Jack Schlossberg, JFK Jr’s nephew, has strongly condemned Ryan Murphy’s new series about the late president’s son and Carolyn Bessette. The show, released in 2024 and set in the 1990s, has stirred significant controversy within the Kennedy family, sparking sharp criticism over its depiction of their private lives.
Family Backlash Against Ryan Murphy’s Portrayal of JFK Jr and Carolyn Bessette
The FX series Love Story, adapted from Elizabeth Beller’s 2024 biography of Carolyn Bessette-Kennedy, follows the romance between JFK Jr, played by Paul Anthony Kelly, and Carolyn, portrayed by Sarah Pidgeon. It traces the high-profile couple’s life before their tragic 1999 plane crash off Martha’s Vineyard, which also claimed the life of Carolyn’s sister Lauren.
Jack Schlossberg, the son of Caroline Kennedy and JFK Jr’s nephew, vocalized his disapproval on CBS Sunday Morning, emphasizing that Ryan Murphy lacks firsthand knowledge of the Kennedy family. The 33-year-old congressional candidate for New York’s 12th district dismissed the show as
“a grotesque display of someone else’s life,”
warning viewers to remember it is pure fiction.
He stated,
“If you want to know someone who’s never met anyone in my family, knows nothing about us, talk to Ryan Murphy.”
He added,
“I would just want people who do watch the show to watch it with one letter in mind, and that’s a capital F for fiction.”
Schlossberg also called on Murphy to give back part of the profits from the series to causes supported by his late uncle John F. Kennedy, urging him
“to help keep President JFK’s memory alive.”
He remarked, “This is not a documentary,” and challenged Murphy’s sincerity by commenting,
“If Ryan Murphy really cares so much about the Kennedy family, my uncle John, maybe he would try to do something about getting Trump out of power.”
Earlier Rejection of the Series and Family’s Non-Involvement
This was not Schlossberg’s first public criticism of the show. Prior to its release, he reiterated on Instagram that the Kennedy family had no involvement in the production and were not consulted. Executive producer Nina Jacbson confirmed the family was deliberately excluded to maintain multiple perspectives on the story.
In response to these accusations, Ryan Murphy remarked on a podcast,
“I thought it was an odd choice to be mad about your relative that you really don’t remember.”
This comment prompted Schlossberg to share several personal memories of JFK Jr, defending his connection and right to speak on the subject.
Creators and Cast Address the Controversy
Brad Simpson, an executive producer of Love Story, told The Hollywood Reporter that despite backlash, the team aimed to approach the narrative with respect and love.
“What I hope is that when people watch the show, they will see our sincerity. They will see that we’ve approached this with love, and that we were trying to celebrate the life of Carolyn Bessette and JFK Jr.,”
he said.
Sarah Pidgeon, who plays Carolyn Bessette, expressed her hope in an interview with Bustle that the integrity of their portrayal shines through.
“Schlossberg has every right to share how he feels about it,”
she said, adding,
“I hope that if they do watch it, they feel that we led with respect and honour for John and Carolyn — that’s my hope.”
Ryan Murphy’s History of Controversial Biographical Series
The Ryan Murphy Kennedy controversy follows a pattern of disputes surrounding Murphy’s dramatizations of real-life figures. His Netflix series Monster: The Jeffrey Dahmer Story was heavily criticized by families of Dahmer’s surviving victims for its depiction of traumatic events.
Murphy addressed the criticism by explaining that the series was intended not to dwell on Dahmer as a monster but to explore the societal factors that enabled his crimes. He said,
“We weren’t really interested in Dahmer the monster. It was [about] who was complicit in making the monster.”
The show sought to highlight systemic racism and homophobia while centering the victims’ stories.
Current Availability and Public Reception
Love Story: John F. Kennedy Jr and Carolyn Bessette is currently streaming on Disney Plus, with new episodes released weekly. Despite the Kennedy family’s objections, public interest remains high as viewers engage with the dramatization of American icons and their personal lives.
The controversy surrounding the series highlights the tension between creative interpretation and respecting the privacy and legacy of well-known families. It also raises questions about the responsibilities of storytellers when depicting real people and events.
Metro has reached out to Ryan Murphy for further comment on the criticism but has not received a response at this time.
