion.
‘Hey @ryanmurphyproductions: My earliest memories are of John calling me Jackolatern and ‘the nudist,’ picking me up from school, his Pontiac convertible,’ he wrote on Instagram.
‘I remember being the ring bearer at his wedding and the day he died. I remember Wyclef [Jean] singing at his funeral. More memories are passed down from stories — like the time he locked himself out of a car in an intersection and asked the guy screaming at him if he could borrow a golf club to smash the window to get the keys, and then did it.’
By meticulously recreating such scenes, Murphy is making it clear that American Love Story won’t shy away from the the golden couple’s raw, volatile dynamics
As he has before, Schlossberg took Murphy to task for allegedly refusing to donate any of his earnings from American Love Story to institutions tied to the Kennedy family.
‘You’re making millions off John, making a public spectacle of it but won’t contribute any of your riches to the causes he championed, or the legacy of public service he represented,’ he seethed.
Schlossberg was just six years old when his uncle’s tragic death captivated the nation.
In June, he attacked Murphy online for allegedly never consulting the family about his plans for the series, after Murphy shared behind-the-scenes photos from camera tests on the Ryan Murphy Productions Instagram account.
This will undoubtedly provoke Schlossberg, who accused Murphy of allegedly ‘making millions’ from one of his family’s many painful tragedies; Schlossberg is seen in August 2024
According to Deadline, the premise of American Love Story will center around ‘what started out as a beautiful union for the young couple, widely regarded as American royalty, [who begin] to fray under the stress of the relentless microscope and navel gaze of tabloid media.’
It will also explore ‘the pressures of their careers and rumored family discord’ as well as ‘their tragic deaths when his private plane crashed into the ocean on a hazy summer night off the coast of Massachusetts.’
Carolyn and John Jr., the son of the late 35th President John F. Kennedy and Jacqueline Kennedy, first met in 1992, when he was dating actress Daryl Hannah.
Two years later, he and Bessette began their own romance, which was relentlessly documented by the press.
Murphy, for his part, dismissed the criticism, saying he found it an ‘odd choice to be mad about your relative’ whom Schlossberg probably didn’t ‘really remember’ (Murphy pictured in 2018)
Carolyn and John Jr., the son of the late 35th President John F. Kennedy and Jacqueline Kennedy, first met in 1992, when he was dating actress Daryl Hannah; seen in 1996
In 1995, the couple became engaged and secretly tied the knot the following year in September 1996, in an intimate candlelit ceremony on Cumberland Island, Georgia.
The intense media spotlight only grew after their nuptials, and just three years later, tragedy struck.
On July 16, 1999, Carolyn, John Jr., and her sister Lauren died when their plane crashed off Martha’s Vineyard.
Investigators concluded Kennedy lost control of the aircraft. Their bodies were recovered from the Atlantic Ocean five days later.
