Ryan Murphy admits the truth is murky—but he had to pick a story.
‘Love Story’ depicts John F. Kennedy Jr. and Carolyn Bessette meeting at a 1992 Calvin Klein rainforest benefit, where she plays hard to get. When John asks for her number, Carolyn responds: “I don’t give my number out to strangers. You know where I work. Try reception”. John later surprises her at the Calvin Klein showroom asking for a new suit.
But USA TODAY couldn’t confirm whether this actually happened. Even the 2019 documentary “JFK Jr. and Carolyn’s Wedding: The Lost Tapes” couldn’t settle on a definitive story about their first meeting.
Fast Facts:
- Depicted Meeting: 1992 Calvin Klein rainforest fundraiser
- Reality: “Competing narratives” exist
- Source Material: Elizabeth Beller’s biography
- Series Length: 9 episodes
- Premiere: February 12, 2026 (two days before Valentine’s Day)
- First Date Scene: Could not be confirmed by USA TODAY
Executive producer Brad Simpson acknowledges the uncertainty 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”. The series also shows Carolyn nearly leaving their first date because John arrives late—but those circumstances also couldn’t be verified.
The show draws heavily from Elizabeth Beller’s biography “Once Upon a Time: The Captivating Life of Carolyn Bessette-Kennedy,” which uses interviews and historical accounts. However, the series “blends real events with dramatized storytelling for television”.
Mashable notes the series “meticulously recreates several public moments from their lives, including a 1996 altercation captured on camera,” while also incorporating “actual footage of the Kennedy family, blurring the boundaries between fiction and reality”.
Why It Matters
The series critiques the media frenzy that consumed the couple while simultaneously participating in that same spectacle. Sarah Pidgeon, who plays Carolyn, told USA TODAY the stories written about Bessette were “so misogynistic”. With episodes releasing weekly on Thursdays on FX and Hulu, the show serves as the flagship for Murphy’s new ‘Love Story’ anthology series tackling iconic but tragic romances.
Jordan Blake is a rogue film critic and former VFX compositor with over 15 years of industry experience. Tired of paid reviews and “safe” opinions, Jordan left the studio system to tell the audience what Hollywood won’t. He specializes in forensic frame-by-frame analysis, exposing bad CGI, and decoding hidden lore that others miss.
Known for his “no-nonsense” approach, Jordan pays for his own tickets and refuses to attend press junkets, ensuring his loyalty belongs only to the fans. If a movie is a cash grab, he’ll say it. If it’s a masterpiece, he’ll explain why technically.
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