Daryl Hannah has broken years of silence to reflect on her past relationship with John F. Kennedy Jr. In a recent essay published by The New York Times, Hannah responded to the television series “Love Story: John F. Kennedy Jr. & Carolyn Bessette“.
The nine-episode series is the first installment in a romance anthology created by Ryan Murphy. The show traces Kennedy’s well-known relationships during the 1990s, including his time with Hannah before he later married Carolyn Bessette.
Actress Dree Hemingway portrays Hannah in the series. In response to the portrayal, Hannah wrote an essay outlining her perspective on how the relationship is depicted.
Daryl Hannah Speaks Out as Series Revisits Her Relationship With JFK Jr.
Hannah wrote that the character depicted on screen does not reflect her real-life experience. In an honest essay, Hannah explained that the character shown in the series does not represent her true life or her relationship with Kennedy.
Hannah said she has usually chosen to remain quiet when stories about her personal life circulate, preferring to keep that part of her life private. This time, however, she felt compelled to speak out and clarify how her relationship has been portrayed.
In her essay, Hannah passionately defended herself, saying she has long believed that engaging with distortions can often draw more attention to them.
GettyStill, she felt the need to respond after a television series about John F. Kennedy Jr. and Carolyn Bessette portrayed a character named after her in ways she says do not reflect her real life or conduct.
She said the depiction presents her as irritating, self-absorbed, whiny, and inappropriate, something she believes was a deliberate choice.
Hannah also addressed several scenes shown in the series, firmly rejecting the behavior attributed to her. She said she has never used cocaine or hosted drug-fueled parties and has never pressured anyone into marriage. She added that she has never desecrated a family heirloom or intruded on a private memorial.
“I have never used cocaine in my life or hosted cocaine-fueled parties,” she wrote. “I have never pressured anyone into marriage. I have never desecrated any family heirloom or intruded upon anyone’s private memorial.”
Continuing her response, Hannah pushed back against other moments portrayed in the show. She said she has never planted stories in the press and never made the remarks attributed to her about Jacqueline Onassis.
She described the situation as frustrating, noting that the portrayals go beyond creative interpretation and instead make claims about her actions that she says are simply untrue.
How Hannah and Kennedy’s Relationship Began
According to a report in Vanity Fair, Hannah and Kennedy first met in the early 1980s while vacationing with their families on the Caribbean island of St. Martin.
Their relationship later grew closer when they crossed paths again in 1988 at the wedding of Kennedy’s aunt, Lee Radziwill, who was marrying director Herb Ross.
Ross had previously worked with Hannah on the film “Steel Magnolias.”
After reconnecting, the two began a relationship that lasted several years. They dated on and off for more than five years, remaining together through much of the early 1990s before ultimately parting ways in 1994.
At the time, their romance drew significant media attention.
In a 1993 interview with Entertainment Weekly, Hannah acknowledged how frequently she was asked about Kennedy. “It’s getting really annoying. I get asked about it all the time,” she said, as quoted by People. “This morning I call up my plumber, and even he asks me. Oh, brother, I’m just trying to get my pipes fixed. Why can’t people talk about something else?”
Life After the Relationship
After their relationship ended, Kennedy went on to marry Bessette in 1996.
The couple exchanged vows in a small, private ceremony attended by about 40 guests at the First African Baptist Church on Cumberland Island, Georgia.
GettyHannah, meanwhile, continued to build a successful career in film and television while dedicating increasing energy to environmental advocacy and causes close to her heart.
Years later, she found lasting happiness with singer-songwriter Neil Young. According to the BBC, the two married in 2018 and have remained partners in both life and in their shared commitment to environmental issues.
Looking back on the many public stories written about her over the years, Hannah has said she often chose quiet reflection over public rebuttals, preferring to focus on her work, her relationships, and the life she was building beyond the spotlight.
You can read Daryl Hannah’s full essay in The New York Times here.
