The newest installment of the FX series “Love Story” showed JFK Jr. trying to protect Carolyn Bessette from the onslaught of media interest after their 1996 wedding, but were his attempts successful?
During the series’ seventh episode, the couple returned from their honeymoon in Turkey to a media frenzy. The press wanted to know everything about their wedding, relationship, and day-to-day lives. Kennedy tried to do damage control, but did his words fall on deaf ears?
John F. Kennedy Jr.’s Plea to the Press
Appealing to the press gathered outside of the couple’s apartment in Tribeca, New York City, JFK Jr. asked for privacy and time for Carolyn Bessette to get used to this unusual amount of media attention. Kennedy was used to the public’s interest, but as a private person, Bessette was not.
In a story published by The New York Times in 1996, photographer Larry LeVine claimed, “John came out and said something to the effect that he wasn’t a private person, and ‘I know what you’re here for. You’re all going to get your shots. But my wife is a private person, and I would appreciate any consideration you can show her.”’
He recalled that after Kennedy’s plea, the couple posed for photographers before getting into their car and leaving the property.
Before their wedding, the couple generated press interest, but not to the extent they experienced after the ceremony. E! News reprinted a quote from MJ Bettenhausen, Bessette’s friend, who said in the book “Once Upon a Time: The Captivating Life of Carolyn Bessette-Kennedy” that the former Calvin Klein stylist “thought that the interest in her would wane once they were a married couple. It was just one more way that what had been her free spirit was confined.”
‘Love Story’ Featured Kennedy Facing Off Against the Press in ‘Obsession’
“Love Story” episode 7 depicted the moment John F. Kennedy, Jr. and Carolyn Bessette met the press for the first time as a married couple. The scene was true to the actual footage, showing Kennedy asking for privacy before the couple posed for photos and were swarmed by the press.
The episode explored the difficulties Bessette had in becoming a public figure. Paparazzi were camped outside the couple’s New York City home, day and night. Going out was challenging, and in the series, Bessette stayed home more as it was easier than facing a press onslaught each time she went out.
In one particular scene, Sarah Pidgeon as Bessette is at a local restaurant when she is told by a confidante, “You can skip down the street, and they will still find something to write about you.” She later breaks down in Kennedy’s arms (Paul Anthony Kelly), crying, “They won’t leave us alone.”
There are two more new episodes of “Love Story: John F. Kennedy Jr. and Carolyn Bessette” left. Episode 8, titled “Exit Strategy,” airs March 19, and the series final episode, “Search and Recovery,” airs March 26.
The series airs Thursdays at 9 p.m. ET on FX. New episodes air the next day on Hulu.
