- 7 hours ago
Dive into the real story behind the TV series portrayal of John F. Kennedy Jr. and Carolyn Bessette Kennedy’s relationship. From how they first met and the truth about their wedding night to family dynamics and the impact of public scrutiny, we separate fact from fiction to reveal what "Love Story" got right—and where it took creative liberties. Find out the surprising truths about this iconic couple’s life together.
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00:01Hi, I'm here to see Carolyn Bessette.
00:05If you could just point me in her general direction.
00:08Welcome to Ms. Mojo.
00:09And today, we're looking at what's fact and fiction in Love Story, John F. Kennedy Jr. and Carolyn Bessette.
00:16You can be coy with the press all you want, but if I'm going to marry you, I'm with the
00:19truth.
00:22Kennedy met Bessette through Calvin Klein. Maybe.
00:26You know you're going to thank me for this.
00:34In the show's pilot episode, Carolyn Bessette's boss, fashion designer Calvin Klein,
00:40introduces her to John F. Kennedy Jr. at a New York gala.
00:44There are some varying accounts on how exactly Kennedy and Bessette met, however.
00:49Some suggest that Kennedy first encountered Bessette during a fitting at Calvin Klein,
00:54asking for her number and arranging a date shortly after.
01:13Yet, it's also been claimed that they first crossed paths at a Naked Angels party.
01:18According to one anecdote, Kennedy initially spotted Bessette running through Central Park,
01:23becoming immediately infatuated.
01:26No. His friend Billy Way introduced them.
01:28I don't know.
01:29I tried to stay away from it in my book because everybody I talked to had a different story.
01:34The most widely accepted version seems to be that Bessette met Kennedy through her job.
01:38While the specifics are hard to pin down, chances are that Bessette wouldn't have known Kennedy without Klein.
01:44What's going on?
01:47J.F.K. Jr. was just here.
01:50What?
01:51No one tells me.
01:53Oh, no, he came to see Carol.
01:55Complications with George Magazine.
01:57Right.
01:57I genuinely believe that with the right marketing, we can get people as engaged with politics as they are, pop
02:04culture or the NFL.
02:06Long before Washington, D.C. basically became its own reality show,
02:11JFK Jr. aimed to bridge pop culture and politics with a magazine titled George.
02:16Kennedy and his business partner, Michael J. Berman, launched George in September 1995 with Cindy Crawford scantily dressed as the
02:26first president on the cover.
02:28Bessette wasn't at the launch, most likely because rumors surrounding their engagement would prove distracting.
02:34A statement was even issued denying the engagement.
02:37I don't know what to do.
02:40I don't want to hurt you.
02:42But you understand, right?
02:44Sounds like you don't have a choice.
02:47After the launch, tensions between Kennedy and Berman continued to escalate.
02:52Their mutual animosity reportedly turned physical at the workplace, resulting in Berman's clothing being ripped and Kennedy changing his locks.
03:01Berman eventually sold his share as the magazine continued to decline,
03:04but Kennedy's death marked the company's true downfall.
03:08When you learned that George was going to cease operations, what went through your mind?
03:18It brought back a lot of memories, a lot of difficult memories.
03:22In a little way, it was like reliving that death that weekend when John died.
03:27The Kennedys hated Daryl Hannah.
03:30Wrong.
03:31I see you're eating meat again.
03:33Well, I never swore off meat, Mother.
03:35I was experimenting with a vegetarian diet because Daryl made a very valid case for it.
03:39Well, either way, it wasn't sustainable.
03:42My relationship or my diet?
03:45Before Bissette, Kennedy had a few high-profile relationships, including a reported fling with Madonna.
03:52Kennedy notably dated actress Daryl Hannah, who claims that her portrayal in the series is inaccurate.
03:57Love Story contains some true elements concerning their relationship, including Kennedy having Hannah's dog cremated following an accident on his
04:06watch.
04:06However, it's implied that the Kennedy family widely detested Hannah, especially Jackie.
04:19While there were rumors that Jacqueline Kennedy didn't approve of the relationship, this was likely because she didn't want her
04:25son dating an actress.
04:26There's no record suggesting that the former first lady disliked Hannah to the extent depicted in the series.
04:33The same goes for the rest of the Kennedys.
04:36In fact, Douglas Kennedy thought Hannah was, quote, very sweet.
04:40I just didn't know if maybe your mom and sister were there and that's why you didn't invite me.
04:44You have to stop with this narrative that you're like persona non grata, okay?
04:47It's not true.
04:49Bissette's reaction to Diana's death, right?
04:52Hello?
04:56What happened?
04:58While JFK Jr. had a restrained reaction to Princess Diana's death in 1997, Bissette was left visibly shaken for several
05:05reasons.
05:06The two had encountered each other barely a month earlier at Gianni Versace's funeral.
05:11I just saw her.
05:13What?
05:14At Gianni's funeral. I sat right behind her.
05:16Although it's unclear if the two formally met, Bissette noticed more than a few parallels between the Princess of Wales
05:23and herself.
05:24Like Diana, Bissette was a private citizen whose life was forever changed when she became romantically involved with the member
05:30of a famous political family.
05:32Many blamed the paparazzi for Diana's premature death, which horrified Bissette, who similarly felt harassed by the cameras her newfound
05:40fame brought.
05:41They killed her.
05:42The accident of Princess Diana, who has died...
05:44She did everything right, posed for every photo, gave them everything they wanted, and they just...
05:48Mary and Dodi Al-Fayed was killed outright, so too was the driver...
05:51They still killed her.
05:53Bissette would tragically share more in common with Diana than she could have imagined, both dying prematurely in freak accidents.
06:01Caroline was Caroline's maid of honor.
06:03Wrong.
06:04We don't want to have a state dinner.
06:06I think what John means...
06:07I know what he means.
06:08He doesn't want a Kennedy wedding.
06:10That's what he means.
06:11No, we do.
06:12We absolutely do.
06:13We just want an intimate Kennedy wedding.
06:16Intimate, I see.
06:17With John's sister Caroline appearing left out of the wedding planning, Caroline considers making her future sister-in-law her
06:24maid of honor.
06:25This news comes as a blow to Caroline's sister, Lauren, who argues that Caroline won't care.
06:31Lauren, this will mean nothing to her.
06:35And it would have meant everything to me.
06:38Caroline comes off as surprised yet touched when Caroline makes the offer, easing tensions between them.
06:44Reports suggest, however, that Lauren was her younger sister's maid of honor, while Caroline would be a matron of honor.
06:51The idea of making Caroline her maid of honor was floated, but it apparently wasn't Caroline's idea.
06:57Following the incident at the park and protest from his sister,
07:00John thought the best way to smooth things over would be if Caroline asked Caroline to fill the maid of
07:06honor duties.
07:08What?
07:10What's so funny?
07:12Nothing, I just, uh...
07:16I think I might be starting to like her.
07:18The anonymous note about Bissette.
07:21Right.
07:21While playing touch football, Kennedy comes across an anonymous letter concerning Bissette,
07:27suggesting that she's a gold digger, among other nasty accusations.
07:32Bissette is appalled that Kennedy would take such a note seriously, straining their relationship.
07:37This is how strong it is for you.
07:39Someone writes these terrible things about me, and some friend of yours shoves it in your back.
07:44Suddenly everything between us just disappears.
07:46Circumstances surrounding the letter are different,
07:48as Kennedy found it earlier in their courtship.
07:51This led to an extended breakup before reconciling about a year later.
07:55That said, Kennedy did receive an unflattering letter about Bissette's alleged partying,
08:00dating history, and aspirations to land someone famous.
08:04Shady friends that you've got.
08:06Things like, like you were trying to meet me, that you were fixated on me, that you were asking everybody
08:12about me.
08:13The identity of who wrote the letter also remains a mystery to the public,
08:17although it's believed to be one of Kennedy's friends.
08:20Bissette supposedly learned who it was down the line, pushing them out of their lives.
08:24Everything for me right now is all question marks, except for you.
08:30You, this, this is where I begin, if you let me.
08:35The night before the wedding, wrong.
08:38Bissette and Kennedy would be married at a small private ceremony with about 40 guests,
08:43as love story depicts.
08:44Some liberties are taken with the night before, though.
08:47How is she going to navigate all of this?
08:52John's life was just so big, and I worried, how could Carolyn, how could anyone,
08:59manage to maintain their own center of gravity around something that massive?
09:05Bissette's mother, Anne Messina Freeman, is depicted giving an uncomfortable toast at the rehearsal dinner,
09:11expressing fear that her daughter won't be able to handle Kennedy's complicated life.
09:16While Freeman did reportedly express concerns about the relationship,
09:20her exact words at the rehearsal dinner haven't been disclosed.
09:23I just hope that when you are faced with it all,
09:27you don't choose to sit where you are expected or wanted,
09:33but where you are needed.
09:36That is something that I pray she can count on.
09:41Sorry.
09:43After the dinner scene, Kennedy and Bissette spent the night on the beach,
09:47going skinny-dipping the next morning ahead of their nuptials.
09:50This never happened, as the bride reportedly went to bed early the night before she officially
09:55became a member of the Kennedy family.
09:57Uh, kind of changed my life in a way that I never thought was possible,
10:03and, uh, just made me, tonight, the happiest man alive.
10:07Here, here.
10:09Here, here.
10:10Bissette had to think about Kennedy's proposal.
10:13Right.
10:14The thing about fishing is,
10:16it's always so much better with a partner.
10:20What?
10:21Kennedy did propose to Bissette over the 4th of July weekend at Martha's Vineyard,
10:26while on a boat.
10:27One difference is that Kennedy had a replica of his mother's swimming ring,
10:31rather than proposing to Bissette with the original, as the series implies.
10:35Beyond that detail, the proposal played out pretty much as seen on screen.
10:40Kennedy reportedly told Bissette,
10:42quote,
10:43When you go fishing, it's always better with a partner,
10:46echoing his words in Love Story.
10:48Contrary to accusations that she was only after Kennedy's fame and fortune,
10:52Bissette didn't accept his proposal on the spot.
10:54There's a lot of big stuff we have to talk about
10:59before we can get married.
11:03Like,
11:05like how our lives really fit together.
11:08She didn't outright reject him,
11:10although Bissette needed time to think about it.
11:13About three weeks went by with Kennedy supposedly growing anxious,
11:16but Bissette ultimately accepted.
11:18Yes, I'll marry you and I'll take the risk of you and we can drive each other crazy.
11:26For so long and then we both shall live yet.
11:29What the park fight was about.
11:31Wrong.
11:32Carolyn, come on.
11:34Do not grab me.
11:35What am I supposed to do?
11:36You're running away from me.
11:38In February 1996,
11:40Kennedy and Bissette got into a tense public argument at a New York park,
11:44which the press had a field day with.
11:46Love Story gets several details about this confrontation right,
11:50including the couple's wardrobes,
11:52Kennedy allegedly removing Bissette's ring from her finger,
11:55and the aftermath.
11:56The nature of their spat is largely dramatized though.
12:00Do you know how lucky you are?
12:01You should be grateful.
12:03Why?
12:04Because everyone in the world wants to marry you?
12:07No,
12:07because you're a crazy complicated person and a pain in the ass and I still love you.
12:11And you're easy?
12:12Love Story implies that they butted heads over Bissette's hesitance to accept his proposal,
12:18Kennedy's insensitivity,
12:19and other relationship issues.
12:21While we may never know the precise words exchanged,
12:24friends have suggested that it was because Bissette accused Kennedy of letting people walk all over him.
12:29In the show,
12:30Bissette accepts Kennedy's proposal shortly after the fight,
12:34when in reality she'd already agreed.
12:36Fishing partners.
12:41I thought that you didn't say yes because you were waiting for a more eloquent proposal.
12:48No,
12:49I liked what you said.
12:57Before we continue,
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13:08Where are you my love so near?
13:11Say the word and I'll appear.
13:13I wrote this song just for you,
13:15to tell you what I always knew.
13:23Kennedy and Bissette were at odds before the plane crash.
13:27Right.
13:28What happened?
13:30You're supposed to leave an hour ago.
13:31It's a summer Friday that Donald was a parking lot.
13:34Hi.
13:35You haven't been on time a day in your life,
13:36but when it inconveniences you.
13:38I'm just saying,
13:39we're going to miss the welcome drinks.
13:40My family's going to throw a hissy fit.
13:42Well,
13:42they're going to find a reason to throw one no matter what.
13:44So if you want to go there,
13:44then by all means.
13:45Okay,
13:46we both agreed to give each other the benefit of the doubt.
13:48Love's story opens with John preparing to fly Carolyn and Lauren,
13:52despite his foot injury and the absence of a flight instructor.
13:56Although their marriage is on the rocks,
13:58Kennedy and Bissette seemed committed to working through their differences.
14:02This essentially captures the state of their relationship before that fateful day.
14:06As one source put it,
14:08quote,
14:08his heart was breaking,
14:09and I think hers was too.
14:12Although disconnected,
14:13there was a chance of reconciliation.
14:15I forgot about that,
14:16um,
14:17Roy's,
14:18Roy's wedding.
14:19Don't even worry about it.
14:20Caroline's not even going.
14:21No,
14:21I want to go.
14:23You do?
14:32I miss dancing with you.
14:35Perhaps Bissette's change of heart about accompanying Kennedy to his cousin Rory's wedding
14:39could have been a turning point.
14:41Tragically,
14:42it was the end.
14:43Carolyn was most likely seated in the back row with Lauren rather than alongside John in the cockpit.
14:48In any case,
14:50the three never reached their final destinations.
14:53What is it?
14:53What's wrong?
14:54It's your brother, ma'am.
14:56This plane has been reported missing.
14:57What do you think of Love's story?
14:59Let us know in the comments.
15:01Let us know in the comments.
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