The truth about Carolyn Bessette and Caroline Kennedy’s relationship (and what Love Story gets wr...

The FX series paints a fraught dynamic between JFK Jr.'s sister and wife. The truth about Carolyn Bessette and Caroline Kennedy's relationship (and what Love Story gets wrong about their alleged fight) The FX series paints a fraught dynamic between JFK Jr.'s sister and wife. By Allison DeGrushe :maxbytes(150000):stripicc()/allisondegrusheEWbiophotoe5f8e89253c84b7085a43c502a3051a4.jpg) Allison DeGrushe Allison DeGrushe is a timely SEO writer at . She has been working at since 2025. Her work has previously appeared on Distractify. EW's editorial guidelines March 13, 2026 5:41 p.m.

The FX series paints a fraught dynamic between JFK Jr.'s sister and wife.

The truth about Carolyn Bessette and Caroline Kennedy's relationship (and what *Love Story *gets wrong about their alleged fight)

The FX series paints a fraught dynamic between JFK Jr.'s sister and wife.

By Allison DeGrushe

Allison DeGrushe

Allison DeGrushe is a timely SEO writer at **. She has been working at * *since 2025. Her work has previously appeared on Distractify.

EW's editorial guidelines

March 13, 2026 5:41 p.m. ET

Leave a Comment

Caroline Kennedy on Oct. 5, 1998 in New York; Carolyn Bessette on March 3, 1999 in New York. Credit:

Sonia Moskowitz/Getty; Ron Galella/Ron Galella Collection via Getty

- Carolyn Bessette and Caroline Kennedy first met at Caroline's birthday party in November 1994.

- Despite a few disagreements, Caroline reportedly appreciated Carolyn for making her brother happy.

- Still, John F. Kennedy Jr. and Carolyn occasionally clashed with Caroline and her husband, Ed Schlossberg.

The Kennedys have always lived under a microscope, and any hint of tension between Carolyn Bessette and Caroline Kennedy was magnified in the press.

FX's hit series *Love Story* dives deeper into the alleged friction between John F. Kennedy Jr.'s wife and sister. When the two first meet at Caroline's (Grace Gummer) birthday party in episode 4, the atmosphere is civil but fraught, with Caroline acting cautious and less warm than JFK Jr. (Paul Anthony Kelly) might have expected. From there, Caroline and Carolyn's (Sarah Pidgeon) relationship has several ups and downs, including a serious argument at a dinner party in episode 7, which aired on March 12.

But how much of this conflict is real? Here's everything we know about Caroline Kennedy and Carolyn Bessette's real-life relationship.

Did Caroline Kennedy dislike Carolyn Bessette?

Caroline Kennedy circa 1997 in New York City; Carolyn Bessette at a party for 'George' magazine.

Robin Platzer/Images/Getty; Fairchild Archive/Penske Media via Getty

*Love Story* mirrors real life in some ways, as JFK Jr. really did bring Carolyn to Caroline's birthday party in 1994. According to Carole Radziwill, a friend of Carolyn's and former Kennedy-in-law, the meeting was a bit awkward. In her 2005 memoir *What Remains*, she recalled, "Caroline hugs her brother warmly and hesitates for a brief moment before greeting his date, *So nice to meet you*. Her friends smile politely then shift their focus to John."

Accounts of their real-life relationship are mixed. Sasha Chermayeff, a childhood friend of JFK Jr., shared in the 2024 book *JFK Jr.: An Intimate Oral Biography *by Liz McNeil and RoseMarie Terenzio that she didn't "think there was much love lost between [Carolyn] and Caroline."

Chermayeff continued, "It became clear to me that Caroline was not going to accept Carolyn until the very last minute, until she had no choice — until she was standing at the f---ing altar and there's no doubt whatsoever, you're in the family."

Historian Steve Gillon alleges, "Caroline did not think Carolyn was good enough for John — she and Ed just found her temperamental and selfish," while Terenzio claimed Carolyn "was definitely a little intimidated by Caroline."

JFK Jr.'s friend addresses 'Love Story' wedding day 'tensions' between Carolyn Bessette and Caroline Kennedy

5 details 'Love Story' gets wrong about JFK Jr. and Carolyn Bessette's romance

However, Elizabeth Beller offers a different perspective in her 2024 book *Once Upon a Time: The Captivating Life of Carolyn Bessette-Kennedy*, which inspired *Love Story*. She disputed the idea that Caroline and Carolyn didn't get along. One friend told Beller they connected "right away," adding, "Caroline saw how much John and Carolyn laughed together. She was happy for them both.'"

The women were even spotted eating out together. As an acquaintance recalled in *Once Upon a Time*, "The two women seemed to really enjoy each other, and the conversation flowed, peppered with laughter here and there."

Even if they weren't particularly close, Caroline seemed to appreciate Carolyn for JFK Jr.'s sake. Despite their differing lifestyles, they had a few things in common: a desire for privacy and a hope that JFK Jr. would quit flying lessons, according to Beller.

What really happened during their dinner party dispute?

Sarah Pidgeon as Carolyn Bessette and Grace Gummer as Caroline Kennedy on 'Love Story'.

*Love Story *changes a few key elements from the celebration dinner for Carolyn and JFK Jr. On the show, Carolyn takes one of Caroline's daughters down to the lobby after the girl asks her to get candy from the doorman, Edgar. While they're downstairs, paparazzi outside the building begin snapping photos, which enrages Caroline.

In real life, the situation was similar but allegedly involved Caroline's son, Jack. According to Terenzio, the boy had been "restless" during the dinner, so Carolyn brought him downstairs to the lobby.

"There were paparazzi outside and they were taking pictures… and I think Caroline was upset because she thought that Carolyn was being irresponsible," Terenzio claimed in her book. "Carolyn was shocked that Caroline would think she would go downstairs intentionally and expose Jack to that. She was like, 'I would never do something like that — I would never take him outside in front of the paparazzi.'"

The alleged misunderstanding underscored the tension between the two, but their relationship wasn't the only one that was complicated.

Was there tension between the couples?

Carolyn Bessette, John F. Kennedy Jr., Caroline Kennedy Schlossberg, and Ed Schlossberg in 1998.

Sonia Moskowitz/Getty

The drama in the Kennedy family didn't just involve Carolyn and Caroline — it may have extended to their spouses, too. JFK Jr. allegedly didn't get along with Caroline's husband, Ed Schlossberg.

As a close friend said in *Once Upon a Time*, "It was as if once Caroline married Ed, he built a wall around her. Possibly, it was what she needed at the time… but it shut some of us out." While JFK Jr. wasn't shut out, he allegedly wasn't a fan of Ed's, and Ed, according to Bobby Kennedy Jr. in the book, wasn't fond of Carolyn either.

Some of Ed's unease around Carolyn might have come from her fierce loyalty to JFK Jr. and how she helped him stand up for himself against others, including family. In 1994, JFK Jr. and Ed argued over a film Ed was producing about JFK's contributions to the arts. A friend noted, "It might have been one of the first times John stood up to Ed in any way, and Ed may have suspected Carolyn's presence behind John's newfound backbone."

Chermayeff added in *JFK Jr.: An Intimate Oral Biography *that Carolyn "became John's fierce protector" and thought it was time he "be defended against this condescending older sister and her husband."

Grace Gummer as Caroline Kennedy and Sarah Pidgeon as Carolyn Bessette on 'Love Story'.

Eric Liebowitz/FX

The strain even spilled over into family holidays. According to *Once Upon a Time*, Ed once gave Carolyn some of his favorite books for Christmas. JFK Jr. was reportedly furious and told him, "How dare you insult my wife by sending her this… this syllabus! As if she is unintelligent and needs to catch up on her reading!"

Even if Ed hadn't intended any slight, the exchange revealed just how delicate the relationship between the two men had become and how interactions between the couples could make family gatherings complicated.

At another holiday event, JFK Jr. and Carolyn visited Caroline and Ed at their apartment, but within an hour, Caroline and Ed reportedly ditched them to attend a sporting event, per Gillon in *JFK Jr: An Intimate Oral Biography*.

"Carolyn thought that was so disrespectful," Gillon explained. "So there was a lot of tension there on both sides. One of the big issues in John's relationship with his sister was their spouses."

Where can I watch Love Story?

*Love Story* airs Thursdays at 9 p.m. ET on FX, with new episodes available to stream the following day on Hulu.

***Get your daily dose of entertainment news, celebrity updates, and what to watch with our ******EW Dispatch newsletter******.***

- Celebrities & Creators

- Celebrity Feuds & Controversies

Original Article on Source

Source: "EW Celebrity"

Read More

---

Source: Celebrity

Published: March 14, 2026 at 02:57PM on Source: PRIME TIME

#ShowBiz#Sports#Celebrities#Lifestyle