Actors reflect on portraying JFK Jr. and Carolyn Bessette
Actors Paul Anthony Kelly and Sarah Pidgeon share how they brought John F. Kennedy Jr. and Carolyn Bessette to life beyond their media portrayals.
Spoiler alert! This story includes details from Episodes 1-7 of FX’s “Love Story: John F. Kennedy Jr. & Carolyn Bessette.”
One dreamy wedding and romantic honeymoon later, John F. Kennedy Jr. (Paul Anthony Kelly) and Carolyn Bessette-Kennedy (Sarah Pidgeon), in FX’s limited series “Love Story,” returned to their home in New York City only to be met with a swarm of paparazzi and photographers, presenting a trailer of what their married life would look like.
The pair’s wedded bliss is short-lived, as “Carolyn suffers the consequences of being a public figure,” and tensions rise between her and her new husband’s family, according to Episode 7’s logline.
The first installment of director Ryan Murphy’s “Love Story” anthology has thrust the real-life romance between Kennedy Jr., the son of former President John F. Kennedy and Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis, and Bessette, later Bessette-Kennedy, back into the spotlight, nearly three decades after it first captivated the nation.
The couple became tabloid fodder when the Kennedy scion, 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.
“As their love story unfolded on a national stage, the intense fame and media attention that came along with it threatened to rip them apart,” the series’ synopsis reads, adding the episodes will chart “the complex and heartbreaking journey of a couple whose private love became a national obsession.”
The series has been a huge success with audiences, becoming the number one show on Hulu and leading to a surge in interest around the couple once again.
A JFK Jr. lookalike contest was even hosted on March 8 in New York City, with hundreds gathering at Manhattan’s Washington Square Park to watch Julian DeVincentis be crowned the winner and take home the $250 prize.
Here’s when the next episode of “Love Story: John F. Kennedy Jr. & Carolyn Bessette” drops and here’s how to watch it.
When do new episodes of ‘Love Story: John F. Kennedy Jr. & Carolyn Bessette’ come out?
The next episode of “Love Story: John F. Kennedy Jr. & Carolyn Bessette” titled “Exit Strategy” will drop on Thursday, March 19, at 9 p.m. ET / PT on FX and at 9 p.m. PT / 12 a.m. ET on Friday, March 20 on Hulu.
The series premiered with three episodes on Feb. 12.
How to watch ‘Love Story: John F. Kennedy Jr. & Carolyn Bessette’
New episodes of “Love Story” air on FX at 9 p.m. ET / PT on Thursdays and are available to stream on Hulu at 9 p.m. PT / 12 a.m. ET (Friday). The series finale is scheduled to air on March 26.
‘Love Story’: Stream on Hulu
JFK Jr. & Carolyn Bessette ‘Love Story’ episode schedule
“Love Story” will have nine episodes in total. With seven episodes out, here’s what the upcoming schedule looks like:
- Episode 8 “Exit Strategy”: March 19
- Episode 9: March 26
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Watch ‘Love Story: John F. Kennedy Jr. & Carolyn Bessette’ trailer
‘Love Story: John F. Kennedy Jr. & Carolyn Bessette’ cast
Cast members include:
- Paul Anthony Kelly as John F. Kennedy Jr.
- Sarah Pidgeon as Carolyn Bessette-Kennedy
- Grace Gummer as Caroline Kennedy
- Naomi Watts as Jackie Kennedy Onassis
- Alessandro Nivola as Calvin Klein
- Leila George as Kelly Klein
- Sydney Lemmon as Lauren Bessette
- Constance Zimmer as Ann Marie Messina
Contributing: Jay Stahl, KiMi Robinson, Erin Jensen / USA TODAY
Saman Shafiq is a trending news reporter for USA TODAY. Reach her at [email protected] and follow her on X and Instagram @saman_shafiq7.
